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Insights. For Ecologists using QGIS and other map tech.

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I’ve spoken to Ecologists (QGIS users) and Landscape architects (CAD users) and here’s how to improve collaboration and make Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Assessments quicker and easier.

Over the years landscape architects and ecologists have been like 2 tribes. One using CAD to design, the other using (Q)GIS for site management and spatial analysis. With Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) there is a real need to collaborate. On a technical level, this means integrating CAD designs to QGIS to create the ‘post-development’ GIS layer. However, as we shall see, there are opportunities for a deeper, more collaborative, approach to habitat design.

Why Ecologists should stop using paper maps and try one of these tools for field surveys with QGIS

Are you still using a pen and paper in the field? Can’t see the point in going digital? Would you like to start using an app to collect survey data but don’t know where to start?

In this article I’m going to look at why you should seriously think about going digital, and point you in the direction of some great tools. It’s easier than you might think.

7 things Ecologists get wrong carrying out a Biodiversity Net Gain assessment in QGIS

You’re an ecologist, I don’t need to tell you BNG is complex.

So, if you are an Ecologist trying to get to grips with all the mappy-data bits of BNG, here is the Maplango listicle of 7 things Ecologists often get wrong carrying out a BNG assessment using QGIS.

 

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    The articles…

    Here’s how to make your ecology mapping workflows accurate, efficient & standardised in time for next field season.  PART 2: IT and Software.

    Introduction

    Welcome back. In the first of this 4-part article, I shared with you the initial steps I take when helping ecology consultancy improve their mapping workflows. We looked at how to review your current GIS set up (via a ‘GIS audit’) and formulate a plan (or ‘GIS Roadmap’) to guide you. We concluded that there were typically 3 key areas to focus on this winter, if you want to make your mapping workflows accurate, efficient & standardised in time for next field season; Software. People. And Data.

    In my early days as a freelancer my laptop was stolen from my bag on a bus. I was distraught. Back then, I was relying on hard-drives, and although I was able to recover most of my work, some was lost. It was the prompt I needed to move to cloud storage. There are lots of aspects that determine the success of a GIS project, and in this article I will explore some common IT and software issues. Plus look at how opensource GIS can play a part in the solution.

     

    1. IT & Hardware

    I’m not going to pretend to be a IT manager, but when I’m helping clients design and implement GIS workflows, it really is important to get an understanding of the legacy IT architecture, hardware and IT support in place. You can create the most elegant, efficient workflows. But unless they are implementable, robust and sustainable they will either not be adopted, or will be abandoned. So here are a few key issues worth considering:

    Data Security

    • First and foremost, in the event of an accident or theft etc, can you recover your work? Cloud storage is readily available, cheap and secure. It allows you to revert to a pervious point in time in the event of an mistake. And facilitates better sharing of data across your team. Peace of mind is important.

    Internet Connectivity

    • An ecologists work often involves travel to remote locations. Plus hybrid office-home working arrangements are commonplace. However, internet connectivity and bandwidth may limit the ability to upload / download data, and the types of work staff can take on in different locations. Worth considering how this might affect the new mapping process you’d like to implement.

    Hardware requirements

    • In the office, a desktop or laptop computer is the key hardware investment. To run GIS effectively on it, I’d recommend a minimum 16GB RAM. Plus sufficient memory to store the data you will generate.

    • In the field, consumer grade tablets and phones can perform well. You may need to consider a rugged case, though, a data only SIM if you need to sync data off WiFi, and a Bluetooth GPS unit, for accuracy.

    2. Mapping software

    Ecology is inherently spatial. And I can’t think of a single ecology consultancy that doesn’t depend on a GIS system to deliver their functions. Over the last decade I’ve been so impressed with QGIS, and the community of people that support it, that I can’t recommend it highly enough. So too the opensource QGIS enabled survey apps. Here are some key issues to consider:

    Flexibility

    • I view QGIS as the ‘hub’, where you manage, analyse, manipulate and integrate spatial data. And create maps, of course. It’s like a Swiss army knife. The richness of functionality means you’ll always find the right tool for processing your mapping data. In whatever scenario that arises. And let’s face it, each BNG assessment is a bit different!

    Accuracy

    • Might you need to prove the precise location of your condition assessment quadrats? Will clients require your outputs to align with Local Planning Authority (LPA) mapping? If so, map projection will have a big impact. Most web-mapping systems use WGS 84 / Pseudo-Mercator projection, which has a maximum accuracy of 2m. And it could mean your data is actually plotting in the middle of the road when overlayed on OS Mastermap data at an LPA. The standard projection used by Ordnance Survey, LPAs, and other government bodies, is British National Grid. It’s also what the Natural England BNG QGIS project is set to. So to work accurately, consider a field survey app that supports British National grid. Merginmaps and Qfield both do and are popular options.

    • Another consideration is GPS accuracy, and where you are working. A consumer grade mobile device, by way of GPS and other sensors, can achieve at best 3m accuracy. But to achieve that with a limited view of the sky (e.g. in urban, mountainous or forested areas) you will need to connect a Bluetooth GPS device. Or a high accuracy GPS to achieve decimetre level precision. Knowing the accuracy you are working at also means choosing a software that captures GPS accuracy during the survey. Both the above apps will.

    Sharing and Interoperability

    • Do you need to have multiple staff working on a project? Do you need to share with sub-contractors or other external stakeholders? Because QGIS is available without licence costs, you can install it as many times as you need, improving collaboration and efficiency.

    • Do you take on a range of project work? Could QGIS can speed up your existing ‘Desk Study’ processes? QGIS is very data agnostic and will handle a wide range of datasets, allowing you to take on a wide range of projects. It also integrates with many databases and other software.

    • Finally, each time data is moved from one system to another there is potential for data loss, corruption, or inaccuracies to occur. It can also be time consuming. An additional benefit of the survey apps above is that they sync directly with QGIS. Which means data transfer is accurate and hassle free.

    Conclusion

    Hopefully this article got you thinking about some IT and software issues that might influence the development of your mapping workflows. Clearly, you will need to think about your own context and what is right for you. And hopefully you can avoid having a laptop stolen!

    Thinking back over the many projects delivered over the years, I realise how Software, People and Data are so interconnected, and how the success of a project depends on all three. So stay tuned for parts 3 and 4 of the article over coming weeks.

    Maplango provide a range of consultancy, support and training for ecologists. If you would like to discuss any issues raised in this article or explore how we can help power up your mapping, drop me a line to matt@maplango.com.

    Matt Davies