The Value of Data
Create a Biodiversity Checklist of Recognisable Taxonomic Units.
Basically, you sample an area and produce a species list for butterflies, snakes, frogs, mammals or lizards.
The processes required are: (Theory / Practice / Application)
Theory
- Set the Goal(s)
- Assess the contribution of your data to the goal(s)
- Assess how well you have achieved your goal(s)
Practice
- Acquire Scientific / Common Names
- Add Spatial Distributional Data
- Acquire GIS Data
- Make a Map of the Species Distribution
- Acquire Activity / Breeding etc data during each month of the year
- Acquire images
- Is this enough? Often No!
- Acquire list of other species related to the target species.
- Perform the above information acquisition loop, until you have developed a complete picture of the species you are researching.
Application
- Discuss what information you have acquired.
- How best can you use this information?
- What is the value of this information?
