Data & Analytics

Digital Ecology: unlocking insights from your ecological data

Ecologists collect vast amounts of data, and as digital tech continues to evolve, these volumes are only set to rise. Analysing such data is time-consuming and the requirements of conducting and interpreting these analyses often complex, making informing conservation management decisions particularly difficult.

At Digital Ecology, we utilise open-source software to offer a comprehensive suite of data and analytics services to our clients. Our team specialises in a wide range of ecological analytics, providing clients with valuable insights from their data. Whilst some clients seek ready-to-use results, others require the tools to replicate analyses with new or different datasets. Digital Ecology is uniquely positioned to meet both needs, equipping ecologists with the knowledge and resources to delve deeper into their data.

Our work encompasses various types of projects, including:

  • analysis of spatial and temporal data

  • creating visualisations for publication in reports

  • creating interactive web-based outputs to share results with stakeholders

  • providing tools and training for ecologists to undertake their own analyses

  • setting up digital data capture tools, reducing the time spent on manual data entry

  • creating databases for the efficient and effective storage of valuable data

Examples of our data analytics work

Eyethrope Avian Community Analysis

The Waddeson Estate, in collaboration with the River Thames Conservation Trust (RCTC), are producing a book to celebrate the birdlife observed at their newly established Wetland site along the River Thames.

Following over seven years of the RCTC’s Wetland Bird Survey project, the wealth of bird records amassed led to the wetland becoming a designated Local Wildlife Site by the Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre.

Digital Ecology have assisted the RTCT and Waddesdon Estate by compiling a definitive set of bird records, and providing summary analysis for the book. The metrics chosen include the total number of species recorded and number of records, both overall and per year, and also the number of species of conservation concern. Through this collaboration, we aim to showcase the richness and diversity of avian life inhabiting the Wetland site at the Waddesdon Estate, shedding light on its ecological significance and contributing to the broader understanding and appreciation of local biodiversity.

Tracking the Impact

This project is a large-scale wildlife survey project that covers the Central Chilterns, run by the Chilterns Conservation Board as part of their ‘Chalk Cherries Chairs’ project. Throughout the year surveyors collect data through the Breeding Bird Survey, Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey, and National Plant Monitoring Scheme. The aim of the project is to use these surveys to see what impact conservation actions have at a landscape scale for biodiversity.

Digital Ecology’s role in this project was to provide species and survey season summaries for reporting, as well visualising these outputs on interactive web-maps.

River Thames Bird Atlas

The River Thame Conservation Trust (RTCT) coordinated a Bird Atlas project for the RTCT to enhance their understanding of wildlife inhabiting both the main river channel and the broader river catchment. It was hoped that the data collected would not only inform the Trust’s strategic planning, but also facilitate the monitoring of landscape-scale projects, fill data gaps in under-recorded regions, celebrate local wildlife, and engage volunteers with the Trust.

Covering 236 2km Tetrads within the River Thames catchment boundary, the survey commenced on November 1st 2016, and concluded on July 30th, 2020. A total of 936 survey visits were conducted by volunteers over the four-year period, resulting in the recording of 153 bird species and the compilation of 27,960 records.

In collaboration with RTCT, Digital Ecology developed a dedicated website, River Thames Conservation Trust Bird Atlas, to share the results of the survey work and provide some analysis. The result contains distribution maps for all 153 species, alongside interactive maps of where bird species are found within the catchment. This digital platform not only showcases the outcomes of the survey effort, but also fosters ongoing engagement and collaboration in the conservation and appreciation of local wildlife in the region.