Focus:

• Plot (Site/Sample)

• Transect (Sample)

• Quadrat (Sample)

Information model

Open

Site, Transect and Quadrat are subclasses of Sample. Observations and Samplings refer to the proximate feature of interest with path chains of is-sample-of relationships to the Site (ultimate-feature-of-interest). Observations and Samplings can also reach the Site via the Site Visit.

Key points

• The ultimate feature of interest for any observation is always the Site (except for opportunistic observations). The Site is a type of Sample with a Site Visit.

• In an Observation, the Site can always be discovered through the chain of is-sample-of relationships or via the Site Visit.

• Other domain-specific things are always a Sample defined by the feature-type property. If they require core properties or relationships, then they can be defined as a subclass of Sample (transect, quadrat, soil profile, etc.).

• Time-related information for transects and quadrats are recorded in the Observation or in the Sampling. It is not worth the added complexity of adding nested sites and site visits for the start and end times of the site visit. This information can also be calculated by looking at the min and max time of all activities (Observations and Samplings) during a Site Visit.

Scenarios

1. The AusPlots Rangelands' Surveillance protocol samples multiple horizontal and vertical transects across a plot. Observations are made along these transects.

2. Plots established by the University of Sydney dataset contain plots with subplots and those subplots contain quadrats.

3. The North Australian Tropical Transect (NATT) is a 1000 km long transect in the Northern Territory where core plots along the transect are monitored.

Scenario 1: Worked example for AusPlots Surveillance protocol

Survey protocol

Data

Open

An observation was made on a tree found along Transect 1 within Plot 1. The Site (ultimate-feature-of-interest) is linked through the chain of isSampleOf relationships and also via the Site Visit.

Application

An example of a modal window in EcoPlots UI:

A similar pattern of displaying observations and measurements data by AgReFed (CeRDI)

Soil sampling locations are displayed on an interactive map as purple circles. Clicking on a purple circle opens up a popup displaying the different specimens collected at the sampling location with a link to the observations for each specimen.

Open

Clicking on the view observations link displays a data table of observations within a modal.

Open

The modal displays contextual information such as the feature of interest of these observations (Sampled Soil feature). The “parent sample” of the soil specimen is the Sampled horizon. Sample depth is an attribute of the sampling. The data table contains the observations on the soil specimen. In this case, the properties of pH and EC were observed.

Scenario 2: Worked example for University of Sydney survey data

Survey protocol

Data

Open

An observation was made on a tree within Quadrat A within Subplot 1 within Plot 1 during Site visit 1.

Open

The above diagram is the same as the previous diagram except that Plot_1 and Subplot_1 are also instances of the ManagedFeature class. Therefore, they must record the commissioned date and optionally record the decommissioned date.

Scenario 3: Worked example for observations made within a plot along the NATT

Survey protocol

Data

Open

An observation was made on a tree within Plot A within the Northern Australian Tropical Transect (NATT).

The ultimate feature-of-interest can always be found by stopping on the is-sample-of chain individual who is the same as the site of the Site Visit.

Reference

1. Spatial Sampling Features: https://confluence.csiro.au/display/seegrid/Observations+and+Sampling#ObservationsandSampling-Samplingfeaturesclassifiedbyshape