All database and app design starts with knowing what they are about. What is the purpose, who are the users, which features are needed? In research, the answers are quite specifically shaped by, well, the research and its context. In this post, I will introduce three techniques to answer these questions, and point out why with me you are in good hands. … More Investigating client needs
Forest regeneration has become a hot topic in the recent years. At the Zona Protectora Monte Alto, they have 30 years of experience with it. Located close to Hojancha in the Costa Rican province of Guanacaste, it is not advertised as a biological station, but it appears to have suitable facilities for seminars, teaching and perhaps field work. … More Monte Alto – biological station for forest regeneration
Very few research databases or data collections that are being populated through human labor can do without a field or other opportunity to enter notes. At least five possible uses of notes can be identified. It is important to regularly review the notes to unleash their power. … More The power of notes in research data
A couple of weeks ago, I started making a list of databases for nature conservation. If one searches for nature conservation databases online, one finds them as a hit list of possible databases. It is a start but not an overview. Also, overviews do not show up, or they are very limited. So I started to make a list which I am trying to expand weekly. One can find it here. After a some of hours collecting, a couple of things started to become abundantly clear, which I want share here, as a heads-up for those interested. … More Databases for nature conservation
At the IUCN’s World Conservation Congress I ran into two applications of machine learning (ML) to guard protected areas against direct detrimental human activity. Both stories are success stories but also both applications are in their early phases. In this post, I will compare the two and ask a couple of common sense questions that may be of interest for the long-term viability of the approaches. … More Machine Learning against poaching and illegal logging
This started as a post about particular applications of machine learning (or ML) in protected area management, but while writing the ‘one paragraph’ introduction into machine learning, it became two paragraphs and then some more. Then it became a post in itself. Obviously, you will find other introductions if you search for them. I suggest … More Machine learning for dummies
Rubber Boots Data 