Recommended workflows

  • Updated

Ecobot is built around the way field scientists and survey managers already work. Here are three common workflows Ecobot customers use. They all rely on the same few rules, so read those first.

The rules every workflow follows

  • Collector is for the field, Manager is for the desk. Ecobot Collector runs on iOS and Android phones and tablets. Ecobot Manager runs at manager.ecobot.com in a desktop browser. See Collector and Manager: which app does what.
  • Your data syncs automatically. Collector saves survey, point, and photo data to the Ecobot cloud in the background whenever your device has Wi-Fi or cellular data. Without service, it saves on the device and syncs when you're back in range. There's no setting to turn on.
  • Check-in and checkout control who can edit. A survey can be edited on only one device at a time. Check it out where you want to work, and check it in when you're done so someone else (or you, in the other app) can pick it up. Syncing doesn't check a survey in.
  • Survey status tells your team where a survey is. Set it to Planning, Field work, QA, In review, or Done from either app. Status is separate from checkout: it's a note to your team, not a lock.

All of this is covered in detail in How syncing works: check-in, checkout, and sync.

Workflow 1: start in the field

Often used for small surveys. Jump right in from Collector, then QA/QC and download forms in Manager.

In Ecobot Collector

  1. Create a survey. Pick the type and regional form, name the survey, and download a base map while you still have service.
  2. Create your first sampling point.
  3. Clone that point for the rest of your locations, or add new points from scratch.
  4. When you're finished, check the survey in: tap Manage Survey, turn on Check In Survey, then tap Sync & Check-In Survey. Use Wi-Fi if you have a lot of photos.
  5. Optional: set the survey status to QA so the office knows it's ready.

In Ecobot Manager

  1. Check out the survey.
  2. Fetch location data and bulk edit points.
  3. QA/QC by editing points, or by reviewing the CSV or PDF downloads.
  4. Download your final PDF forms.
  5. Check the survey in and set its status to Done.

Workflow 2: set up before field work

Often used for larger surveys. Build the survey in Manager so field crews open Collector and start collecting right away.

In Ecobot Manager

  1. Create the survey. If you're setting it up for a teammate, choose their name in the upper right, then add the survey from their page.
  2. Set defaults so every new point starts with the same top-of-form information.
  3. Add your starting points: create a template point with standard remarks, or upload a CSV of known point locations.
  4. Check the survey in. It won't appear on a device until you do.
  5. Optional: set the survey status to Field work.

In Ecobot Collector

  1. Tap the gear icon, then Sync All Surveys, so the new survey appears in your list.
  2. Open the survey and check it out: Manage Survey, turn on Check Out Survey, then Sync & Check-Out Survey.
  3. Clone the template point(s) and complete your data collection.
  4. Check the survey in when you're done, and set its status to QA.

In Ecobot Manager

  1. Check out the survey.
  2. Fetch location data and bulk edit points.
  3. QA/QC by editing points, or by reviewing the CSV or PDF downloads.
  4. Download your final PDF forms.
  5. Check the survey in and set its status to Done.

Workflow 3: several people on one survey

For large sites or multi-day surveys. Each person collects in their own survey, then you combine them in Manager. No CSVs or PDFs to stitch together.

Before anyone goes to the field

  1. Agree on who owns the master survey and who does QA/QC.
  2. Agree on a sampling point naming convention (for example, SITE-A_001). Duplicate point names both survive a merge, so you'd have to rename or delete them afterward.
  3. Make sure every survey uses the same region, the same number of strata, and the same form version. Surveys that differ in any of these can't be merged.

In Ecobot Collector

  1. Each person creates their own survey (or checks out one set up for them in Manager) and collects their points.
  2. Everyone checks their survey in at the end of the day.

In Ecobot Manager

  1. Transfer each person's survey to the master survey's owner: on the Surveys page, select the ⋮ menu on the survey's row, then Transfer. Choose the person, type TRANSFER and confirm. Surveys must be checked in before they can be transferred.
  2. Merge the surveys: select the ⋮ menu on the master survey, then Merge. Select Add on each survey to merge, choose Keep this survey on the master survey, then select Review merge. Type MERGE and select Merge surveys.
  3. Review any duplicate point names, then QA/QC and download forms as in the workflows above.

If someone forgot to check a survey in, an admin or manager can force check-in from Manager. Only data that already reached the cloud comes through, so ask them to sync first.

For more on planning multi-person surveys, see Managing large surveys with multiple team members. For step-by-step transfer and merge instructions, see Transfer and merge surveys.

Video: recommended Ecobot workflows

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