Data describing the sampling site (= plot) and meta data related to an observation on this site are entered in the plot observations tab. The data entry profile determines the selection of fields (there are predefined fields to choose from and more can be added). You may also want to define default values.
If your device has a camera you can use the photo button to take a picture of the site. The photos are stored in a folder named "VegApp/[your project name]" on your device. Note that photos are not exported along with a project so they need separate handling if you need to tranfer them. Tapping the location icons starts a GPS measurements if possible. The fields for latitude, longitude and accuracy are then filled in automatically.
Fields related to the plot per se. A plot is where plot observations are done. The profiles section describes how to add up to five custom fields to these sections.
Custom fields
| Custom fields | You can add up to five custom fields related to plot observations. Please refer to profiles if you want to learn more about this option. |
Location
| Latitude and Longitude (°) | In decimal degrees. The map-view requires these coordinates. They can often be retrieved from the internal GPS module of the Android device using the respective button on the top of the list. The app allows also a conversion of UTM coordinates to decimal degrees. |
| UTM Northing, Easting and Zone | Values required to define a position in the UTM coordinate system. Tapping on this field opens a dialog for entering the data and optionally for conversion to decimal degrees. Note that the map-view requires coordinates in decimal degrees. |
| Northing and Easting | Coordinates related to other coordinate systems than UTM or decimal degrees. |
| Coordinate Units | Field needed with coordinates other than decimal degrees or UTM. Allows to specify the units of the coordinates. |
| Spatial Reference | Reference system for the coordinates. Ideally a Proj.4 string or EPSG code (see spatialreference.org). Could also be an unambiguous name like 'NAD27(CGQ77) / UTM zone 21N' instead of EPSG:2035. The spatial reference typically used by satellite navigation systems today is EPSG:4326. |
| Accuracy (m) | Expected closeness of the position values to the actual position. With GPS devices this is usually measured as Circular Error Probability (CEP: radius of a circle centred on the true value that contains 50% of the actual GPS measurements). |
| Accuracy (DOP) | GPS accuracy measured as Geometric Dilution of Precision. |
| Elevation (m) | Height above sea level. |
| Plot Origin | Point in the plot where the coordinates have been measured. |
| Markers | Information about any markers (like magnetic markers or wooden pegs) that help locating the plot and where in the plot they are placed. |
| Aspect (°) | The compass direction that a slope faces, in degrees. |
| Aspect (classes) | Direction that a slope faces, at the level of secondary-intercardinal directions (like N, NNE, NE, ENE etc.). |
| Slope (°) | Slope angle to a horizontal surface. |
| Country | Usually area of a sovereign state like Italy or Botswana |
| Federated State | Part of a federal state (like canton, regione, Bundesland etc.). |
| County | Smaller division of a country used for administrative purposes (like comté, provincia, Landkreis) |
| Place | Any textual description of the location of the plot. |
| Survey Grid | Grid used for mapping at a broader scale (for example in national floristic surveys) |
| Survey Cell | Grid cell (belonging to a survey grid) where the plot is located |
| Survey Quadrant | Quadrant of a survey cell where the plot is located |
Plot geometry
| Plot Shape | Form of the plot (like quadrat, rectangle, circle, line, polygon) |
| Plot Size (m²) | Area of the plot |
| Plot Radius (m) | In case of the plot having a circular form: length of a line from its center to its perimeter |
| Plot Width (m) | In case of the plot being a rectangle this gives the length of the shorter side |
| Plot Length (m) | In case of the plot being a rectangle this gives the length of the longer side |
| Plot Orientation (°) | In case of the plot being a rectangle or line this gives a direction of the longer side / line |
Placement strategy
| Placement strategy | The sampling strategy followed when placing the plot |
| Parent Plot | In case of the plot being a subplot this is for the ID or name of the parent plot |
| Permanent Plot | If the plot observation belongs to a series of observations on the same plot, this field holds an ID linking these observations together |
Fields related to the plot observation (there can be multiple plot observations on one plot).
Meta data for the observation
| Date | Starting date of the plot observation in format DD/MM/YYYY. Tapping on this field opens a datepicker. |
| Observers | Person(s) who did the field work (you can add multiple persons with their first and last name) |
| Mosses Identified | If mosses have been identified during this observation (yes or no) |
| Lichens Identified | If lichens have been identified during this observation (yes or no) |
Community observations
| Formation | Physiognomic type of vegetation (for example according to the UNESCO key, like tropical ombrophilous lowland forest, mainly evergreen scrub, tall forb community) |
| Alliance | Vegetation type at the level of alliances, according to the phytosociological system |
| Association | Vegetation type at the level of associations,according to the phytosociological system |
| Subassociation | Vegetation type at the level of subassociations, according to the phytosociological system |
| Community | Vegetation type at any hierarchical level, according to any system |
| Stand Age | Estimated or measured stand age, usually for longer-lived communities and measured in years |
| Successional Stage | Description of the stage in an ecological succession (like pioneer stage or terminal stage) |
| Phenological Status | Stage of the plant community at the time of observation (with respect to an annual cycle) |
Surface cover
| Live plants (%) | Projected cover of all green foliage, living stems and exposed roots (up to 100%) |
| Bare Ground (%) | Percent of exposed bare ground not covered by leaf litter(includes bare soil, bare rock and rock gravel) |
| Bare Soil (%) | Percent of exposed bare soil (not covered by leaf litter, vegetation or moss) |
| Bare Rock (%) | Percent of exposed bare rocks. |
| Litter (%) | Percent of ground covered by leaf litter (includes lying deadwood if not measured separately) |
| Moribund (%) | Standing dead, non-woody plants |
| Standing Deadwood (%) | Percent of standing deadwood |
| Lying Deadwood (%) | Percent of ground covered by downed logs, generally >10cm in diameter. Downed logs covered in moss are counted |
| Open Water (%) | Percent of open water at the time of plot observation |
Site observations
| Drainage | Good, moderate, poor drainage. |
| Landform | Usually a slope landform like ridge, terrace, gully etc. |
| Humus Type | Term characterizing the humus category, like Mor, Moder, Mull for less disturbed soils. |
| Soil Type | Name of the soil, usually as a category according to some soil classification (like the World Reference Base for Soil Resources) |
| Soil Texture | Description of the mineral soil relating to sand, silt and clay contents (loamy sand, sandy loam, loam etc.) |
| Soil Depth (m) | Measure of the depth of the soil. |
| Rock Type | Type of rocks underlying the soil, like limestone, granite etc. |
Legal status, land use and management
| Habitat Type 1 | Term describing the habitat type, usually as a category according to some closed list (like in annex I of the European Habitat Directive) |
| Habitat Type 2 | Term describing the habitat type, usually as a category according to some closed list (like in annex I of the European Habitat Directive) |
| Legal Status 1 | Term denoting a level of protection of the area (like Wilderness Area, National Park, Natura 2000 site) |
| Legal Status 2 | Term denoting a level of protection of the area (like Wilderness Area, National Park, Natura 2000 site) |
| Land Use | Land use categories like managed forest, pasture, arable field |
| Management | Management regime like mowing frequence or prescribed burning |
| Fertilization | Description of any atificial fertilization measures |
Literature source
| Source Reference | Literature source of this data set (sometimes used when digitizing old sources) |
| Source Table | Table in a publication containing this data set (sometimes used when digitizing old sources) |
| Source Plot | Plot ID in a publication containing this data set( sometimes used when digitizing old sources) |
Legal
| License | Copyright permissions to use the data. Tapping on this field opens a picklist with some frequently used options ranging from "All rights reserved" to "Public Domain". More detail is given on the Creative Commons website. |
| Attribution | Attribution required by the license. Ensures licensors get credit for their work |
| Owner Givenname | Licensor's given name |
| Owner Surname | Licensor's surname |
| Owner Organization | In case of the licensor being an institution it can be named here |
Remarks
| Remarks | Anything else you want to store along with your data, for example a site description and a stand description |