We are exploring how new technology enables the collection of new data in both current and future surveillance schemes, investigating how recording additional information alongside existing data can enhance analyses, and developing analytical approaches to maximize the value of these new data.
Theme: New technologies for the UK Terrestrial Evidence Partnership of Partnership (UKTEPoP)
Terrestrial Surveillance Development and Analysis (TSDA) phase 1 focused on developing acoustic monitoring for small mammals.
If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more about any of the tasks below, sign up here. Current TSDA tasks under this theme include:
Evaluating the benefits of new technologies for TEPoP: TSDA has undertaken an evaluation of new technologies to see how they could improve structured and unstructured data collection, analysis and volunteer support in TEPoP schemes. We are prioritizing technologies that add value to current efforts and exploring piloting them with volunteers.
Exploring the impact of personalised automated feedback to volunteers: TSDA is exploring how personalised automated feedback can be used to enhance the recorder experience, to help them contribute more valuable biodiversity data to support monitoring objectives.
Find out more about this task in this video.
Improving verification with new technologies: Expert verifiers play essential roles in checking the reported observations of species, but this is a time-consuming task. TSDA is exploring the dominant issues that arise during data verification and possible analytical tools that could reduce manual effort.
Theme: Recording additional environmental information in TEPoP schemes
We are assessing how we could include extra environmental information within or alongside existing data collection efforts, which could improve how we map and assess habitats across the UK. TSDA have previously developed a framework for recording additional information such as habitat; evaluated the potential for volunteers to record additional habitat information; and surveyed volunteers to understand their interest and motivations for doing this.
If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more about any of the tasks below, sign up here. Current TSDA tasks under this theme include:
Habitat recording with citizen scientists: TSDA is working with the sector to develop a framework and recommendations for collecting additional habitat information through citizen science, considering volunteer input, classification challenges, and best practices.
Publications
Theme: Adding value to unstructured data
Unstructured or opportunistic monitoring data have been essential to provide some information on the trends of species that are not the target of large-scale structured schemes. These unstructured data are a heterogeneous mix of data collected with different protocols. Previous TSDA work considered the potential for semi-structured and effort recording to enhance the value of biological recording by volunteers. The partnership also developed the ‘Targeting Revisits Map’ and evaluated its impact on recorder behaviour.
If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more about any of the tasks below, sign up here. Current TSDA tasks under this theme include:
Recording additional metadata alongside dragonfly unstructured data collection: Unstructured data typically include some data that could be regarded as semi-structured data (e.g. data that contains information on sampling effort and coverage) but they cannot be separated from the less structured data due to lack of metadata. Improved metadata would radically help the modelling of these data and help increase the reliability of trend estimates. This task is exploring the challenges, opportunities and potential tools to record additional metadata alongside dragonfly unstructured data collection.
Targeting Revisits Maps: These maps steer volunteers to revisit sites with limited or outdated data. Current work involves co-developing the maps with volunteer input, to include factors like the recency and completeness of species records.
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