Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
VGS Vegetation/GIS Data System
Guide to Using VGS for
Sage Grouse Habitat Assessment Framework
4th Order Assessments
May 24, 2017
________________________________________________
For more information:
Arizona Cooperative Rangeland Monitoring Program
School of Natural Resources and the Environment
University of Arizona
PO Box 210043
Tucson, AZ 85721
www.vgs.arizona.edu
________________________________________________
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in
cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jeffrey C. Silvertooth, Associate Dean &
Director, Economic Development & Extension, Cooperative Extension, College of Agriculture
& Life Sciences, The University of Arizona.
The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution. The University
prohibits discrimination in its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, religion, sex,
national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, or gender identity and is
committed to maintaining an environment free from sexual harassment and retaliation.
1
VGS Vegetation/GIS Data System
Guide to Using VGS for Sage Grouse Habitat Assessment Framework
4th Order Assessments May 5, 2017
CONTENTS
TERMS OF USE............................................................................................................................. 3
End User License Agreement ...................................................................................................... 3
SYSTEM REQUIREMENT ........................................................................................................... 3
USING A TABLET COMPUTER ................................................................................................. 4
SITES .............................................................................................................................................. 6
Sites – What Are They? .............................................................................................................. 6
Organizing Sites/Locations ......................................................................................................... 6
NAMING CONVENTIONS ........................................................................................................... 8
Site Naming Convention ............................................................................................................. 8
Database Backup Naming Convention ....................................................................................... 8
MAIN TOOLBAR .......................................................................................................................... 8
Expand All/ Descendants ............................................................................................................ 9
Collapse All ................................................................................................................................. 9
Expand/Collapse Selected Folder................................................................................................ 9
View all descendant sites for selected folder .............................................................................. 9
Edit Folder Information ............................................................................................................. 10
Open Selected Folder/Site ......................................................................................................... 10
Edit Schema............................................................................................................................... 10
MANAGING FOLDERS ............................................................................................................. 11
Folder Edit Functions ................................................................................................................ 11
2
Add New Folder .................................................................................................................... 11
Add Child Folder ................................................................................................................... 12
Edit Folder Name................................................................................................................... 12
Copy Folder ........................................................................................................................... 12
Move Folder .......................................................................................................................... 12
Delete Folder ......................................................................................................................... 13
MANAGING SITES/LOCATIONS ............................................................................................. 13
Site Edit Functions .................................................................................................................... 14
Add Site/Location .................................................................................................................. 14
Edit Site/Location Name ....................................................................................................... 14
Copy Site/Location Reference ............................................................................................... 14
Move Site/Location ............................................................................................................... 15
Delete Site/Location .............................................................................................................. 15
SITE INFORMATION FORM ................................................................................................. 15
Main Window ............................................................................................................................ 15
General ...................................................................................................................................... 17
Description ................................................................................................................................ 18
Entering Locator Coordinates ................................................................................................... 20
Log ............................................................................................................................................ 21
CREATING AND EDITING SPECIES TEMPLATE LISTS ..................................................... 23
Creating New List ..................................................................................................................... 23
Adding Species to a List............................................................................................................ 25
Editing a List ............................................................................................................................. 27
Using a List ............................................................................................................................... 28
DATABASE MANAGEMENT ................................................................................................... 29
Database Backup ....................................................................................................................... 29
Database Sharing ....................................................................................................................... 29
3
TERMS OF USE
End User License Agreement
Vegetation/GIS Data System (VGS) software is provided as-is with no actual or implied
warranty. Use of this software is at your own risk. The University of Arizona and developers of
this software are not responsible for any liabilities, loss of data, damages, losses, costs, or
expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from, or related to any claim, action,
proceeding, or allegation that arises or results, either directly or indirectly, from the use of this
software. This includes the use of any summary routines, analysis algorithms, or reports included
in the software. The user accepts full responsibility for any and all conclusions or decisions
based on data recorded and/or summarized using this software.
VGS software may not be reverse-engineered, or de-compiled in any manner.
The following actions may not be taken without the express consent of University of Arizona
Cooperative Extension:
VGS software or any components thereof may not be modified and may not be included
as part of any other software.
Documentation, either electronic or hard-copy, provided with VGS software may be
copied, but the documentation or any portion thereof may not be published or included in
any other documents.
VGS software or any documentation provided therewith may not be posted for online
distribution or download.
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
Currently, VGS is available only for the Microsoft WindowsTM operating system. It will work
on tablet, laptop, and desktop computers using:
Windows 7
Windows 8 Pro (*** Windows 8RT is NOT supported ***)
Windows 10
Windows Server 2003 or later
*** Note: In all cases, operating systems must be updated to the latest updates from Microsoft
including optional updates.
There is currently no version of VGS available for iPad or Android tablets.
For more information:
https://vgs.arizona.edu/download/shopping-field-tablet-some-recommendations
4
USING A TABLET COMPUTER
VGS can be used in desktop/laptop computer with a Windows operating system but is most
commonly used on tablet PC computers. Here are some tips for using VGS on a tablet PC:
1. Using a stylus with VGS is more accurate and preferable to touch but do not tip the stylus
too much on its side, else Windows may not recognize a tap or selection.
2. Although the risk of losing a stylus is increased, remove stylus tethers that may come
with your tablet. A tethered stylus is usually more cumbersome to use. Tying a brightly
colored ribbon or applying a bright piece of tape to your stylus will help prevent losing it.
3. Always have an extra stylus available in case the stylus is lost or quits working.
4. A right-click mouse action is generated on a Windows tablet by pressing and holding the
stylus down. As soon as the circular graphic appears around the stylus screen location,
releasing the stylus will bring up the right-click menu if applicable. Many styluses have a
button on the side which, when pressed and held while clicking, will also trigger a right-
click.
5. For best visibility in sunlight:
o Set the desktop and on-screen keyboard background to a plain, light color.
Especially avoid a busy pattern or photo for the background.
o Use a theme with light colors. The "Windows Classic" theme is a good choice.
o Setting the tablet screen as bright as possible is helpful in direct sunlight, but be
aware that screen brightness affects battery life.
6. Enlarge the on-screen keyboard to a favored size using the stylus or a mouse. You can
experiment with other keyboard settings by clicking the "Options" key.
7. Periodically follow the instructions for your tablet to "calibrate" the stylus. Calibrating
the stylus helps keep the screen pointer aligned with the stylus. Calibration may also be
necessary when changing users, especially between right- and left-handed users.
8. When using a stylus, watch the screen pointer, not the end of the stylus pointer. The
position of the screen pointer determines where a mouse-click will occur.
9. Turn the sound on for the tablet. VGS uses sound to indicate selections and steps during
sampling. This is helpful to the recorder to know that a stylus or touch selection was
received and to the observer by making them aware when the recorder is ready to receive
more information. For example, knowing when the recorder has navigated to the next
quadrat or sampling point. Also, depending on the options selected, the on-screen
keyboard uses sound for key-clicks.
10. VGS saves data on every navigation between quadrats or points and at each data entry
step where sampling navigation does not apply. This minimizes the opportunity for data
loss should a battery become exhausted or should the tablet crash while collecting data in
the field.
11. Always back up the VGS database when moving between locations and before leaving
the field.
5
12. Consider keeping all your backups rather than overwriting older backups. Depending on
the type of data and circumstances, sometimes the only way to recover lost data is to go
back to the original field data.
13. Always carry extra batteries.
14. Recharge the tablet whenever possible during a field day.
Note: VGS does not currently scale well on high resolution tablets with Windows 10. For
example, the display section of the main window may not fill the entire window, names
of folders and sites in the main window might overlap, and data input forms are cut off or have
sections where the words are cut off. If you see any of these symptoms, you will need to do as
follows:
1. Right-Click on an empty area on your desktop and choose:
a. Windows 10: “Display settings”
i. Set the "Change the size of text, apps and other items" setting to 100%.
ii. From the same location click the "Advanced display settings" link at the
bottom of the page and adjust the screen resolution to a level appropriate
for data entry in the field.
b. Windows 7: “Screen Resolution”
i. Click the link “Make text and other items larger or smaller” and change
the setting to Small – 100%.
ii. Go back to the previous page and adjust the screen resolution to a level
appropriate for data entry in the field
*** These changes apply to the display and will affect all applications.
2. Right-click on the VGS icon and select Properties. Go to the "Compatibility" tab
and: a) Check the box "Disable display scaling on high DPI settings", b) Make certain
the check box "Run this program in compatibility mode for" is NOT checked (this is an
important change from earlier instructions). After changing the compatibility settings,
you will need to log off and back on (or restart) for the settings to take effect. These
changes will only apply to VGS and won't affect other applications.
6
SITES
Sites – What Are They?
Everything in VGS revolves around the concept of sites. In the abstract sense, a site is the
container where data from studies are stored. In practice, a site is usually a physical location. A
particular location or site can represent a piece of landscape of any size or shape, but all data
from any and all studies associated with that location are stored within the site. When deciding
what a site represents, separate out any differences in treatment or management into separate
sites. For example, if vegetation sampling will be conducted on adjacent burned and unburned
areas, a separate site should be created for the burned area and for the unburned area. An
enclosure should be a different site than areas outside the enclosure. These distinctions are
important in order to avoid data from sites with several treatments being merged or compared
inappropriately during analysis. Another way to look at it - only data sampled from the same
piece of ground (the same site) should be stored in a particular VGS site.
Organizing Sites/Locations
The VGS interface for organizing and locating sites/locations is very similar to Windows File
Explorer in a Microsoft Windows operating system with all sites placed within a hierarchical
structure of folders. The main difference is that when you copy and paste sites to various folders
in VGS, you are duplicating references to the same site or piece of ground rather than physically
duplicating the site as you would a file in Windows Explorer. Like a physical site or location in
the real world, a site in VGS can only occur once. However, it may be referenced in any number
of ways. Think of a site like a single book in a library. The book may located by author, title or
subject references. Likewise, you may reference a site by land ownership, soil type, vegetation
type or any other classification scheme you can come up with.
The application interface consists of three main panels - Folders, Contents, and Site Summary.
7
The "Folders" panel on the left side of the screen displays the folder structure for the
classification systems you create to reference sites. The structure is usually hierarchical, but this
is not required. In the example above, sites are categorized by management responsibility
(USFS) but the sites can be categorized any way desired, such as by projects, vegetation
classification schemes, soil types, climate etc. The number and type of categories or
classifications is not limited. Folders can be expanded to view sub-folders by clicking the "+"
symbol next to a folder name or by using the toolbar as described below.
The “Contents” panel at the top-right displays the contents of the currently selected folder in the
folders panel. This may include child folders and/or sites. Double-clicking a folder in this panel
will open the folder and display its contents. Contents displayed depend on the current view
mode, as selected by the button.
The “Site Summary” panel at the bottom-right displays a brief summary description of the
currently selected item (either folder or site) in the contents panel.
The relative size of the three panels may be adjusted by clicking and dragging the dividers
between panels.
8
NAMING CONVENTIONS
Site Naming Convention
The naming convention for sites should follow the defined site name “PLOT_ID” from the
“PasturePlots” shapefile in the R4 Deployment Package. The convention uses the numeric codes
for Region, Forest, District, Allotment (SUB_NO), Pasture (RMU_NO), and Site. The site
convention should be written as:
(RegionID-ForestID-DistrictID-AllotmentID-PastureID-Site), with digits set as:
(RR-FF-DD-AAAAA-PPP-SS)
Example: (04-08-02-02001-002-01)
Database Backup Naming Convention
The Greater Sage-grouse Livestock Grazing Implementation Guide outlines the way GRSG data
backups should be named. The guidelines provide a naming convention to ensure databases can
be correctly and entirely merged for the region. The convention uses the numeric codes for
Region, Forest, District, Tablet/Device, Date, and Time. The database name should be written as:
(VGS_RegionID-ForestID-DistrictID_TabletID_Date_Time), with digits set as:
(VGS_RR-FF-DD_T…_YYYYMMDD_HHMMSS)
Example: (VGS_04-08-02_3_20170507_084235)
MAIN TOOLBAR
The main toolbar provides for common actions. Some actions would normally be done with a
mouse, but because they are sometimes more difficult to do in the field using a stylus, buttons
have been provided as an alternative way to accomplish the tasks. Hovering over a toolbar button
with the mouse or an active stylus will bring up the name or function of each button in the
toolbar. The function of each button is described below.
9
Expand All/ Descendants
Expands or opens all folders in all structures to their deepest levels.
Collapse All
Collapses or closes all folders in all structures to their root levels.
Expand/Collapse Selected Folder
In the diagram above, this button expands the currently selected folder one level. This is the
same as clicking on the "+" symbol for a folder, but it is sometimes easier when using a stylus.
However, if the folder selected is already expanded, this button displays an up-arrow instead of
the down-arrow as displayed above and clicking on the button will collapse the selected folder.
This button functions only on the folder currently selected in the folders panel.
View all descendant sites for selected folder
Clicking this button toggles the current display mode for the contents panel. The two display
modes are:
1) Normal Mode - Displays the contents of the folder selected in the folders panel. It may
include both folders and sites depending on the schema and the level of the selected
folder. This is like the behavior of Windows Explorer.
2) Drill-Down Mode - Displays all sites contained in the currently selected folder in the
folders panel plus all sites in any folder that is a descendant of the selected folder. Only
sites are displayed. This mode allows one to see all sites that fall within a particular
folder regardless of its level. For example, sites might be contained within folders that
identify the pasture within which they fall. The pasture folders might be children of an
allotment folder. Drill-down mode allows one to select the allotment folder and see all
sites within the allotment without having to drill down to individual pastures.
10
Edit Folder Information
This button functions for folders only, in either the folder or contents panels. It opens a dialog for
entering information about the selected folder:
A name, description and an ID number (such as an allotment ID number) can be given in this
dialog window. Also, a list of contacts and temporal history of these contacts associated with the
current item can be created. For example, if the folder represents a grazing allotment, contacts
might include the range management specialist (RMS) responsible for the allotment and the
permittee currently grazing the allotment.
Open Selected Folder/Site
Clicking this button expands/opens the currently selected folder or site. It operates on the
primary selected item in either the folder panel or the contents panel. This is the same as either
double-clicking on a folder or site, or right-clicking a folder or site and choosing "Open...", but it
is sometimes easier when using a stylus.
Edit Schema
Clicking this button places the main VGS window into edit mode allowing the user to make
changes to the schema of folders and to add or delete sites. See Managing Folders and
Managing Sites for details.
11
MANAGING FOLDERS
Folders are managed using either the folders panel on the left-hand side of the main VGS
window, or the contents panel on the upper right-hand side of the main window. Before adding
or editing folders, you must click on the "Edit schema" button in the main toolbar. This step is
required to avoid accidental editing during normal use of the software.
Edit Schema Button
Clicking the Edit Schema button displays the Edit Toolbar:
Cancel All Schema Edits button cancels all pending changes that are not yet saved.
Save All Schema Edits button saves all pending changes and exits edit mode.
The remaining buttons in the edit toolbar may be used to assist with edit functions as explained
below.
Folder Edit Functions
Add New Folder
To add a top-level folder to the folder panel at the root level (represented by a box) do one of the
following:
1) In the folder panel, right-click anywhere on empty space below existing folders and
choose "Add new root folder" from the drop-down menu.
2) Make sure no items are selected in the folders panel (this will be the case when first
entering edit mode) and click on the "New Folder" button in the toolbar.
When a new folder is added, the default name is highlighted for immediate editing.
12
Add Child Folder
To add a folder as a child of any node in a hierarchical tree, do one of the following:
1) In either the folder panel or the contents panel, right-click on the desired parent folder
and choose "New folder" from the drop-down menu.
2) In either the folder panel or the contents panel, select the desired parent folder by clicking
on it. Then click on the "New Folder" button in the toolbar.
3) Select the parent folder in the folders panel on the left side of the screen by clicking on it.
Then in the contents panel on the right-hand side of the screen, right-click on the empty
space below the listed sites and folders and choose "New Folder" from the drop-down
menu.
When a new folder is added, the default name is highlighted for immediate editing.
Edit Folder Name
To edit folder names after the folder already exists, do one of the following:
1) Right-click on the folder to be changed and choose "Rename" from the drop-down menu.
2) Select the folder by clicking on it, pause (so next click is not interpreted as a double-
click) and then click the folder again.
Copy Folder
To copy a folder, copy and paste the folder using any combination of the following:
1) Right-click on the folder to be copied and choose "Copy" from the drop-down menu, or
select the folder to be copied by clicking on it and then clicking on the "Copy" button in
the toolbar.
2) Right-click on the parent folder in the new location and choose "Paste" from the drop-
down menu, or select the new parent folder and then click the "Paste" button in the
toolbar.
Move Folder
To move a folder, do one of the following:
1) Cut and Paste using the same methods as described above for copy-pasting but use the
‘Cut’ option in the drop-down menu or using the “Cut” icon in the toolbar instead. Paste
13
by right-clicking on the folder that will contain the duplicate site reference and choose
"Paste" from the drop-down menu, or select the folder by clicking on it and then click the
"Paste" button in the toolbar, or in the folders panel, select the folder then right-click
anywhere in the blank space below items in the contents folder and choose "Paste" from
either the drop-down menu or click the “Paste” button on the toolbar.
2) Drag and Drop by clicking and holding on to the folder/site, then drag and drop it on the
folder (either folders panel or contents panel) that you want to move it to. Target folder
must be visible to use this method.
Delete Folder
To delete a folder, in either the folders panel or the contents panel
1) Right-click the folder to be deleted and choose "Delete" from the drop-down menu.
2) Select the folder to be deleted by clicking on it and then click the "Delete" button in the
toolbar.
NOTE: Deleting a folder also deletes all child folders. However, any sites contained within
those folders are not deleted, but rather are moved to the "Unassigned" container. The
"Unassigned" container cannot be deleted. Sites can only be permanently deleted as described in
the Managing Sites/Locations section.
MANAGING SITES/LOCATIONS
Sites are managed using the contents panel on the upper right-hand side of the main VGS
window. Before adding or editing sites, you must click on the "Edit schema" button in the
toolbar. This step is required to avoid accidental editing during normal use of the software.
Edit Schema Button
Clicking the Edit Schema button displays the Edit Toolbar:
Cancel All Schema Edits button cancels all pending changes that are not yet saved.
14
Save All Schema Edits button saves all pending changes and exits edit mode.
The remaining buttons in the edit toolbar may be used to assist with edit functions as explained
below.
Site Edit Functions
Add Site/Location
To create a new site, go in either the folders panel or the contents panel, and:
1) Select the parent folder where the new site is to be added by clicking on it, then in the
contents panel right-click on the empty space and choose "New Location" from the drop-
down menu.
2) Select the parent folder where the new site is to be added by clicking on it. Then click the
"New Location" button on the toolbar.
Edit Site/Location Name
To edit site names:
1) Right-click on the site and choose "Rename" from the drop-down menu.
2) Select the site to be changed by clicking on it, pause (so next click is not interpreted as a
double-click) and then click the folder again.
Copy Site/Location Reference
To copy a site reference (remember, you are copying references to the site - not creating a
duplicate site), copy and paste the site using any combination of the following:
1) Right-click on the intended site and choose "Copy" from the drop-down menu, or select
the site to be copied by clicking on it and then click on the "Copy" button in the toolbar.
2) Right-click on the target folder and choose "Paste" from the drop-down menu, or select
the target folder (either in the folders panel or the contents panel) by clicking on it and
then click the "Paste" button in the toolbar, or, after selecting the target folder in the
folders panel, either right-click in the blank space below items in the contents panel and
choose "Paste" from the drop-down menu or click in the blank space below items in the
contents panel and click on the "Paste" button in the toolbar.
15
Move Site/Location
To move a site, do one of the following:
1) Cut and Paste by right-clicking on the target site and choose "Cut" from the drop-down
menu, or select the target site by clicking on it and then click on the "Cut" button in the
toolbar. Paste the site by right-clicking on the intended folder destination and choose
"Paste" from the drop-down menu, or by selecting the folder by clicking on it once and
then clicking the "Paste" button in the toolbar. You can also select the folder and then
right-click in the blank space below items in the contents folder and either choose "Paste"
from the drop-down menu or click on the "Paste" button in the toolbar.
2) Drag and Drop by clicking and holding on to the target site, then drag and drop it on the
target folder (in either the folders panel or the contents panel). The target folder must be
visible to use this method.
Delete Site/Location
To delete a site, do one of the following:
1) Right-click the site to be deleted and choose "Remove" from the drop-down menu.
2) Select the site to be removed by clicking on it and then click the "Delete/Remove" button
in the toolbar.
3) Removing a site from a folder only deletes the reference to that site from the folder from
which it was removed. Any references to the site from other folders will remain in place.
If a site has been removed from all folders to which it has been referenced or assigned,
then the site is automatically moved to the “Unassigned” folder.
4) To delete a site permanently from the database, all references to the site must be
removed. A site may be deleted permanently only from the “Unassigned folder”. To
protect accidental deletion of data, a site may be permanently deleted from the database
only after all events in the event log listing for the site have been individually deleted.
SITE INFORMATION FORM
Main Window
All the information and data associated with a given site, its description, portfolios and protocols,
are entered and managed using the “Site information” -form. Once the site/location has been
created within the pasture or project folder in VGS and the site has been reached on the ground
for sampling, double-click the site icon (or highlight it and click on the “Open selected
folder/location” button) to open the site form.
16
Only one site information form may be edited at a time while several can be open
simultaneously.
The top of the form displays the classification path from which the form was opened and the
name of the site. The name of the site may be edited here in addition to the main VGS window.
The remainder of the form displays one of the four tabs: 1) General, 2) Description, 3) Portfolios
or 4) Log.
17
General
When a site is first opened, the "General" information tab is displayed. Type and Status have a
dropdown menu where you can choose the correct option for your site. Notes should include
steps taken to move a site if it was moved, reasons for rejection if the site was rejected, and so
forth. Notes about specific point-in-time measures or studies done at the site should not be
entered here but should be entered within the notes of the specific log event.
Do the following:
Ensure the Site name is correct (XX-XX-XX-XXXXX-XXX-XX). See Naming Convention.
Ensure the Site Type is set to “SG HAF Plot” if the site is a 4th order HAF plot.
Sites must be created even if the site is rejected as unsuitable for sampling.
18
Description
Details that describes the site in various ways is entered on this page including GPS location
coordinates (in UTM). To the left there are three descriptive fields - % Slope, Slope Aspect, and
Elevation. Additional information about the site in table format is found to the right of these first
three descriptive fields. Under “Item” you can find categories such as State, County, Population,
Home Range, Land Cover Type, etc. and in the next column their concurrent values, which will
help categorize the sites.
19
Do the following:
Enter the coordinates for the site at the beginning of transect 1. These coordinates may
be different from the mapped coordinates used to locate the sampling site if the site was
moved according to established protocols, such as when the original target location falls
on a road or other feature requiring the site be moved. Coordinates must be entered even
if the site is rejected as unsuitable for sampling.
Fill in the %Slope, Slope Aspect, and Elevation fields.
Enter data for all of the items displayed in the details list:
All fields should be filled to facilitate future suitability analyses of the data. Please Note:
1) State and County should both be filled in as these settings will be key to regional
analyses.
2) Land Cover Type should be filled because it will be key to future analyses. The Land
Cover Type key is available on the USFS R4 web site and may also be downloaded at:
https://vgs.arizona.edu/download/key-shrublands-intermountain-region-252
3) Site Regime is required for suitability assessments.
4) If the site is a lek or is riparian, these boxes must be set because they require additional
protocols be entered.
If the site is rejected as a HAF sampling site, the reason for the rejection must be entered. If
none of the reasons fit, then go to the General tab and change the site “Status” to rejected and
enter the reason in the notes.
On the bottom of the “Description tab” are the site locators. There is no limit to the amount of
locators that can be entered. Where stakes or posts are used to mark sites or sampling layouts, it
is recommended that coordinates be entered for more than one marker to facilitate reestablishing
the site even if a stake or post is pushed over or removed.
To enter a new locator, click the “New” button in the Locators -section. This will create a new
line in the list of locators. The following items may be entered:
1) Locator Type - Click on the drop-down list of types and choose the desired type.
2) Primary - Check the box if this locator is the primary locator for the site. Only one locator
may be marked as primary. This field is mandatory, and is used when the VGS database
is linked to a GIS layer to indicate which locator to use for plotting on a map.
3) UTM Coordinates - This is where GPS coordinates are displayed. Click on the button
with the pin icon to bring up the GPS module. See Entering Locator Coordinates.
4) Notes - Click on the button with the pencil icon to bring up a dialog where notes can be
entered about the locator, such as notes about a marker or hints on how to find it.
20
Entering Locator Coordinates
Clicking on the button with the pin icon for a locator will open the GPS module.
The GPS module will automatically detect and attempt to connect to a GPS receiver, whether it
is built in or external, and display the device COM port connection in the “Devices” dropdown
menu. If more than one GPS device is detected, users can select the preferred device by selecting
that devices COM port connection in the “Devices” dropdown menu. If a compatible GPS was
detected, and the minimum satellites and required dilution of precision (DOP) have been met,
coordinates can be populated by clicking the “Acquire Position” button. Clicking the “Acquire
Position” button will update the coordinates every time it is clicked, unless the position has not
changed. The user can select either degrees-minutes-seconds, decimal-degrees, and UTM by
selecting the corresponding “D/M/S”, “D/D”, or “UTM” radio buttons. Settings for minimum
satellites, DOP, and default Zone are found by selecting the “Options” radio button in the GPS
module. If you are unsure if your GPS receiver is working, you can verify the status by selecting
the “Details” radio button. This will display the raw NMEA data string, which should be cycling
through at a relatively fast pace depending on how many satellites are fixed.
21
Coordinates may be entered manually by clicking the “Clear Position” button once the GPS
module appears. The user can select either degrees-minutes-seconds, decimal-degrees, and UTM
by selecting the corresponding “D/M/S”, “D/D”, or “UTM” radio buttons.
Once the coordinates have been populated/entered, click on the "Select" button to accept the
coordinates for entry into the locator record. Clicking the "Clear" button will clear all data from
the locator record and close the GPS module. The "Cancel" button will close the GPS module
without making any changes to the locator record.
Note: The VGS GPS Module output only uses the WGS 84 geographic coordinate system, and it
will assume all inputs are in WGS 84. Please ensure that data entered into VGS manually is
coming from a GPS device that has been set to output data in the WGS 84 datum. Failure to do
so will result in inaccurate locations (2 meters if using the NAD 83 Datum).
Note: The GPS Module may not function correctly if your device’s Bluetooth is turned on. If
problems occur with GPS device detection, Bluetooth should be turned off in Windows device
settings. Please ensure that current work has been saved before attempting to use the GPS
module for the first time on a device.
Log
The ‘Log’ tab of the site information form lists all events stored in a VGS database related to a
particular location. The list is grouped by the form used to enter or display the data and by the
date of the event. An event is a particular set of sample data for one point-in-time at a single
location or site for one particular characteristic. A data form is the form on which one or more
events are recorded concurrently. Each form contains panels specific to the events to be recorded
and are laid out according to the sampling protocol associated with those events.
22
To add events to the site, open a new data form by clicking the "New" button.
A window like the one below will then appear. Select the desired protocol from the “Choose
Protocol:” dropdown menu.
Normally you will not need to make any changes to the protocol settings. Simply click:
This will create a new record in the Log list. Find this new record and double-click it or
highlight it and click the “Edit” button. This will open the data forms for recording data.
Data is recorded using the Sage Grouse HAF - Main protocol at every HAF sampling site.
Additionally, if the site is a lek, repeat the steps above to create another set of data forms but
choose the lek protocol and record the data requested:
Likewise, if the site is in a riparian zone, repeat the process and record data asked for by the
riparian protocol:
If droop height is to be recorded on the site, repeat the process for the droop height protocol:
23
CREATING AND EDITING SPECIES TEMPLATE LISTS
Species template lists can help facilitate data entry in the field when sampling at a location where
data does not yet exist in VGS from previous visits. Although species can and usually must be
added on the fly during sampling, having a template list ready to go which includes the species
most likely to be encountered on a location can reduce delays and stress. Generally, it is
recommended that a template list include only the most common species for a particular type of
vegetation as well as those species that are almost always encountered in the type even if in
small numbers. Less ubiquitous species should be added on the fly during sampling. That way,
each list can be used for multiple locations. Any number of template lists may be created to
accommodate various community types.
Template lists may also be created to facilitate specific sampling schemes. For example, if
sampling is to be restricted to a pre-determined group of species, a template list can be created
with only those specific species included. If desired, the user can be restricted from entering any
species other than those included in the list.
Experience suggests that lists are most effective when limited to no more than 25-30 species. At
this time, it is not possible to automatically add species to a template list directly from the data
form during sampling without closing the form. Lists may be edited only through the list
manager as shown below.
Creating New List
1) Close all secondary windows, such as site windows. If the “Setup” menu is grayed out
and disabled, then check for open hidden windows from the VGS icon in the Windows
Taskbar.
2) Click on the “Setup” menu and choose the “Lists” option. This will open the list setup
manager.
24
3) On the left side of the panel, select the “Species Input” option. To the right, any existing
template lists for species will be listed.
4) Click the “New” button. This will create a new record in the list panel.
5) Type in a name for the list.
6) Describe the list as desired in the “Description” column. Clicking in the description field
will display a small button to the right which, when clicked, will open a larger, resizable
window to provide space for entering a long description.
7) Click the “Save” button in the top left-hand corner.
25
Adding Species to a List
1) If not already selected, select the new list created above by clicking anywhere in the row
for the list.
2) Click the “Members” tab at the bottom of the panel.
3) Click in the first column (labeled “Species Code”) of the first row to activate it.
4) Enter a species in one of two ways:
a. Type in the standard species code (as per NRCS PLANTS database codes) for the
species desired. Be very careful because an incorrect code will result in an
incorrect entry if a species exists which owns the incorrect code. If there is any
question at all about the exact code (including numbers) for the species, use
option b for entering the species code.
26
b. Click on the button to the right of the species code. This button appears when the
species code cell is active. This will bring up the species search and selection
dialog. The entire PLANTS database is available from which to search and select
a species. Species may be searched for by code, common name, or Latin name.
Once the correct species has been located and highlighted, click the “Select”
button.
5) When a species is selected or filled in, the “Species Name” and “Common Name”
columns will be automatically filled.
6) A qualifier may be added in the “Qualifier” field as necessary for certain sampling
schemes if desired. Otherwise, leave this cell blank.
27
7) Once a species has been entered, another line will be added to the list for entering the
next species. Repeat the process for each species to be added to the list.
8) When all species to be included in the list have been entered, be sure to click on the
“Save” button in the top-left corner of the window.
9) The list manager may be closed at this point, or clicking the “List” tab at the bottom of
the panel will return to the list window where more lists may be created.
Editing a List
1) Open the list manager as described above.
2) Select the list to be edited in the list manager.
3) Click on the “Members” tab at the bottom of the panel.
4) Add, edit or delete species as desired:
a. Add species as described above
b. Edit species by simply changing the species code. Clicking the button in a cell
that already has a species entered will bring up the species selection dialog.
Selecting a different species from the selection dialog will replace the existing
species.
c. Delete species using the “Delete” button located above and to the right of the list.
28
Using a List
When a data form is open and a data module that records species is active, a species selection
panel appears in the lower part of the form. To add species in a template list to the selection
panel:
1) Select the desired template list from the dropdown located at the top of the selection
panel.
2) Check the box next to the list and all species in the list will be added to the selection
panel.
3) Unchecking the box will toggle the list off, except any species for which data have been
entered will remain as well as any species added to the selection panel that do not occur
in the template list.
Template lists may be exported and imported as desired to facilitate copying lists among tablets
and users. This is done via the Export/Import buttons located to the right above the lists.
To export, simply select the list to be exported, click the Export button and choose
the location and name of the list exchange file that will be created.
To Import, simply click the Import button and choose the exchange file to be
imported.
By default, list exchange files have an extension of “.vgss”.
29
DATABASE MANAGEMENT
Database Backup
VGS writes data to the database on the physical storage device after every sample and when
closing a data form. However, data should be backed up in case of device failure. In the field, a
good practice is to always back up the VGS database before shutting down the tablet PC. The
VGS database should also be backed up following any editing at the office and before installing
updates.
To back up the VGS database, click on the "File" menu of the main VGS window and choose
‘Database’ and then "Backup" from the drop-down menus. The following dialog will appear:
1. Enter the path to the desired backup location or click on the "Browse" button and choose
the backup location from the computer. The default location when the dialog opens is the
"DataBackups" directory within the VGS data space. However, best practice is to back up
to a thumb drive, a network drive, or other external device.
2. Ensure the backup name is correct (VGS_XX-XX-XX_X…_YYYYMMDD). See Naming
Conventions.
3. Click on the ‘Start Backup...’ button.
Once a backup is complete, the backup dialog remains in place in case a second backup is
desired. Closing the dialog returns control to the main VGS window.
Note: If the database has been backed up to a thumb drive, such as before leaving the field, the
backup file should be copied from the hard drive to a network drive or another external device as
soon as possible because thumb drives are easily lost or corrupted.
Database Sharing
Database backups should be added to the appropriate folder on the T: drive after every field visit,
or whenever possible. It is imperative that users follow the Naming Convention, so that data for
each tablet on each district is correctly/entirely merged. Please contact the VGS Dev Team
directly with questions on transferring and sharing large databases.
