Planning, implementing, and using an effective monitoring program takes the interaction of many different tools and databases.
Sample Design
Spatially Balanced Design Tool
The Balanced Design Tool is intended to let users draw spatially balanced random sampling points within an area based on an ArcGIS polygon shapefile. If the shapefile includes multiple polygons and an attribute table field for stratification, the tool can take that into account to draw sample points by stratum as well.
Data Analysis & Reporting
Rangeland Indicator Calculator
The Rangeland Indicator Calculator is a tool which provides a point-and-click interface for calculating ecological indicators from standardized data using the R package terradactyl. These include indicators for cover, canopy gap, soil stability, and vegetative heights.
Benchmark Exploration Tool
The Benchmark Exploration Tool is intended to let users download data from the Landscape Data Commons or upload their own data and explore the results of setting different benchmark values. This can help in processes like determining which benchmark values are most appropriate from data representing minimally disturbed sites.
Data Collection & Storage
Database for Inventory, Monitoring, and Assessment (DIMA)
The Database for Inventory, Monitoring and Assessment is a highly customizable software tool for data collection, management, and interpretation. It is a free Microsoft Access database that can easily be used without extensive knowledge of Access.
Remote Sensing Image Processing & Analysis
SamplePoint
Developed by Berryman Consulting with the USDA Agricultural research Service and the Bureau of Land Management, SamplePoint is free software for manual image analysis and has built-in functionality for systematic and random pixel sampling, user-defined identification classes, and automatic saving of data.