In the first instance, the RDP decides which modules seem the most applicable to the needs of their project(s). Module choices are informed by project outcomes, selected project services and field monitoring requirements. There are also various guidance documents and tools to assist RDPs in the module selection process.
These include: 

• the EMSA decision support guidance material (pdf)
• the EMSA module description table (xls)
• a template for EMSA module selection and TEC case study (ppt)
• the EMSA module selector (web app).

RDPs can also get in touch with their DCCEEW contract manager, the DCCEEW Long-term monitoring team (via ltmp@dcceew.gov.au) or the EMSA support helpdesk.

The different protocols capture different levels of detail and commit different amounts of field time. Deciding which protocol(s) to use depends on your project's needs and monitoring plan. For example, some projects might consider including more detailed protocols (‘enhanced’ protocols) in the project's first year and final year and rely on less detailed protocols (‘standard’ protocols) for years two or three.

EMSA does not currently have a module designed for drone-collected data. However, this may change in the future. For now, it is suggested RDPs use the Targeted Surveys Module to document what monitoring is being done, how it is collected, and where the data is held.

The EMSA manuals are available to use now. However, access to Monitor requires you to have a MERIT account that has been assigned a role in the specific project/s that you will be working on. Additionally, Regional Delivery Partners must have submitted a MERI plan(s) in MERIT. The modules you select in your MERI plan (under monitoring methodology) will then be migrated to Monitor. 

A demo version of Monitor was released to invited Regional Delivery Partners March-April 2024.

Details on accessing both the Staging version of Monitor (test environment) and the full version of Monitor were released to Regional Delivery Partners at the May 2024 CoP meeting. If you are a Regional Delivery Partner, and have not yet received information on accessing Monitor, please contact us. 

Anyone who is affiliated with an Australian Government NRM investment project that is registered in MERIT is eligible for access to Monitor. Third parties can either be registered for that project as a nominated project officer or as a contractor. If nominated as a project officer, they will have full access to that project in MERIT, including read/write permissions. If nominated as a contractor, they will be able to access the required modules in Monitor, and submit the collected data, but not be able to access those projects in MERIT.

We hope to make the app accessible to a broader user base in the future, however at this stage only projects that are registered in MERIT, principally Regional Delivery Partners (RDPs), and their sub-contractors are our user base. We use RDP to refer to this first user set. 

Monitor works best on Android devices and computers using Google Chrome. Desktop/laptop computers, mobiles and tablets can all be used. iOS software (Apple iphones and ipads) is not supported. Please ensure that the device location is enabled to avoid pop-up errors. Monitor will use the device camera to take photos and sound recordings and access photos and sound files from the device or computer. 

Monitor has been verified to work on Samsung Tab S6 Lite tablets, and should be compatible with Samsung S-series tablets released after 2020 (e.g. Tab S7, S8 etc). Our more recent (2024) field trials have been conducted using Samsung Tab Active 5 tablets. As Monitor is rolled-out and used on a wider variety of devices, we will add to the list of recommended devices. 

Devices that do not have mobile data (i.e. no SIM card and are WiFi only) will need to be on a network before field surveys are conducted to set up the modules/available data correctly and after field surveys to upload data to the server. Instructions on preparing for offline work will be released soon.

Using a field collection app has many benefits, including saving time as data is entered directly in the field, and there is no need to transcribe hand-written datasheets (which also comes with readability errors). The app also restricts data to the pick-lists (drop-down options), or data type (i.e. text and numbers) within a certain range or restrictions so that all data entered must meet specific criteria. For example, a tree cannot be 220 m tall, a shrub cannot be 27 m tall but a tree can. Restricting the data to pick-lists helps standardise the data to accepted terms (i.e. definitions and terms of the EMSA vocabularies and the Australian Biological Information Standard. 

Datasheets designed to match the EMSA modules and Monitor app workflows have been created and are available to download from this website shortly (see Download Documents). Regional Delivery Partners will be responsible for manually entering data into Monitor.

Data will be saved on the device as you progress through the survey. It will remain on the device until the device is queued to sync the collection with the Cloud. 

Once the device has synced, you will be notified in the Monitor app (a pop-up will appear). The dataset summary will also be visible in MERIT. 

TERN will provide up to four on-ground training programs each year from 2024 to 2028. The on-ground course curriculum and program are currently being developed and are likely to be run over 3-4 consecutive days in regional locations (locations are yet to be determined). The on-ground training will focus on hands-on practical demonstrations. More information on the training can be found on this website soon. We will be calling for registrations of interest to assist with identifying course locations and date options. 

EMSA Training Flyer

In addition to the on-ground training courses, other types of training and support will be available soon, including webinars, “community of practice” online forums and workshops.

We will also be loading up more instructional videos including Monitor screen captures for selected modules and actions. 

Training is available to anyone with a formal affiliation with RDP projects.  Sub-contractors are welcome to attend, however will need the approval of the Regional Delivery Partner affiliated with a project. 

Monitor data will be stored in the Australian Government’s Biodiversity Data Repository (BDR) and made accessible to RDPs via a link in MERIT. A data download button should be available from the Data Summary tab soon. In the interim, RDPs can view a summary of any data they have collected using Monitor, under the Data Summary tab in MERIT.

Yes. BDR’s systems and data will conform with all expected cybersecurity measures to ensure your data will be secure from unauthorised access and use.

Initially, only RDP project administrators, DCCEEW contract managers and the DCCEEW BDR team will have access to data collected through Monitor. Ultimately however, the intention is that all non-sensitive BDR data will be made publicly available through a data access portal. At the moment, there is no date set for that function to become available and there will be consultation with RDPs before that feature is turned on.

Sensitive data may include precise locations of species and ecological communities that could be placed at high risk if their locations are known, and location data that is culturally or otherwise considered sensitive. The BDR will generalise sensitive data (by, for example, replacing precise locations with 10km x 10 km grid squares). RDPs will need to contact the Department by emailing ltmp@dcceew.gov.au to discuss any sensitive data restrictions.

No. Data collected using Monitor does not need to be submitted separately to DCCEEW.

Once the download link is up and running through MERIT, RDPs are free to share a copy of the download with state/territory agencies. State and territory governments are also working closely with the Commonwealth BDR team and will be able to extract a copy of the data in the future, or link directly to the data from the BDR.

As per the RDP Header Agreement, the Australian Government owns the Intellectual Property of any on-ground data it has paid for through the Natural Heritage Trust RDP program. Sensitive data will be managed as described above, which includes provisions for threatened species ecological communities and culturally sensitive locations. Private land holder data will be considered as part of the above, and additional factors may be taken into account. Ultimately however, any data that is stored in the BDR will be accessible by the Australian Government as a minimum requirement. If a landholder is uncomfortable with this arrangement, then the data has little value to the Australian Government. Where the private landholder will not consent to sharing data with the Australian Government, the RDP should consider working elsewhere.

The Australian Government needs good data to inform policy, track environmental change, and increase understanding of NRM investments

There are validation checks built into the Monitor app which constrain data entry into what is biologically possible. The BDR will also apply quality assurance checks to the data, for example to detect outliers that may comprise misidentifications of species.

The BDR team can be contacted via bdr@dcceew.gov.au

To access the Monitor app, users will require a MERIT account. As an RDP Project Manager, you can add users to your project(s) in the Admin tab under Project Access. The ‘Field data collector’ user role can use the Monitor app but cannot see or edit project information.

Once the data download link is up and running through MERIT, RDPs will have access to any data they have collected via Monitor. They can then use/analyse the data as they see fit, including conducting a quality assurance (QA) check (as they may have done in the past, under previous programs). It is up to the RDP to decide how they want to manage their QA processes in-house.

No. Reporting on project outcomes is the responsibility of the RDP. Any analysis of individual monitoring datasets undertaken by DCCEEW will focus on the achievement of program level outcomes. Note, however, that BDR data as a whole (aggregated from many sources) support analyses undertaken regularly by DCCEEW to, for example, assess the status of species and model their distributions.

Analyses by others of your specific datasets is unlikely in the immediate future. Our current priority is to ensure RDPs have access to the data they collect for their individual projects. Once a public data access portal has been established for the BDR, it’s possible that others may download the data you have collected. Aggregated data from the BDR will also be analysed regularly by DCCEEW, for example, to assess the status of species and model their distributions.

Once the data download link is up and running through MERIT, RDPs will have access to any data they have collected via Monitor. RDPs can use/analyse the data using whatever data management tool or process they have used in the past. Into the future, DCCEEW will work with RDPs to develop additional tools and resources that support data analytics.

The Interventions Module is currently under review, pending finalising data exchange between Monitor and MERIT.  The module is currently optional, and once available will remain optional (rather than a mandated module) for the remainder of the program. The Pest Fauna Control Activities module is under review for similar reasons.

EMSA does not currently have a protocol to record data collected by drones/UAVs. If your MERI plan has been approved and includes drone surveys then you will need to use the EMSA “Targeted Surveys” module to record metadata from the completed surveys.

EMSA may, in the future, develop a module for drones/UAVs surveys. If you have experience using UAVs for ecological monitoring and would like to share how you utilise them, please get in touch with us at emsa_support@adelaide.edu.au

Regional Delivery Partners completing the Basal wedge protocol of the Basal Area Module, can request the required wedges from TERN. Two wedges are recommended, for simultaneous monitoring or in case of loss/ damage. Please contact us to request 2 basal wedges and provide your mailing address in the comments section.

Regional Delivery Partners completing the Cover Module where there is above head height canopy cover will require a densitometer and a mount. A densitometer can be purchased from Forestry Tools.  The mount needs to be constructed using hardware materials. TERN are still finalising the materials list and instruction sheet and will make it available on the EMSA website for download shortly. Please contact us to request the draft document if you need to make up the mount urgently.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) devices are recommended over standard GPS and DGPS units for improved accuracy. Using a GNSS is recommended for most modules, but we understand not many RDPs have ready access to these types of units, and therefore DGPS/GPS units will be used. TERN can loan out Trimble R1 GNSS devices to RDP's for short periods, particularly for setting up plots using the Plot Selection and Layout Module. Please contact us to discuss loan options.