Large surveys with multiple field staff can be highly efficient in Ecobot—when everyone starts with a shared plan. This article outlines recommended best practices for setting up, executing, and managing large surveys involving multiple people, devices, and days of data collection.
These practices help reduce rework, prevent data conflicts, and save time during QA and reporting.
Who this article is for
- Survey managers and administrators setting up large surveys
- Field staff working on shared or overlapping sites
- Teams collecting data over multiple days or weeks
Plan and set up the survey before field work
Before creating the survey in Ecobot, the team should align on how the survey will be executed and managed.
Key questions to answer as a team
- Who is responsible for survey setup?
- How many people will collect data, and on which days?
- Will data be merged daily, weekly, or near the end of the survey?
- Who is responsible for QA/QC?
- Are people working in the same areas or different sections?
Establishing these expectations early prevents duplicate work and data cleanup later.
Set up the survey in Ecobot
Survey-level data
Decide what information should be captured at the survey level versus the sampling point level.
- Include data that is consistent across the entire survey at the top of the form
- Region
- Survey name
- Any client requirements
- Internal ID
Tip: Set defaults in Manager before heading out into the field!
Sampling point naming conventions
A clear, shared naming convention is critical when multiple people are collecting data. This will help with a more seamless merge and also avoid having to rename sampling points afterwards.
Recommended approach
- Use a consistent format (for example: SITE-A_001, SITE-A_002)
- Note that Ecobot uses Natural Sort, you don't have to worry about your points being scrambled as long as your prefixes are consistent. Whether you have 5 points or 500,
SP-9will always appear beforeSP-10, allowing you to find data easily in Manager without having to scroll past dozens of out-of-order points.
Manage data across several people
There are two common approaches for large surveys—choose one before fieldwork begins.
Option 1: one master survey
- One primary survey owner maintains the “master” survey
- Survey owner or field staff transfer and merge data on a regular schedule (daily or weekly)
- Survey owner owns QA/QC for the entire survey
Option 2: one survey per person
- Each person collects data in their own survey but collects data consistent with the survey plan
- Do their own QA/QC daily or weekly
- Surveys are merged later in the workflow
Either workflow will be fine as long as everyone is sticking to the survey timeline and expectations!
Note: Daily transfer and merge could have drawbacks if you like to clone previous points. You would need to set up a new survey each day.
Set up devices and hardware
GNSS & Location Accuracy
- Confirm GNSS settings are consistent across devices
- Test accuracy before field deployment
- Ensure all users understand when and how GNSS data is captured
Devices
- Verify everyone is using supported devices and OS versions
- Update Collector before the survey starts
- Test login and sync ahead of time
Power Management
- Bring external battery packs for long field days & also consider airplane mode to save battery
- Disable unnecessary background apps
- Monitor device storage, especially when collecting photos
QA/QC and time-saving features back in the office
We have a ton of time-saving features back at the office! Here are the key ones perfect for collaboration.
Questions and answers
What happens to the original surveys after a merge?
Once merged:
The original surveys are no longer accessible. Attempting to open them will trigger a notification explaining they’ve been merged. After syncing (Settings > Sync All Surveys), the old surveys disappear and all data is available in the new merged survey.
What if two surveys have sampling points with the same name?
Both points will show up in the merged survey. You can rename the points or delete duplicates after reviewing the data.
*You should coordinate with your colleagues on the sampling point naming convention you are planning to use to avoid duplicate sampling point names.
What if I have one user that only wants to collect photos and not points?
They can setup a survey in the same region and only collect photos and not points! All photo details will be there upon merge and you can associate them to a sampling point afterwards.
Can I merge EMP and AGCP forms together?
No. Surveys can only be merged if they use the same form: the same region, the same number of strata (EMP and AGCP surveys have different numbers of strata), and the same form version. A 2024 form can't be merged with an older one.