Oxford Brookes University - Phase One Habitat Survey Toolkit

Oxford Brookes University Centre for Ecology, Environment and Conservation has developed an iPad Toolkit, which enables users to efficiently conduct Phase One ecological surveys.

The new toolkit removes the need for surveyors to make notes with paper and pencil in the field before translating them onto digital maps when they return to their offices. They can create fully colour-coded, spatially referenced, habitat maps on the spot, and can include valuable information on the species present in the area, or details of other important information about the site. The Toolkit also includes detailed information including photo references, distribution maps and ecology on more than 900 key UK species including plants, birds, mammals and insects. Maps, data, photographs and notes from the Toolkit can be exported with minimal need for post surveying data collation or editing.

The toolkit has already been used by a number of UK universities both to aid the initial assessment of the value of habitats on their estates, as well as in teaching of ecology. The software is also in use by many UK ecological consultancies.