EarthRanger Ranger Report
Ol Pejeta Conservancy
Ranger patrol report design
EarthRanger combines different data from different sources. A key aspect of this is reports from the field as rangers carry out their patrols. To ensure robust data is collected and in a format that can be analysed, a ranger patrol report schema was needed. Ol Pejeta designed a set of report types relating to different categories of incidents or issues, such as a wildlife sighting or a security incident. Within each report type, standardized data fields were developed, ensuring data is simple to input and can be compared. Rangers use handheld devices to capture these reports and photos quickly and effectively, building a rich picture of what is happening across the Conservancy. These reports, together with the other data sets integrated in EarthRanger can be used for rapid response to serious incidents, as well as trend analysis to inform longer term strategic conservation planning and management.
- User focus – working closely with the rangers and ecological monitoring unit as users of the system to understand their needs and ensure the report design meets those needs.
- ‘Minimum Viable Product’ approach – ensuring the report types cover most typical scenarios, achieving a balance of enough variety but not too many different categories so that reporting becomes complex and meaningless.
- Focus on the challenge, not the technology – the focus should remain the challenge that is being solved, and not the piece of technology being delivered. This ensures that the solution is not cumbersome with unnecessary functions and ties in with the user focus condition which ensures proper uptake of the solution.