PARENT SESSION
Poster Session #51: Education: Undergraduate I.
Thursday, August 8. Presentation from 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Exhibit Hall B & C, TCC

Digital data recording for field surveys using PalmOS organizers (PDAs).

Balmer, Oliver^*,1, Balmer, Marc², ¹ Yale University, New Haven, CT² Micro Systems, Basel, Switzerland

ABSTRACT- Field surveys in ecology and conservation based on paper data sheets pose several problems. The transfer of field data to a computer is time consuming and prone to mistakes. The large number of taxa in certain groups makes paper protocols impractical to handle, and, where several recorders are involved, inconsistent nomenclature and unclear handwriting are further error sources. We present an approach using an elegant small program for PalmOS organizers (digital pocket agendas) called Field List to record species survey data digitally. We originally developed Field List for the Swiss Biodiversity Monitoring Scheme. It is now being used for all plant and invertebrate surveys of several federal monitoring programs. We have adapted it for general scientific use for any species group. Before recording, a complete species database of the group under investigation is loaded into the organizer. During recordings the program recognizes the beginning of the species name and retrieves the complete name from the database. This considerably speeds up recording and guarantees a consistent nomenclature defined by the project leader. Field List increases accuracy and saves large amounts of time because it makes typing the field data into the home computer unnecessary. All data transfers are done with a single key stroke. Field List is also interesting for private use to record and keep track of ones list of sightings in a small organizer.

KEY WORDS: digital data recording, field surveys, Palm organizer, monitoring