Large projects 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 projects 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

• Project managers and administrators setting up large projects 
• Field staff working on shared or overlapping sites 
• Teams collecting data over multiple days or weeks

1. Project Planning & Setup (Before Anyone Goes to the Field)

Before creating the project in Ecobot, the team should align on how the project will be executed and managed.

Key questions to answer as a team

• Who is responsible for project setup? 
• How many people will collect data, and on which days? 
• Will data be merged daily, weekly, or near the end of the project? 
• 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.

2. Project Setup in Ecobot

Project-Level Data

Decide what information should be captured at the project level versus the sampling point level.

• Include data that is consistent across the entire project 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-9 will always appear before SP-10, allowing you to find data easily in Manager without having to scroll past dozens of out-of-order points.

3. Managing Data Across Multiple People

There are two common approaches for large projects—choose one before fieldwork begins.

Option 1: One Master Project

• One primary project owner maintains the “master” project 
• Project owner or field staff transfer and merge data on a regular schedule (daily or weekly)
• Project owner owns QA/QC for the entire project 

Option 2: Individual Projects Per Person

• Each person collects data in their own survey but collects data consistent with the project plan
• Do their own QA/QC daily or weekly
• Projects are merged later in the workflow

Either workflow will be fine as long as everyone is sticking to the project 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.

4. Device & Hardware Setup

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 project 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

5. QA/QC and Time-Remembering 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.

• Automated location data
• Bulk editing
• Photo management
• Easy navigation
• Survey status

Q&A

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. You can only merge forms from the same region. This also includes number of strata between AGCP and EMP and also the 2024 forms vs the older ones.