I am investigating the possiblities for using electronic data loggers for botany data collection for the Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystem Project (MOFEP), and would love any input from those who have used them. I have used a GEO-XT for inputting woody overstory and understory data, but not for botanical data.
We will be collecting data from 1m2 quadrats, recording all species encountered, percent cover, and stem counts for woody seedlings. We'll also be counting berries present for soft mast species. Up until now we have recorded data on paper, using 8-letter codes for each species. I have several major concerns in considering the electronic option: even though I know it will save a great amount of data entry time at the end of the season, I cannot afford to slow down our data collection at all: we have to visit 648 plots in a limited time period! Secondly, I know how easy it is to mistype something, and I see no way to error check the data... having the original paper to check data by gives me great piece of mind. Finally, the new method must allow the workers to easily "jot notes" in the logger for comments, explanations, etc. If a botanist forgets the scientific name, a note saying "pokeberry" instead of "phytamer" still allows me to identify the plant. If it's slow or cumbersome to write notes, the workers WON'T give us helpful notes. I will have 12 botanists, and will need 12 data logging devices if we go this route, so the units must be affordable. I could see requesting $300 PDA units, but not $1000 or $2000 Ranger units. Any advice or comments would be greatly appreciated!
