LandCover

LandCover is a simple tool for rapidly recording vegetation cover and structure using a 1 meter or yard stick in a 1/4 hectare (3/5 acre) plot. Indicators are automatically calculated on the phone, and all data and indicators are automatically uploaded to the Cloud as soon as a data connection is available. Users record vegetation cover (e.g. perennial grasses, trees) using a point-intercept method at each of 5 points at 20 locations in each plot. Plant height class, plant density for 2 up to species, and the presence of large inter-canopy gaps are also recorded at each location. The app is self-explanatory but detailed methods are described in the free download “Monitoring Rangeland health: a guide for pastoralists and other land managers in eastern Africa” at http://www.jswconline.org/content/68/1/5A.full.pdf+html.

Developed by Noisy Flowers LLC for the Land-Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) with support from USAID and USDA-ARS.

Features include:

• A simple, primarily graphics-based interface that minimizes language and literacy requirements.

• Local, device-generated calculations of indicators after data are collected--no internet connection is required.

• Unlimited access to stored data via a link to a web-based data portal at http://www.landpotential.org. The data portal also provides a data visualization application and mapping interface.