NE NSW Grey-headed Flying-fox Habitat Restoration Project

Quality Control

NE NSW GHFF Site Description and Work Details data quality description: Data quality assurance methods: dataownercurated, systemsupported, subjectexpertverification Data quality assurance description: The data stored in the Habitat Restoration Hub has been created from the original records of habitat restoration work and represents a secondary use of the original data (see Description of Methods). The original source records are obtained from organisations that manage or fund local habitat restoration programs, such as local government and Landcare groups. These organisations are referred to in the Hub variously as the ‘data owner’ and ‘the entity responsible for the data’. Source records are typically created to support an application to receive funding for habitat restoration work, and/or to report on the work carried out in response to having received funding following a successful funding application. The original source records are of sufficiently high quality to result in receipt of funding and satisfy the grant-giving bodies that funds had been spent as intended. Records on the precise nature of habitat restoration activities at different sites form part of the data records. The original source records are scrutinised by funders and program managers during these assessment processes and are deemed to be of high quality. The information held in the Habitat Restoration Hub is a subset of information contained in the original source data. The original data sources are formatted differently and in different documentation types, to meet the application and reporting requirements of the data owners and funding bodies. The location of information for each data element/field in the Combined Site and Work Detail form has been identified in the source data by those tasked with data entry, in consultation with the data owner. Categorical or numeric data entry fields are used to increase uniformity of data entry, reduce data input errors and ensure consistency with a common data set. For example, the ALA’s lists of species (including vegetation species) is available as a drop-down list at all data capture points where species are required. A protocol / naming convention for Site Name has been developed with users and supports creation of Site Names which are meaningful for them. Unique Site Codes assigned by the Project Administrator prevent duplication and ensures each record's uniqueness. By requiring users to input the unique Site Code for each survey, the HUB guarantees that every record is distinctly identified within the system. Guidance information is available in the form for every data capture point, which assists the user in entering the correct information required. A drop-down list of organisations is made available to users when selecting the ‘Organisation setting up the Project’. Users may also add a new name to the list. The same list is available in three other data capture points where the name of an organisation is required. The list is maintained by Biocollect/ Atlas of Living Australia. Some text boxes are currently free text, rather than drop-down boxes. Drop down boxes are the preferred option, but in order to increase the probability that the options are perfectly suited to users preferences, where those preferences are not well-known in advance, free text boxes are used, to avoid forcing users to select an option which is inaccurate in order to proceed with further data entry. Free text boxes also allow for the capture of additional pertinent information. It is the intention to replace free text boxes wherever appropriate in future. Data Management policy description: The Habitat Restoration Hub aims to provide a reliable and accessible resource for collecting descriptive information on habitat restoration activities for use by practitioners, program managers, researchers and other interested parties, while safeguarding data quality and privacy. Data management and governance are thoroughly described in the Habitat Restoration Hub Data Management and Governance document and CRUD matrix posted on the ‘Documents and Resources’ tab in the HUB landing page. The material provided in the document aims to ensure effective and responsible data management and governance of projects in the Habitat Restoration HUB. The responsibilities and roles of various stakeholders are clearly set out. The ultimate responsibility for the quality of data collected in survey forms lies with the "Organisation running the Habitat Restoration Project," who acts as the Legal Custodian of the data entered. In practice, data originate from local restoration programs, and the Data Owners (source organisations and members of projects) who make the records available to the HUB projects are responsible for obtaining necessary permissions for data entry and ensuring data accuracy. Open, free accessibility of data and enduring secure data storage are provided through the Atlas of Living Australia's systems and protocols. Data privacy preferences are respected. Individuals and property addresses are not identified in the data. Access to information on sensitive sites is controlled by member rights, and options for obscuring data visibility are made available via project administrators as required. See The Habitat Restoration HUB User Guide posted in the ‘Documents and Resources’ tab. Data quality standards are maintained through implementing system controls that promote best practice in data capture and by providing data quality information to users. Errors in data entry and other matters that may reduce data quality are addressed by data editing and cleaning. This work is conducted by the various data owners and project administrators. Data users are responsible for checking the data they access for errors and may contact the relevant project administrator for assistance and to report.

Method steps

1. NE NSW GHFF Site Description and Work Details method: systematic Habitat Restoration