Ad Hoc Plot Observations let you conduct field Observations in plots whose locations you determine yourself, rather than locations assigned by Terraware. Unlike Assigned Plot Observations, Ad Hoc Plot Observations are on-demand — they don't need to be scheduled in advance — and can be conducted anywhere, not just within Planting Sites that have had plants allocated to them.
Ad Hoc Plot Observations can be used for two purposes:
- Plant Monitoring — recording live and dead plant counts within a specific area. Can be done in both Assigned and Ad Hoc plots.
- Biomass Monitoring — recording detailed data about soil, vegetation, trees, and shrubs for carbon and biomass assessments. Can only be done in Ad Hoc plots.
All Ad Hoc Plot Observations are set up and conducted in the Terraware mobile app and can be performed by any user role. For more information about Biomass Monitoring Observations specifically, see Biomass Monitoring Observations.
Ad Hoc plots vs. Assigned plots
| Ad Hoc plots | Assigned plots | |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduling | On-demand, no scheduling required | Must be scheduled in the web app |
| Plot locations | User-determined | Assigned by Terraware |
| Plots per Observation | One | Multiple |
| Plot type | All temporary | Permanent and temporary |
| Location requirement | Anywhere | Within Planting Sites with plants allocated |
| Observation types | Plant Monitoring and Biomass Monitoring | Plant Monitoring only |
| Survival Rate calculations | Not supported | Supported |
Set up an Ad Hoc plot
Before you can conduct an Ad Hoc Plot Observation, you need to specify the location of the plot. Each Ad Hoc plot is a 30x30 meter square area.
- Open the Terraware mobile app and tap Ad Hoc Plot Observations.
- Tap the + button to create a new Ad Hoc plot.
- Fill in the following fields:
- Observation Type — required. Select Plant Monitoring or Biomass Monitoring.
- Planting Site — required. Select the Planting Site the plot is within or closest to. All of your Organization's Planting Sites are available in the list.
- Provide the coordinates of the Southwest Corner of the plot:
- Enter the Latitude and Longitude manually if you know them, or
- Tap Load Coordinates to use your device's current GPS location.
- Tap Save and Next. Note: Before continuing, you'll have the option to Download an Offline Map. If you plan to complete the setup without a network connection, download the map now — without it, the map won't be visible in the setup screens.
- Follow the prompts to set up the plot boundary. You'll be guided to each of the four corners of the plot in clockwise order.
- Tap Skip if you don't want to physically mark the boundary. You'll still need to take photos from each corner.
- Select a starting corner — the Southwest corner is selected by default.
- Go to each corner location, physically mark it if you chose not to skip boundary setup, and take a photo facing the center of the plot. Terraware uses the GPS location of these photos to display them on Observation maps.
- After photographing all four corners, choose whether to start recording Observation data now or later:
- Tap Start Now to continue directly to Plant Monitoring or Biomass Monitoring.
- Tap Later to save the plot and return to it from the Ad Hoc Plots list.
View saved Ad Hoc plots
The Ad Hoc Plots screen lists all Ad Hoc plots that are currently in progress. Completed plots — those whose data has been uploaded to Terraware — do not appear in the list.
Each plot is identified by the date and time it was created. The status of each major step is shown: Boundary Setup, Plot Photos Taken, and Observation Completed.
Ad Hoc Plant Monitoring Observations
Conducting a Plant Monitoring Observation in an Ad Hoc plot follows the same process as in an Assigned plot. For step-by-step instructions, see Conducting Observations in the Field.