 | 1. IDENTIFICATION DETAILS |
| 1.1 Contact person* | M D B Young |
| 1.2 Organisation * | Open University |
| 1.3 Postal Address * | Learning and Teaching Solutions
The Open University
Walton Hall
Milton Keynes MK7 6AA
United Kingdom |
| 1.4 Phone * | 00 44 1908 659937 |
| 1.5 Fax | 00 44 1908 653639 |
1.6 E-mail *
| mailto:m.d.b.young@open.ac.uk |
| PROJECT NAME |
| 1.7 Short name or acronym * | Biodiversity Database |
| 1.8 Full name * | Hands-on measurement of biodiversity - The Biodiversity Database |
| Name of authors: | M D B Young and M E Dodd |
| 1.9 Category * | Academic |
| Reference number | 186 |
| STUDENT PROJECTS (if applicable) |
| 1.10 Supervisors Name | |
| 1.11 Organisation | |
| 1.12 Postal Address | |
| 1.13 Phone | |
| 1.14 Fax | |
| 1.15 E-mail | |
| COMMERCIAL PROJECTS (if applicable) |
| 1.16 Name/title of the product | |
| 1.17 Name and address of distributor | |
| 1.18 Details of pricing (€), availability etc | |
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| 2. DESCRIPTION, PURPOSE AND NATURE OF YOUR PROJECT |
| 2.1 Type of project * | Educational software (aimed at end users) |
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| 2.2 Discipline area * | Biology; life sciences and environment |
| 2.3 If none of the above discipline areas apply, please specify your own | |
| 2.4 Subdiscipline, please specify | Biodiversity |
| 2.5 Short description of project (max 200 words) * | The Biodiversity Database is a website, built around a database, which allows Open University students studying ‘U316 The Environmental Web’ to take part in a biodiversity survey and work with the results from their own homes.
Over a period of two weeks, students survey birds, woodlice and dragonflies in their own back garden or local park. They then visit the Biodiversity Database website and enter their survey results into online forms. As they do so, their data are added to those of other students. A map which shows their location and the locations of all other students who have entered data so far is generated in real time.
When all students have entered their data, the database is processed automatically. This generates a wide range of biodiversity maps, a file of combined data from all students, and statistical analyses of the combined data. The latter are available only to tutors as a benchmark against which to mark student analyses. Students are then guided to analyse the combined data to test two biodiversity hypotheses. They write a report and submit this as an assessed piece of work. |
| 2.6 Purpose of the project (Please include the objectives that the project is designed to meet and the learning or research goals that it helps users achieve) * | The Biodiversity Database allows students who are studying ‘U316 The Environmental Web’ to take part in a biodiversity survey wherever they are in the World.
By collecting the data themselves, students learn the practical skills necessary to undertake field investigations in a responsible, safe and ethical manner. They also gain an understanding of the factors which affect the quality of biodiversity data.
They get experience of collaborating with others in working towards a common goal.
By working with the data collected from all students, they learn how to handle and analyse biodiversity data in order to examine two biodiversity hypotheses - overlapping hotspots, and species-energy relationships.
The software has been developed to be reusable to permit its use for any other situation in which data needs to be collected from physically distributed surveyors.
Although not a primary aim, the project also has the potential to contribute significantly to existing data on the biodiversity of these the groups of organisms. In fact, the first year of data on woodlice is probably the most extensive single year survey of woodlice ever conducted in the UK and the Republic of Ireland. |
| 2.7 Nature of the project (In this section please include a general description of how the project meets the purposes stated above) * | ‘U316 The Environmental Web’ is a third-level Open University course which aims to develop environmental literacy and skills to take part in informed debate and action. It also teaches how to analyse information, determine where uncertainties lie and evaluate different approaches to environmental issues. 60% of the course material is online and makes extensive use of third-party websites as sources of environmental information and analysis.
Biodiversity is a widely used environmental indicator and students studying U316 spend 8 weeks on a variety of activities related to the topic. Hands-on measurement of biodiversity is one of these activities and allows them to undertake their own biodiversity survey to give them a greater insight into the process of collecting and analysing biodiversity data.
The Biodiversity Database actually has three components:
- The website which allows students to enter their survey results and view and download combined results from all students on the course. This is the only component with which students interact;
- The database which stores student data and;
- The Java application which runs on a server to process the database and create biodiversity maps and data files from the combined student data.
The website provides forms for entering the results of biodiversity surveys on each of birds, dragonflies and woodlice. Fields include: location name; habitat type and grid reference/latitude and longitude of the survey location; the weather and date(s) of survey periods; and the numbers of each species observed. When students submit or update their data, the form is validated to check for erroneous entries and then the data are input to the database.
The entries in the database are then read and displayed back to the student. If the survey location was in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland, students are also shown a map which displays that location to the nearest 10km (Note: From 9th May 2004, this is being extended to cover Europe and the rest of the World - see section 4.3 for details). Students can check the data entered and if any are incorrect, they can update them at any time before the database closes.
Up until the closing date, the Java application processes the database every 10 minutes in the background. All the survey locations for which students have entered data are displayed on a map of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in the Results section (Note: From 9th May 2004, this is being extended to cover Europe and the rest of the World - see section 4.3 for details). This lets them see how their data are contributing to the body of data collected by all students on the course.
After the closing date, the Java application processes the database to create the following maps:
1. Three maps (one for each group of animals) showing the occurrence of any species in that group within any 10km square (Note: From 9th May 2004, this is being extended to cover Europe and the rest of the World and there will thus be nine maps - see section 4.3 for details).
2. 28 maps (one for each species) showing the occurrence of that species within any 10km square.
3. 28 maps (one for each species) showing the maximum number of individuals of that species found within any 10km square.
4. Three maps (one for each group of animals) showing the number of species in that group found within any 10km square (Note: From 9th May 2004, this is being extended to cover Europe and the rest of the World and there will thus be nine maps - see section 4.3 for details).
The following data files are also generated:
1. A file for students containing the northings and eastings of each 10km square within which survey data were entered. For each 10km square the mean number of species of dragonfly, woodlouse and bird are listed.
2. A file for tutors and other staff which contains the same information as the student file plus analysis of the results. Specifically, regression of numbers of species in each group against northings (to test the species-energy hypothesis) and correlation of each group against each other group (to test the overlapping hotpots hypothesis). This provides tutors with correct analysis against which to mark student analysis of the same data.
3. A file for students containing information on the numbers of extra bird species observed beyond those which were listed by name in the field guide.
The main U316 website then guides students on the analysis of these data to test the species-energy hypothesis and the overlapping hotpots hypothesis. Students write this up and submit it for assessment.
The website, database and Java application have been designed to be easily reused for other types of distributed survey. We are currently looking at reusing the software for a survey of diabetes sufferers for use by students on a new course on diabetes. |
| 2.8 Technical details (max 200 words, software tools, programming language etc) * | The Biodiversity Database website (with which students interact) is composed of ColdFusion pages which handle reading and writing (in SQL) from the underlying database. Extensive JavaScript validation routines are used to check the data input by users. The location (within Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and, from 9th May 2004, Europe and the rest of the World - see section 4.3 for details) for which students enter a grid reference is shown on a simple map which is provided by a Java Applet. This receives parameters from the HTML pages generated by ColdFusion.
The underlying PostgreSQL database not only stores survey data but also contains much of the information (e.g. types of weather and habitat) from which the user interface is generated. This was done primarily to ease reuse of the system for other surveys. The idea is that most of the work necessary for other surveys would be in changing the data held in the database. The user interface would largely update itself to reflect those new data.
The application which runs on the server to process the database is written in object-oriented Java. As well as simple data extraction, it also carries out linear regression and correlation analyses and manipulates images to display the data on biodiversity maps. |
| 3. USE AND EVALUATION OF YOUR PROJECT |
| 3.1 Do you have any evidence about the use of the project * | Yes
If Yes, Please specify (Please include here any details of information or feedback collected from users. You can include here other evaluations that may have been conducted e.g. references)
A total of 280 students completed the survey and entered their data in 2003. Open University courses typically run for eight years and we would expect several thousand students to have used the Biodiversity Database in that time.
For new courses, the Open University’s Institute of Educational Technology conducts a survey of student opinion. A gratifying finding of this survey was that 86% of students said that they enjoyed the Hands-on measurement of biodiversity activity of which the Biodiversity Database is an integral part.
The activity also created a great deal of discussions on the online student conferencing sites - some students even began discussing recipes for cooking and eating woodlice! |
| 3.2 Do you intend to collect such evidence by the date of the deadline for stage 2 submissions? * | Yes
If you do, please give details:
See above |
3.3 Users
Please include here the details of the users or intended users, and whether (and how) any software or resources from the project are being used. Please indicate the approximate number of users and the length of use | All students (380 in 2003; 406 in 2004) studying 'U316 The Environmental Web' are required to submit an assessment which involves analysis of results downloaded from the Biodiversity Database website. Taking part in the surveys is optional but in 2003, 280 students completed surveys and entered their results in the Biodiversity Database website.
Students spend about four hours collecting their biodiversity data, about 15 minutes entering it into the Biodiversity Database website and about 15 minutes downloading the data collected by all students. They then spend about three hours analysing the combined data. |
3.4 Example of use
Please give a specific example of how the project is used, including the context and relevant user activities | Students are supplied with field guides and an interactive, multi-media CD-ROM which trains students in their use. They are also given a handbook which describes how to conduct the survey and provides datasheets in which to record their data in the field.
Students are instructed to visit their back garden, local park or other suitable area. They then count numbers of nine species of woodlouse in a half-hour period; nine species of dragonfly in two half-hour periods; and ten species of bird in periods of 5-10 minutes daily, over a two week period during which all students have to complete their surveys.
Students are then given one week in which to enter their data into the Biodiversity Database. The data they enter is validated before being submitted to the database. As a final check, the students’ data are shown back to them along with a map of their location. If any of the data are incorrect, they have a week or so in which to correct them. They can also visit a map which shows the locations at which all students have entered data so far.
When the data entry period has finished students return to the website where they can look at a variety of different biodiversity maps and also download data files which they then analyse to test the species-energy hypothesis and the overlapping hotpots hypothesis. This analysis is submitted in an assessed exercise. |
| 4. PORTABILITY |
| 4.1 What language versions of the interface are available? * | Open University courses are presented in English. |
| 4.2 What language versions of the support documentation (if any) are available? * | Open University courses are presented in English. |
4.3 Application across Europe
Please state here whether your project can be used in other European countries and what adaptations might be required. You can also include any plans for supporting other languages. | While the software can be, and is, used by students all over the World to submit data collected locally, two main factors currently limit the software’s full use to Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland:
1. The maps which display biodiversity are limited to these countries although from 9th May 2004 they will be extended to include Europe and the est of the World.
2. The lists of species, particularly of dragonflies, are very much those which one would expect to find in these countries. In other European countries, the suite of species would need to be modified.
We do encourage Open University students to collect and submit their data wherever they are in the World.
As part of an ongoing process of improvement, the software which students will use from 9th May 2004 will differ from that used in 2003 (see section 6.1). In many places where only a map of Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland was previously available, students will now be able to view additional maps of Europe and the World on which their data will be plotted. There will also be extra boxes in the ‘Dragonflies’ and ‘Woodlice’ sections to allow students to record any species which are not listed. However, it will still not be possible to include data from students in Europe and the Rest of the World on all of the maps in the ‘Results’ section because we will not know exactly which species they have observed. For the same reason, the combined data which students analyse will contain only results from Great Britain, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
The software itself is applicable anywhere in the world and has been designed to allow it to be easily reused for other similar surveys.
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4.4 Technical portability
In what ways does the hardware or software required for your project limit or enable its portability across Europe? * | Open University courses are available throughout mainland Europe. The website will work on any modern internet browser and the server-side technologies are also available across Europe. |
| 5. REQUIREMENTS |
| 5.1 Type of computer * | A PC with a processor of 500MHz or greater. |
| 5.2 Operating system * | Windows NT/2000/XP, Windows 98/ME
If other, please specify
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| 5.3 Memory (RAM) required * | 64MB |
| 5.4 Hard disc space required * | From a user’s point of view requirements are minimal – none of the components of the Biodiversity Database require installation but the user must have an internet browser with a java plug-in installed. On the server, the Java application (<1MB) must be installed and the space occupied by the database will depend on the number of users. |
| 5.5 Other hardware requirements | An internet connection for the user and a server to serve the pages and hold and analyse the data. |
| 5.6 Please specify software requirements | For users:
Internet browser software – students on U316 are recommended to use Internet Explorer 6.0 or later.
Java 1.4 or later plug-in for the internet browser.
On the server:
ColdFusion
Java 1.4 or later
PostgreSQL database |
| 6. NATURE OF SOFTWARE |
| 6.1 Nature of software (UserName and password if login is required for Web based software) * | Web based (Internet)
The software is currently being re-versioned for the next presentation which begins on 9th May 2004. As a result, there are two sets of instructions below. The first set applies before 9th May 2004 and the second set applies after that date. To get a feel for all of the functionality of the software, it would be good if the judges could visit the site both before and after 9th May 2004 if possible.
Until 9th May 2004:
A special site: http://courses.open.ac.uk/Science-u316-biodiversity-EASA has been created.
This is the site which was used by students in 2003 and still retains their data in the ‘Results’ section. You can try out the data entry system by clicking ‘Birds’, ‘Dragonflies’ or ‘Woodlice’ on the left-hand menu which will lead to forms for entering survey results. I have already entered some example data for Birds.
In order to submit any of the forms (by clicking ‘OK’), you will need to:
1. Enter a ‘Name’ which can be any combination of letters and numbers.
2. If you wish to see a map showing the location you have entered, you will also need to enter a grid reference for Great Britain (e.g. SP 886 371 – the location of the Open University) or the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland (e.g. D 111 111). Alternatively, you can enter a latitude and longitude but, before 9th May 2004, no map will be displayed.
3. Finally, if you are in the ‘Birds’ or ‘Dragonflies’ sections, you will need to make sure that the date of the second observation is later than that of the first (e.g. for birds Week 1 = 1/1/04; Week 2 = 2/1/04).
Once you have entered some data, you can change them then click ‘Update’ to store them.
The database for this temporary site is not being processed by the Java program so any data you enter will not appear in the ‘Results’ section. This simply contains the data entered by students in 2003. However, you can look at any of the maps or data generated by the following the instructions in the ‘Results’ section.
From 9th May 2004:
Please see section 4.3 for details of the differences between the 2004 version of the Biodiversity database and the 2003 version which has been reproduced for you to use before 9th May 2004.
You can log on to the live student site at: http://courses.open.ac.uk/Science-u316-biodiversity.
(PLEASE NOTE: this site will be under development until 9th May 2004 so cannot be reliably visited until then.)
This site will be live to students from 9th May to 1st June and so you will be able to see it exactly as students see it. After this date, students will be entering their survey results. Please feel free to enter data yourself as described above – we will remove it before the final results are revealed. If you visit the ‘Results’ section during this period, you will see maps which simply display all the locations at which students have entered data so far. Only after 2nd June will the full ‘Results’ section be made available to students on this site.
Username: us68
Password: us68us68 |
| 6.2 Web links to project. | http:// courses.open.ac.uk/u316/activities/block2/b2act26atask1.cfm
Comment: The activity which deals with the Biodiversity Database – ‘Hands-on measurement of biodiversity’ – can be found at the URL given above. You will need to use the same username and password as given in 6.1.
This should be available by the end of March, although any links to the Biodiversity Database will not be made live until 9th May 2004. |
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