Ecobot is two apps that share one cloud account. Ecobot Collector is the mobile app you use in the field. Ecobot Manager is the web app you use to set up surveys before fieldwork and to review, QA/QC, and export them afterward. Your login works in both.
Which app does what
| Task | Ecobot Collector (mobile) | Ecobot Manager (web) |
|---|---|---|
| Where to get it | App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android) | manager.ecobot.com in Chrome or Edge on a computer |
| Create a new survey | Yes | Yes |
| Collect sampling points and fill out data forms in the field | Yes, including offline | — |
| Take photos and map polygons, lines, and boundaries | Yes | — |
| Connect an external GNSS receiver | Yes | — |
| Review and edit survey data after fieldwork (QA/QC) | Limited | Yes, on a full screen with the map |
| Organize, edit, and download photos | Send and receive photos | Yes |
| Look up mitigation banks and species lists | — | Yes |
| Export PDF data forms, reports, and CSV files | — | Yes |
| Transfer a survey to a teammate or merge surveys | — | Yes |
| Force check-in a survey a teammate left checked out (admins) | — | Yes |
| Add users and manage licenses (admins) | — | Yes |
| Check a survey in or out | Yes | Yes |
Rule of thumb: if you are standing in a wetland, you are in Collector. If you are sitting at a desk, you are in Manager.
How a survey moves between the two apps
Every survey lives in the Ecobot cloud. To edit it, you check it out in whichever app you are using. While it is checked out, it is locked everywhere else so two people can't edit the same survey at once. When you are done, you check it in, which saves your work to the cloud and unlocks the survey for the other app or a teammate.
A typical project looks like this:
- Set up in Manager. Create the survey, name it, pick the region and forms, and add any known sampling point locations.
- Check out in Collector. Open the survey on your phone or tablet and check it out. It is now stored on your device, so you can work without cell service.
- Collect in the field. As you work, Collector automatically syncs your point data whenever the device has signal. Photos are sent when you sync manually.
- Check in from Collector. At the end of the day, connect to Wi-Fi if you can and check the survey in. Your points, photos, and map features upload to the cloud.
- Check out in Manager. Review the data, fix anything that needs fixing, and export your deliverables.
For the details, including what syncs automatically and what to do if a survey is stuck, see How syncing works: check-in, checkout, and sync.
Which plans include which app
Every Ecobot plan, including Free, includes both Collector and Manager. Plans differ in team size, how far back your project history goes, photo storage, and features such as team permissions and Esri integration. See Comparing Ecobot Free, Essential, and Professional Plans.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need both apps?
If you collect field data, yes. Collector is the only way to record points, photos, and map features in the field, and Manager is where you QA the data and produce reports. If you only review other people's surveys, you may only ever use Manager.
Can I use Collector on more than one device?
Each Ecobot license is designed for one user on one mobile device. A checked-out survey is stored on the device it was checked out to, so working from several devices under one login risks losing data.
Does Manager work on a phone?
Manager is designed for a desktop browser. Use Collector on mobile devices.