VIS flora survey public user manual
Contents
1. 2 Site marker this section provides details about the type of site marker used and its position on site If no data exists for these fields N A will appear Transect tab This tab displays information about specific co ordinate information for any ground cover transect done within the site The tab is split into three sections 1 The top of screen displays the start co ordinates of the transect as both projected and geographic co ordinates The datum also appears here 2 The middle section displays the end co ordinates of the transect as both projected and geographic co ordinates The datum also appears here 3 The base of the page provides details about the transect length in metres and its orientation If no data exists for any field then N A will appear Mapping tab This tab provides details about any associated aerial photo and or satellite imagery mapping information regarding the site If no data exists for any field then N A will appear Other tab This tab provides any extra data that exists about the site which was not appropriate to enter in earlier tabs If no data exists for any field then N A will appear Further details about each field may be found in Table 3 Table 3 Description of the fields available in the Other tab of the Flora survey site page Field 0 Desorption S Field measurement Altitude The vertical height of the site as measured in the field shown in metres Mapped Altitude Alt2. Botanical Division North Coast Mapsheet Name CARRAI 9336 Mapsheet Name KUNDERANG 9336 3 S Figure 4 Flora survey site page The Flora survey site page may be used to review individual sites associated with a particular survey of the VIS flora survey module Fig 4 From this page you will be able to access the details of any replicates which have been identified for the survey at that site The replicate page contains all the floristic data Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife T Replicate page You are here Home gt Flora search gt Flora survey Replicate 1 Survey name Survey001 Site number KLN32H6U General NVIS level v Condition Land use Site history Disturbance Species Ground cover Graphics Startdate 13 06 2011 Enddate 13 06 2011 Plot details Plot size s 1 20x20m Full floristics Comments Figure 5 The replicate page The Replicate page contains floristic and time specific data saved to the VIS flora survey module Fig 5 4 Searching the VIS flora survey module This section will deal with the search capabilities of the VIS flora survey module There are two radio buttons available Survey search and Site search which allow you to search data at either the Survey or Site level Survey search Site search For all searches the wildcard is This cannot be used to search on start dates 4 1 Survey searches The default search mode is a S
3. If a GPS was not used it will be blank refers to how accurately the co Accuracy ordinates represent the exact location of the site in metres Georeference For example a value of 100 would mean that the location is accurate to the nearest 100m If you used a GPS the accuracy will have been displayed on screen This field displays the datum and Original Unit Type co ordinate type i e projected or geographic in which the co Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 13 ordinate data was originally submitted This section contains any additional location notes about the site This field is typically blank Calculated area s This section comprises a table listing various layers and identifies the area s that the site s co ordinates fall within for each layer As well as containing co ordinate information the Georeference section has a link that allows you to view a map of the location If you click the es image as displayed in Fig 11 a pop up will appear with a map and your site s location marked Geographic co ordinates Latitude Longitude Degrees 30 152 Minutes 55 0 Seconds 32 6 43 _39 9957329748 452 009171135 Figure 11 To view the site s location on a map click the circled button Physiography tab The Physiography tab describes the physical features of the site if no data exists for a particular field then N A will appear Brief descript
4. Inactive tab Survey name Survey001 Description Scoring systems Plot design Security Publications Sites Figure 3 Flora survey page The Flora survey page is used to review the details of previously saved surveys stored within the VIS flora survey module Fig 3 Notice the tabs available for review at this stage The default tab Description which is open appears different to the remainder of the tabs on the page Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 6 Flora survey site page Flora survey site Survey name Survey001 Site number KLN32H6U Replicate s Choose a replicate to view Location Physiography Survey specific Transect Mapping Other Description Apsley river upstream of Rowleys creek Location attributes Geology type N A Vegetation type N A Slope of area 1 Aspectofarea 250 Altitude N A Georeference Co ordinate system GDA94 GPS Geographic co ordinates Original unittype AMG Coordinates i 5 Latitude Longitude Projected co ordinates Degrees 30 152 Minutes 55 0 Zone 56 Seconds 32 6 33 Easting 405334 i 3 30 925732748 152 009171135 Northing 6578208 A Accuracy m 10 0000 Notes Calculated area s Layer type Area name LGA WALCHA Reserve Oxley Wild Rivers NP Mapsheet Number 9336 CARRAI Mapsheet Number 9336 3 S KUNDERANG CMA Northern Rivers CMA Subregion Northern Rivers Macleay Gorges Bioregion NSW North Coast NSW
5. and animals while other modules of the VIS allow for the description and identification of the various vegetation communities which occur in NSW For further information on the VIS initiative please refer to http www environment nsw gov au research Vegetationinformationsystem htm Detailed information about the fields captured by the VIS flora survey module may be found within the Native Vegetation Interim Type Standard document http Awww environment nsw gov au resources nativeveg 10060nvinttypestand pdf 2 2 Governance and accountabilities The VIS flora survey module is maintained by the Wildlife Data Unit WDU of the OEH Please direct all queries to the WDU via the gis environment nsw gov au email address as your first point of reference 2 3 Structure of the data stored in the module The data is held in the database in a relational manner This means that there are certain elements of each record that provide for its uniqueness Structurally the data has the following form Survey Site Replicate subplot Where a subplot is part of a replicate which is part of a site either temporally or spatially and sites are a spatial element within a survey Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 1 The survey defines how the basic components of the data are arranged A single survey is consistent for methods e g the format of data capture often has a limited set of recorders
6. data exists a No records available message will appear Disturbance If data exists for this tab a table will appear with five columns Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 22 1 Date recorded the date that the management strategy was recorded This will be the date that the replicate was conducted Disturbance type lists the type of disturbance Severity provides details about the severity of the disturbance e g high low Time since last event or age time since the last disturbance of that particular type oP a N Observational evidence any additional comments about the disturbance entered by the recorder Each individual disturbance type will appear in a separate row If no data exists a No records available message will appear Species Along with the NVIS level V tab the Species tab contains the bulk of the replicate data and is most likely the reason you are examining the replicate At the top right are two radio buttons 1 Floristics refers to all species within the specified replicate area including non site spp records 2 Non site spp records species observed lt 50m outside the plot occurring within the same sampling unit These species may be important sightings or indicative of a particular community Once you have selected the type of species data you wish to view you should look at the table As with the NVIS level V tab data is presented in an
7. in sampling e Stratum defines the stratum the species was identified in Please note that species entered as Non site spp will be marked as AdU additional unscored species Ground cover This tab provides information on individual components of ground cover and the respective percentage of ground covered by each individual component Please be aware that due to layering of each type of cover the Total s field may sum to more than 100 Graphics This tab displays thumbnails of any graphics associated with the replicate These commonly include photographs looking into the replicate site markers or of any threatened or otherwise significant species identified within the replicate Data will be presented in a table detailing a description if provided the name of the photographer and a thumbnail of the saved image in the Photo column Clicking on the thumbnail in the photo column will open a new pop up of an enlarged photo with further details listed contact description notes and copyright renewal If there are no graphics associated with that replicate then a No records available message will appear 4 4 Referencing VIS flora survey data VIS flora survey is a module of the Atlas of NSW Wildlife and should be cited or referenced in any bibliography as follows NSW Office of Environment and Heritage lt insert year gt Atlas of NSW Wildlife database Data accessed lt insert dd mm yyyy gt 5 Exiting the
8. not be considered a comprehensive list for the area covered by that replicate as the analysis was targeted to specific species or stratum only 3 Comments if the replicate used non standard plots than details of these will be found in this component of the General tab NVIS level V This tab displays information about the strata present while the replicate was conducted In addition to this it lists details on the dominant species of each strata identified Fig 16 Genera NVIS level v Condition Land use Site history Disturbance Species Ground cover Graphics Strata type Lower Mode Upper cover height m height m height m h ower stratum 1 upper 10 1 00 70 0 Species synonym code Entolasia stricta 4947 Caustis flexuosa 2341 Mid stratum 1 upper 1 00 2 00 40 0 Growth form Dillwynia retorta 2850 po Figure 16 The NVIS level V tab of the Replicate page Strata information may be viewed in the primary table with the olive background If the species information is confusing you may like to minimise the table so that only the strata are visible This is achieved by clicking the button circled in Fig 16 Table 4 provides details on each of the columns present in this table Table 4 Descriptions of the fields present in the NVIS level V tab of the Replicate page Strata type Identifies the stratum being described Lower height The lowest height of the stratum in metres Mode height The mode heigh
9. the replicate area The condition factors measured within the site are intended to allow a standardised set of factors that aid the development of benchmark values for vegetation types There are two sections to this tab Fig 18 General WIS level w Condition Land use Site history Disturbance Species Ground cower Graphics Condition within 0 04ha Upper Mid Ground stratum k stratum stratum cover Grasses Shrubs Other Native richness 3 4 2 3 25 Litter 75 Native cover 19 15 5 0 58 Bare ground 5 Exotic cover 0 0 0 0 0 Cryptogams 40 Condition within 0 1ha quadrat No of trees with hollows 0 Woody debris lineal metres gt 10cm diameter 23 Woody regeneration No of upper stratum sp 1 Count 1 Woody stem sizes Count Size s 5 jize 410 6 MA 10 lt Size lt 20 17 MA 20 lt Size lt 30 5 MA Size 30cm DBH 3 MA measure all Tree health Figure 18 The condition tab of the replicate page 1 Condition within 0 04ha This section provides vegetation information about the primary strata Fig 18 Please note that the strata listed in the table are there by default and may not necessarily reflect the strata flagged in the NVIS level V tab Elements within the ground stratum are distinguished as grasses shrubs perennial woody plants less than 1m tall and all other components Should an element not be recorded or is not entered the term N A will appear within that cell Cover percentages are entered as percent g
10. 6U Figure 9 Site hierarchy This is a particularly useful function as the Survey name is a link you may use to review the survey s details This is also a useful mechanism to confirm you are looking at the site within the correct survey as some sites may appear in multiple surveys Location tab Flora survey site Survey name Survey001 Site number KLN32H6U Replicate s Choose a replicate to view Location Physiography Survey specific Transect Mapping Other Description Apsley river upstream of Rowleys creek Location attributes Geology type N A Vegetation type N A Slope of area 1 Aspectofarea 250 Altitude N A Georeference Co ordinate system GDA94 GPS Geographic co ordinates Original unit type AMG Coordinates 5 Latitude Longitude Projected co ordinates Degrees 30 152 Minutes 55 0 Zone 56 Seconds 32 6 33 Easting 405334 i 4 30 925732748 152 009171135 Northing 6578208 LI Accuracy m 10 0000 Notes Calculated area s Layer type Area name LGA WALCHA Reserve Oxley Wild Rivers NP Mapsheet Number 9336 CARRAI Mapsheet Number 9336 3 S KUNDERANG CMA Northern Rivers CMA Subregion Northern Rivers Macleay Gorges Bioregion NSW North Coast NSW Botanical Division North Coast Mapsheet Name CARRAI 9336 Mapsheet Name KUNDERANG 9336 3 S Figure 10 The location tab of the Flora survey site page The Location tab is split into five sections Fig 10 Description Locat
11. 9 21 1 Introduction This document has been prepared for users of the Office of Environment and Heritage s OEH NSW Vegetation Information System VIS Flora survey module of the Atlas of NSW Wildlife hereafter referred to as the Atlas Its primary purpose is to serve as a guide for users regarding the processes of searching and viewing vegetation survey data captured by the VIS flora survey database 2 Background 2 1 What is the VIS flora survey module The VIS flora survey module is the vegetation plot data base of the NSW Vegetation Information System VIS The VIS flora survey module is designed to be a point of truth data repository for vegetation plot data collected in association with NSW Government vegetation mapping community classification and condition monitoring projects The flora survey dataset was first released as an A REV database before being redeveloped into MS Access In 2009 the database was aligned to field survey standards described in the Native Vegetation Interim Type Standard NVIS The current form of the database as a module of the Atlas provides for the first time on line access to users outside OEH As a module of the Atlas the VIS flora survey module satisfies a long term intent toward the development of a single point of truth for biodiversity survey information for NSW Other modules within the Atlas allow for the capture and storage of fauna surveys and opportunistic records of plants fungi
12. DU General The first tab you will see when you navigate to the replicate page will be the General tab which contains information about the start and end dates and details of the plots used Fig 18 Replicate 1 Survey name Survey001 Site number KLN3S2H6U General NVIS level v Condition Land use Site history Disturbance Species Ground cover Graphics Startdate 13 06 2011 Enddate 13 06 2011 Plot details Plot size s 1 20x20m Full floristics Comments Figure 15 The General tab of the Replicate page As you can see in Fig 15 the page is split into three sections Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 17 1 Dates listing the start and end date of the individual replicate being reviewed 2 Plot details This section is split into a further two components a Plot size s This component lists the dimensions of the plots used throughout the replicate When more than one sub plot is present these will appear as in the following example e g 1 75m radius 2 75m radius Where the colon separates the sub plot number from the dimension Individual sub plots are separated by a semi colon In this instance the first sub plot is 75m in radius the second sub plot is of the same dimensions 75m b Full floristics If this check box is ticked then a full floristics analysis was conducted for that replicate If the box is blank then the species list in the Species tab should
13. Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 26
14. VIS flora survey module Once you are done reviewing the details for a particular survey site replicate you may like to navigate to another page of the Atlas using the menu labelled one in Fig 20 or begin a new VIS search using the hierarchy labelled two in Fig 20 and selecting Flora search You are here Home gt Flora search gt Flora survey Figure 20 The two navigational options available to you If you are finished using the Atlas then you may like to close your browser or navigate to a new page using the browser s address bar Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 24 Glossary Atlas The Atlas of NSW Wildlife This is a composite database composed of records from the constituent modules i e The sightings module VIS Flora survey module and fauna survey module CAPS Census of Australian Plant Species A unique identification code for individual plant species Census see Replicate Custodian Organisation or individual responsible for ensuring the accuracy currency storage security and distribution of a data set The custodian is not necessarily the copyright holder or the author of the data Dataset Within the Atlas there are various types of users each with different access rights The dataset defines the level of access view edit that individual users have for particular surveys Module The Atlas of NSW Wildlife is a composite database comprising mult
15. W Office of Environment NSW amp Heritage Public User Manual for the VIS Flora Survey module within the Atlas of NSW Wildlife Copyright State of NSW and the Office of Environment and Heritage Department of Premier and Cabinet With the exception of photographs the Office of Environment and Heritage NSW and State of NSW are pleased to allow this material to be reproduced in whole or in part for educational and non commercial use provided the meaning is unchanged and its source publisher and authorship are acknowledged Specific permission is required for the reproduction of photographs The Office of Environment and Heritage NSW OEH has compiled this handbook in good faith exercising all due care and attention No representation is made about the accuracy completeness or suitability of the information in this publication for any particular purpose OEH shall not be liable for any damage which may occur to any person or organisation taking action or not on the basis of this publication Readers should seek appropriate advice when applying the information to their specific needs Published by Office of Environment and Heritage NSW 59 61 Goulburn Street PO Box A290 Sydney South 1232 Report pollution and environmental incidents Environment Line 131 555 NSW only or info environment nsw gov au See also www environment nsw gov au Phone 02 9995 5000 switchboard Phone 131 555 environment information and publi
16. aining a data licence agreement In addition to the Data licence agreement you will also need to sign a Survey data provider agreement 3 Getting started VIS flora survey may be accessed from the BioNet homepage www bionet nsw gov au by clicking the VIS flora survey link circled red in Fig 1 adres of i nvironmen NSW amp Heritage a A E LURA SURVET BioNet amp the website for the Atlas of NSW Wildlife You are here Home gt About us 5 NSW BioNet the website for the Atlas of NSW Wildlife a whole of government system for flora and fauna sightings information BioNetis a portal for accessing government held information about plants and animals in NSW Itis supported by several NSW government agencies including e Office of Environment and Heritage o National Parks and Wildlife o the Royal Botanic Gardens and Domain Trust e Australian Museum e Department of Primary Industries o Forests NSW o NSW Fisheries Via BioNet you can search and map records of flora and fauna sightings held in the Atlas of NSW Wildlife Learn more about the Atlas submit your own sightings records to the Atlas Learn more about contributing search for more detailed vegetation site data through the Atlas s Vegetation Information System VIS flora survey module Learn more about the VISE Records in the Atlas come from a variety of sources including flora and fauna surveys Carrying out an Atl
17. and is usually defined in terms of a spatial limit which may be as large as a bioregion or as small as a single property This information is the basic metadata of the survey It provides details on how the survey was conducted and the specific methods used A site is a specific location assessed by the methods referred to within the survey data It is usually of limited extent often 20 x 20m or 20 x 50m in size and for the vast majority of sites is only ever visited once The location information and position in space is captured while the relevant map sheet and local government area based on that location information are automatically populated It also has the capacity to capture the identification and form of any permanent marker and the stratification unit An array of physical information about the site may also be stored at the site level including physiographic characters that are not likely to change geology soil depth slope and aspect as well as elements of the community definition and disturbance A site defines a particular location so it may be present within a number of different vegetation surveys with differing methods or even in the fauna survey module of the Atlas While they are usually unique it will occasionally be found that a site is listed in a number of different surveys In that situation care needs to be exercised to ensure the correct survey is selected when viewing the data A replicate is a time distinct as
18. as search brings up records of animal and plant sightings held in its fauna survey and VIS flora survey modules Public users Atlas search IS flora survey VIS user manual Licensed users More detailed locational information about sensitive species is available beyond this public site and may be accessed by users holding an Atlas Data Licence Atlas data is made available according to the Office of Environment and Heritage s sensitive species data policy Once licensed you will be provided with a login password If you want to contribute flora survey data into the VIS module you will need to enter into an Atlas Survey Data Provider Agreement in addition to an Atlas Data Licence Apply for a licence conditions apply Login here Page last updated 26 October 2011 Figure 1 NSW BioNet homepage Tips for improved user experience gt To view maps install Flash 10 2 gt To print maps in pdf format you will need Adobe pdf reader htto qet adobe com reader gt For the site to function correctly you will need to allow pop up windows to display Other useful links Profiles for NSW threatened species DPlsightings data for threatened and protected fish gt PlantNET Australian Museum gt Australia s Virtual Herbarium gt Online Zoological Collections of Australian Museums Atlas of Living Australia You should then be directed to the VIS flora survey search page Fig 2 Pu
19. blic user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife Before you start searching you should familiarise yourself with the pages that you will encounter in the application 3 1 Common Screens within VIS flora survey Within the VIS flora survey module of the Atlas there are seven primary pages you will encounter Some of these pages such as the Flora survey site page consist of various tabs which split the information presented within each page in a logical fashion Inactive tabs will appear as follows Sites Active tabs i e those currently being viewed will appear as Sites VIS flora survey page XY Z Office of r N Environment BIONet ec tocar amp Heritage the website for the Atlas of NSW Wildlife aaa a a a You are here Home gt VIS Flora Survey gt VIS Flora Survey Survey search O Site search Criteria Survey name Survey description Custodian Start dates From date fe To date al O co Figure 2 VIS flora survey page The VIS flora survey page will be the first page you encounter after navigating to the VIS flora survey module From here you can search the database at the survey and site level for data stored within the module Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 5 Flora survey page You are here Home Flora search gt Flora survey Flora survey Active tab
20. cations requests Phone 1300 361 967 national parks climate change and energy efficiency information and publications requests Fax 02 9995 5999 TTY 02 9211 4723 Email info environment nsw gov au Website www environment nsw gov au ISBN 978 1 74293 355 9 OEH 2011 0766 Last updated 11 November 2011 Contents 1 Introduction 2 Background 2 1 What is the VIS flora survey module 2 2 Governance and accountabilities 2 3 Structure of the data stored in the module 2 4 Limitations of the data 2 5 Access to data in the VIS flora survey module 2 5 1 Sensitive Species Data Policy SSDP and the Government Information Public Access Act 2 5 2 Restrictions on release of personal information 2 6 General user Public view 2 7 Contributing data 3 Getting started 3 1 Common Screens within VIS flora survey 4 Searching the VIS flora survey module 4 1 Survey searches 4 2 Site searches 4 2 1 Flora survey site page 4 3 Replicate searches 4 3 1 Replicate page 4 4 Referencing VIS flora survey data 5 Exiting the VIS flora survey module Glossary List of figures Figure 1 NSW BioNet homepage Figure 2 VIS flora survey page Figure 3 Flora survey page Figure 4 Flora survey site page Figure 5 The replicate page Figure 7 Site search radio button on the VIS flora survey page Figure 8 Results from a sites search on the VIS flora survey page Figure 9 Site hierarchy Public user manual for the VIS Flora su
21. d t or if the results list has more than five pages Clicking will return you to the earlier five pages Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife The results table generated has six columns Fig 6 1 aS S N Survey name the survey s unique identifier In the search results this will be a link enabling you to access the Flora survey page Description provides any extra detail the survey creator thought pertinent to include Start date the earliest start date of the replicates linked to the survey End date the latest end date of the replicates linked to the survey Custodian lists the name of the custodian responsible for the survey No of sites lists the number of sites linked to that particular survey Clicking a Survey name in the results table will take you to the Flora survey page Notice this has six navigational tabs 4 2 1 Description displays a description of the survey This field is not required in order to create a survey so may be blank scoring systems contains information about the scoring methodology used for vegetation cover and abundance assessments The scoring methods marked here will be used consistently throughout the survey and reflected in the Species tab of the Replicate page Plot design information on the plot design methodology of the survey Security contains information about where the survey is stored within VIS flora survey
22. dataset and the custodian Publications bibliography information about the report which forms the survey or to which the survey data was contributed Author s title and publisher details are provided here Sites contains a table listing the sites linked to the survey This page is similar to using the Site search radio button of the VIS flora search page with search results filtered for the selected survey Each site s name will be an active link which will enable you to navigate to the Site Site searches Site searches may be conducted by clicking the site search radio button on the VIS flora search page Fig 7 Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 10 You are here Home gt VIS Flora Survey VIS Flora Survey O survey search W Site search gt Criteria Site number Survey name Survey description Custodian Start dates From date EES To date Z a Figure 7 Site search radio button on the VIS flora survey page This page displays the same criteria as the survey search option with the addition of a new searchable field Site number As with surveys you can conduct a search for all sites available within the database by entering the wildcard in to any of the available search fields and pressing As an individual site may occur within more than one survey the results list will be different to that seen in a survey search Each row of
23. e 1 General contains the start and end dates and details of the plots used 2 NVIS level V information regarding strata percent cover and respective minimum maximum and mode heights The dominant species that comprise each listed stratum will be available for view under the stratum headings 3 Condition site condition with respect to natives exotics tree hollow abundance tree health and woody regeneration 4 Land use information about the primary land use upper and lower stratum land cover types and age structure 5 Site history provides information on the management history 6 Disturbance provides details about the disturbance history of the area 7 Species displays species data recorded within each plot 8 Ground cover provides a quantitative list of groundcover attributes 9 Graphics provides image description photographer name and a thumbnail of any photos If there are no graphics associated with that replicate then a No records available message will appear Please note that in order to create a replicate only a replicate number and start date need to be assigned If there is no data in the replicate you are viewing it is possible that the person who created the replicate has neglected to enter their data If the replicate data is patchy it may be that there was insufficient data to complete every available field If you feel that there is a significant aspect of the dataset missing please contact the W
24. ey as each survey uses a different methodology Additionally a single site may be referred to within both the VIS Flora survey and fauna modules of the Atlas Site number A unique identifier of an individual site saved within the VIS flora survey module This should be the primary reference used for any queries lodged with the WDU regarding a site in conjunction with survey name Survey Defines how the basic components of the data are arranged A single survey is consistent for methods e g the format of data capture often has a limited set of recorders and is usually defined in terms of a spatial limit Survey name A unique identifier of an individual survey saved within the VIS flora survey module This should be the primary reference used for any queries lodged with the WDU regarding survey data Tabs Distinct sections of the pages of the VIS flora survey module Each page forms a distinct tier of the VIS flora survey module i e Survey Site and Replicate The tabs of each of these pages split the data into logically structured components WDU The Wildlife Data Unit refers to the section within the OEH that is responsible for the maintenance of the Atlas application and the composite modules If you have any queries regarding the VIS flora survey this should be your primary point of contact gis environment nsw gov au YETI A standalone MS Access database from which the VIS flora survey module has evolved
25. fied criteria Not all fields are mandatory to conduct a search To view all surveys sites which are visible you can simply enter the wildcard in any text box and hit the button located to the right of the Start date fields The query will display 50 results per page listed alphabetically by survey name Fig 6 VIS Flora Survey Survey search Site search Criteria Survey name og Survey description Custodian Start dates From date a To date Go Cisplaying 1 to 50 of 826 search results Resut pages CP 2345 Net Displaying your results below Survey name Description Start date End date Custodian No of sites a 7004 08 03 2011 08 03 2011 Department of 2 Environmant Climate Criange amp Water MSW SLRVEYOO Department of 0 Environment Climate Ciange amp Water MSW Figure 6 Survey search results You have five methods of navigating between results 1 T 234 clicking any of the numbers will take you to the results displayed on that particular page This is the most common mode of navigating between pages Your active page will be circled 2 ext if more than five pages of results are returned this will allow you to navigate to the next five pages 3 this will take you to the last page of results 4 this will return you to the first page of results This link activates once you navigate away from the first page of results 5 rev this link only appears once you have selecte
26. icate to view Figure 12 Hierarchy available at the top left of page 4 3 Replicate searches The only method to access the Replicate page of the VIS flora survey module is by accessing the relevant site and selecting your desired replicate from the replicates drop down menu You may access the required site using the methods outlined in either Section 4 1 or 4 2 In the replicates drop down menu available on the Flora survey site page select the relevant replicate to navigate to the Replicate page as illustrated in Fig 13 Replicate s Choose a replicate to view Choose a replicate to view Replicate 1 Figure 13 The replicate drop down of the Flora survey site page As with the Flora survey site page the top left of the page will list a replicate hierarchy detailing Survey name and Site name Both Survey name and Site number will be links that you may use to navigate up to either level Notice that the number of the replicate you are currently viewing will appear in brackets at the top of the hierarchy Fig 14 Replicate 1 survey name Survey001 Site number KLN32H6U Figure 14 Survey Site hierarchy visible on the replicate page Please pay attention to this hierarchy to ensure you are viewing replicates within the appropriate survey Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 16 4 3 1 Replicate page The tabs available for viewing at the replicate level ar
27. ies Lists the relevant infraspecies for the species being reviewed if applicable Cover score Species cover score The scoring methodology used here will reflect the methodology elected in the Scoring systems tab of the VIS flora survey page Abundance score The Species abundance score The scoring methodology used here will reflect the methodology elected in the Scoring systems tab of the VIS flora survey page cover actual The percentage cover for the nominated species as opposed to a scored measure of cover Abundance actual The true abundance measure for the nominated species as opposed to a scored measure of abundance Lower height the minimum crown height m of the nominated species within the chosen stratum Upper height the maximum crown height m of the nominated species within the chosen stratum Field no If a specimen was taken this field will display the specimen number allocated in the field If a specimen was provided to the Royal Botanic Gardens this field will display the specimen number allocated by the RBG Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 19 Voucher location If the specimen was lodged at a herbarium this field will display the location of the specimen When you are done reviewing the information for the individual species click circled in Figure 17 to return to the NVIS level V tab Condition The Condition tab details the vegetation condition for
28. ion attributes Georeference Notes ee D a Calculated area s Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 12 Further information on each field contained within each section may be found in Table 1 Table 1 Descriptions of the fields used in the Locations tab of the Flora survey site page Flora survey site section Description Provides a detailed description of the geographic location such Description Description as place name street nearest cross street landmark or location within a reserve Geology type Displays the dominant geology type present on site Vegetation type Details the dominant vegetation type present on site l l Slope of area Slope from the horizontal in Location attributes degrees If no data was provided then this field will display N A Aspect of area Aspect of the site in degrees If no data was provided then this field will display N A Altitude Gives information about the vertical height of the site in metres If no data was provided then this field will display N A Co ordinate system This field describes the datum that the co ordinates are displayed on screen Displays the provided co Projected co ordinates ordinates as Zone two digits Easting six digits Northing seven digits Geographic co ordinates Displays the co ordinate data in Latitude Longitude lf a GPS was used to obtain the GPS co ordinates the box will be checked
29. ions of each field are provided in Table 2 Table 2 Attributes of the fields available in the Physiography tab of the Flora survey site page Field Description S Morphological type The form of the land at the plot site Lithology Displays the dominant geology type present on site Slope Slope from the horizontal in degrees Landform element The dominant landform element within a 20m radius of the site centre Soil colour The soil colour at the site as determined by Munsell code Soil depth An estimate of the depth of soil at the site in metres Name of nearest water Name of the nearest water body Distance to nearest water Distance in metres from the plot centre to the nearest point of the water body Aspect Aspect of the site in degrees Landform pattern Details the dominant landform present within a Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 14 Soil surface texture This indicates the ratio of sand silt and clay sized particles in the soil Field texture is determined by the behaviour of a ball of moistened soil Microrelief Provides information about localised naturally occurring small lt 1m approx and abrupt changes in relief conditions such as Gilgai mound springs and hummocking Survey specific tab This tab is split into two sections 1 Stratification provides details on any stratification present at the site If no data was entered then N A will appear
30. iple systems referred to as Modules The two modules available to public users are 1 VIS flora survey module and 2 Atlas sightings module OEH The Office of Environment and Heritage The body of the NSW state government responsible for maintaining the Atlas The OEH sits within the Department of Premier and Cabinet Pages The pages within the VIS flora survey module represent the distinct tiers of the survey structure e g Survey Site and Replicates There is also a page for searching Pop up Distinct windows that appear on screen with the option to and their own scroll bars Replicate Also known as a Census This is a time distinct assessment conducted within a survey at a designated site Replicates form the primary source of data for a survey The details for replicates are entered in to the tabs of the Replicates page Sensitive species data policy This policy builds on the Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995 and protects the release of data pertaining to threatened species that are flagged as sensitive by biodiversity managers within the OEH For further information please refer to the Policy http www environment nsw gov au policiesandquidelines SensitiveSpeciesPolicy htm Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 25 Site A specific location assessed by the methods referred to within the survey data A single site may be used within multiple surveys within the VIS flora surv
31. isclosure for the purposes of the GIPA Act In the VIS flora survey module this means all flora species identified in the policy are removed from any species lists 2 5 2 Restrictions on release of personal information As a public sector agency OEH is bound by the Privacy and Personal Information Act 1998 NSW Within the VIS flora survey module observer details are not made available to the general public 2 6 General user Public view This is the broadest level of access to the data and shows the sites in locations that are as accurate as the data allows Any species flagged in the SSDP is excluded from species lists for further information please refer to http www environment nsw gov au policiesandguidelines SensitiveSpeciesPolicy htm This Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 3 level of user does not require a login User functionality is limited to view only i e the user cannot extract or contribute to the VIS flora survey module 2 7 Contributing data The current release of the Atlas database is a soft launch meaning that only a read only version is available The fully functional version of the Atlas is expected to be launched in early 2012 this will include the functionality of adding data to the VIS flora survey module If you decide that you would like to contribute data to the VIS flora survey module you will need to become a licensed user This is accomplished by obt
32. itude as derived from a topographic or other mapped source Given in metres Horizon azimuths The angle at which the horizon can be seen from each of the eight cardinal compass points i e the lowest point at which the sky is visible Horizon visibility Description of the visibility of the horizon Tenure The predominant tenure status of the site Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 15 Geological map Geology as defined by geological map User defined geological map If the field observations of geology were in conflict with those suggested by the geological map the surveyor will have provided their observations here Geology observed at the site The predominant geology on site Geomorphological action Predominant geomorphological action that shaped the site Amount of outcropping Percentage of rock attached to or itself presumed to be bedrock substrate Amount of surface rock Percentage of any other exposed surface rock on site that is gt 20mm Once you have reviewed the information at the site level you may wish to review details of the survey s replicates linked to that site This may be done using the drop down menu at the top left of the screen Fig 12 This section will also contain a link to the Flora survey page in the form of the Survey code e g Survey001 in Fig 12 Flora survey site survey name Survey001 Site number KLN32H6U Replicate s Choose a repl
33. m or larger each individual stem is recorded as a diameter value while for the smaller classes either each individual stem or a count of the stems in that class can be recorded d Tree health The health state of trees at a site gives information about the effects of disturbance and pathogens as well as past history that may not be recorded or known This assessment will be an estimate of the average tree health across the site Further details on the data presented on the Condition tab may be found in Table 6 Table 6 Descriptions of the fields present in the Conditions tab of the Replicate page Section of the Condition tab Component Description of the Condition tab Native richness Number of native species recorded Condition within 0 4ha l Native cover Percentage cover of constituent native species Exotic cover Percentage cover of constituent exotic species cover This column is split into three sections for the percent cover of vegetation 1 Litter 2 Bare ground 3 Cryptogams No of trees with Count of trees with hollows hollows Woody debris Measure of the metres lineal given in 0 5m intervals of metres gt 10cm timber available for use as diameter potential habitat for ground dwelling organisms Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 21 Woody No of upper Number of upper stratum regeneration stratum sp species regenerating Condition within 0 1ha C
34. olive table with a sub table provided with white background However unlike the NVIS level V table the sub table is an extension of the primary table and when viewing should just be treated as an extension of the row Fig 19a and Fig 19b General NVIS level Condition Land use Site history Disturbance Species Ground cover Graphics Floristics Non site spp Displaying 1 to 10 of 32 search results Result pages GD 2 3 4 Sub Stratum Growth form Species name Assigned name Cover Abund Field plot score score no 1 Unspecified Pultenaea elliptica Pultenaea tuberculata 2 Height to crown RBG Cover Abund Voucher no jactual actual Min Max Figure 19a View of the species table as it appears in the Species tab Sub s Stratum Growth torm Species name Assigned name Cover Abunda Reid piot score score m 1 Unspecified Pultenses elliptica Pultenaes tuberculata 2 Figure 19b Treat the two tiered table as one continuous row of the table Information about the data captured by each of the fields is the same as provided in Table 5 in the NVIS level V tab and will not be repeated here The fields unique to the Species tab are Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 23 e Sub plot This will generally be populated with a 1 However if a nested or contiguous plot methodology was employed then there will be different sub plot numbers assigned aS numerous sub plots were used
35. ount of each species quadrat 5 lt Size lt 10 Displays the count and if recorded diameter at Woody stem breast height DBH of sizes each stem within 5 10cm DBH 10 lt Size lt 20 Displays the count and if recorded diameter at breast height DBH of each stem within 10 20cm DBH 20 lt Size lt 30 Displays the count and if recorded diameter at breast height DBH of each stem within 20 30cm DBH Size gt 30 Displays the count and if recorded diameter at breast height DBH of each stem greater than 30cm DBH Tree health Provides a general indicator of the health of the tree using standardised measures e g small branches dead branchlets dead This tab presents dominant land use and land cover information for the replicate Land use If no data exists a No records available message will appear If no data exists for a particular field it will be marked as N A Site history If data exists for this tab a table will appear with five columns 1 Date recorded the date that the management strategy was recorded This will be the date that the replicate was conducted History type lists the management strategy Frequency provides details about the frequency of the management e g high low e w N Age the age of the management type 5 Comments any extra comments about the history entered by the recorder Each individual management type will appear in a separate row If no
36. r at any level of a survey please notify the WDU by supplying the relevant survey site replicate hierarchy and the details regarding the field in question e g species name location description co ordinates The accuracy of individual locations vary As some of the data was collected in a time when GPS was not a standard tool many data sets are limited in spatial accuracy by the scale of mapping and mapping detail available at the time For this reason many older data sets are limited to 100m accuracy Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 2 Taxonomic details may not be current Taxonomic accuracy will also be affected by the date the data was recorded Some species and sometimes taxa at higher taxonomic levels have been described as segregates from others Where this has occurred as a result of elevating a subtaxon this is readily tracked This situation has been partially dealt with by the use of two species columns Species name species as entered by observer and Assigned name current taxonomy in the Atlas If the species has not been re classified then Species name and Assigned name will be the same if re classification has occurred then there will be a difference between the two columns The exception to this situation is in instances where the taxons have diverged from an earlier existing taxon In this instance determining the appropriate name to apply is more difficult and potentially p
37. results will have a symbol which will enable you to expand each result Fig 8 Displaying your results below Site number Description KLN32H6U Site number Description KLN32H6U Survey name Description Start date End date Custodian SURVEYO01 08 03 2011 08 03 2011 Department of Environment Climate Change amp Water NSW Figure 8 Results from a sites search on the VIS flora survey page The expanded view will contain links to both the site and its parent survey As with the Survey search results the Survey name is an active link that will direct you to the Flora survey page Clicking View site in the last column on the right will take you to the Flora survey site page 4 2 1 Flora survey site page The Flora survey site page contains six navigational tabs 1 Location displays co ordinate and attribute details of the site s location 2 Physiography displays physical attribute information about the site 3 Survey specific stratification and site marker details 4 Transect displays the co ordinates for any groundcover transects conducted on site 5 Mapping displays aerial and satellite imagery information 6 Other miscellaneous site attributes It is also worth noting the top left of screen at this page which details the Site s hierarchy Fig 9 Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 11 gt Flora survey site survey name Survey001 Site number KLN32H
38. roblematic for older surveys The VIS flora survey module is not comprehensive Data in the VIS flora survey module may be patchy Please do not assume that all surveys provide comprehensive floristics data as some surveys may have been targeted This information may usually be determined by examining the General tab of the Replicate page and confirming whether the Full foristics check box has been ticked Section 4 3 1 2 5 Access to data in the VIS flora survey module As with other data contained within the Atlas database the provision of VIS flora survey module data is governed by legislation 2 5 1 Sensitive Species Data Policy SSDP and the Government Information Public Access Act Access to data held in the VIS flora survey module is governed by e the Government Information Public Access Act GIPA 2009 Under the GIPA Act all government held information should be accessible to the public and information should only be withheld if it is necessary to do so in the public interest e OEH s Sensitive Species Data Policy SSDP http www environment nsw gov au policiesandguidelines SensitiveSpeciesPolicy htm Sensitive species are those threatened flora and fauna species which are identified under the Sensitive Species Data Policy as being particularly sensitive to threats such as collection or disease Precise location data for sensitive species is not made publicly available by OEH and this information is exempt from d
39. round cover foliage crown elements for the vascular plants and percent total ground cover for the litter bare ground and cryptogam elements 2 Condition within 0 1ha quadrat This section is split into sub components a Hollows and woody debris Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 20 The recording of hollows and large woody debris aids in determining the habitat value of an area to local fauna Both measures are determined on a O 1ha site usually 20 x 50m Hollows are counted on a per tree basis one or more hollows of any size suiting nesting or shelter on a tree is counted as a single unit Large woody debris is a count of the metres in 0 5m increments of the timber gt 10cm diameter on or near the ground that would act as habitat for ground dwelling fauna b Woody regeneration This pair of measures is often considered on an area larger than 0 1 ha but has been captured here for simplicity The number of upper stratum species in a woody community noted in the vegetation zone an area of the same type condition and landscape position that the site falls into are recorded in the first field while the number of those species noted to be recruiting stems having a diameter at breast height of less than or equal to 5cm c Woody stem sizes These fields record the woody stems in each of the size bands noted 5 10 10 20 20 30 and 230cm For the largest class 30c
40. rvey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife Oo N a n n _ et N O OA 11 11 11 Figure 10 The location tab of the Flora survey site page Figure 11 To view the site s location on a map click the circled button Figure 12 Hierarchy available at the top left of page Figure 13 The replicate drop down of the Flora survey site page Figure 14 Survey Site hierarchy visible on the replicate page Figure 15 The General tab of the Replicate page Figure 17 Strata dominant pop up Figure 18 The condition tab of the replicate page Figure 19a View of the species table as it appears in the Species tab Figure 19b Treat the two tiered table as one continuous row of the table Figure 20 The two navigational options available to you List of tables Table 1 Descriptions of the fields used in the Locations tab of the Flora survey site page Table 2 Attributes of the fields available in the Physiography tab of the Flora survey site page Table 3 Description of the fields available in the Other tab of the Flora survey site page Table 4 Descriptions of the fields present in the NVIS level V tab of the Replicate page Table 5 Descriptions of the fields present in the Strata dominant pop up Table 6 Descriptions of the fields present in the Conditions tab of the Replicate page Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 12 14 16 16 16 17 19 20 23 23 24 13 14 15 18 1
41. sessment conducted within a survey at a designated site Replicates form the primary source of data for a survey capturing detailed groundcover vegetation and site assessment i e history disturbance and land use information Any graphics for the survey will be stored within this tier of the VIS flora survey Replicates represent data sources that are likely to change over time Consequently they are both temporally and spatially unique The methodology for capturing data within replicates will have been defined at the survey level i e scoring methods and plot design and so should remain consistent at the replicate level Although a site may be listed within multiple surveys a replicate will only occur within one survey For this reason care needs to be taken to ensure that the correct survey and site are selected prior to viewing any replicate details Subplots are spatial segregations within a replicate and record vegetation information They are applicable only if your survey used a nested or contiguous plot design Individual subplots are smaller spatial units of a site undertaken during a single replicate By default a survey not using subplots will have any replicate data allocated to subplot 1 2 4 Limitations of the data Data stored in the VIS flora survey is limited by a number of factors The VIS flora survey module is not guaranteed to be free from errors The VIS flora survey module may contain errors If you suspect an erro
42. t of the stratum in metres Upper height The upper height of the stratum in metres cover Percent cover for the defined stratum Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife 18 The dominant species identified for each strata are listed within a sub table with each species name a link enabling you to view further details in a Strata dominant pop up Fig 17 If you have minimised the species from your view you may display them again by clicking the button in the Strata type column next to your elected stratum Closely gt Strata dominant Strata type Lower stratum 1 upper Species synonym code Entolasia stricta 4947 Growth form NA Infraspecies N A Lower height m M A Upper height im M A Cover score M A Abundance score N A cover actual N A Abundance actual N A a lt I la Figure 17 Strata dominant pop up The top of the page contains orange text identifying the Strata and species being reviewed The code next to the species synonym is the Census of Australian Plants code CAPS This is a number unique to that particular species The remainder of the fields present in this pop up are described in Table 5 If no data exists for a particular field then N A will appear alongside it Use the scroll bars to navigate to see all the fields Table 5 Descriptions of the fields present in the Strata dominant pop up Growth form The identified growth form for the species Infraspec
43. urvey search There are four searchable fields available at this screen 1 Survey name the Survey s unique identifier If you are looking for a specific survey then this is the recommended search field 2 Survey description a free text field containing information about the survey 3 Custodian searches for the organisation responsible for a dataset This will pull up surveys stored in VIS flora survey which are attributed to the specified custodian 4 Start dates You may either enter the dates manually in the format dd mm yyyy or select the desired date s from a pop up calendar by clicking on the EH image to the Public user manual for the VIS Flora survey module Atlas of NSW Wildlife right of each text box Please be aware that BOTH the From and To searchable dates relate to the earliest and latest start dates for surveys sites replicates These fields will search on the start dates of all replicates within a survey If the start date of any replicate within a survey satisfies the criteria entered then the relevant survey will appear in the results For this reason your search may return results with a start date earlier than the specified from date or a start date later than the specified to date For example submitting the search criteria Start date From 07 08 2005 may return a survey with the start date 1 01 1990 and an end date 4 03 2010 This is due to the replicate with the end date 4 03 2010 satisfying the speci
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