Mobile Apps for identifying species

There seems to be many different apps out there that allow you to identify species. I have heard before from a friend that he had an app that was supposed to specify different plant species but for every plant he took a photo of, the results came up as the same species for every one! I decided to review two different floura apps - Leafsnap and PlantNet. Right off the bat I decided to give up on Leafsnap. In order for this app to work, you have to photo the plant or leaf  with  a white background. I suppose this style could work under certain circumstances, but I was after a more flexible app that I could use on the go.
Next up was PlantNet. Using this app was a much better experience than the previous tested. Once you take a photo, you then click the button observe. This well take you to the next page that gives you a few different results of what the plant may be. (This also includes pictures which is super helpful!) On the accuracy there were some photos that came up right away with the correct match, where others did not have the correct match show at all. My thoughts on this could be perhaps that it is a more USA based app and there is not much data for Australia fauna. Another option I liked was that after you have found a match, you can save it to your observations to reference at any time. Lastly, I enjoyed that another feature was exploring any and all plants and flowers under the 'Explore' tab which has over 31,000 images! My only concern with this app would be misidentification of species. This could leave you to believe it is something it is not. I would imagine this could be an issue for many mobile apps.
Overall I enjoyed using PlantNet and will definitely keep it on my phone, Leafsnap on the other hand has already been deleted!

Australian Koala Foundation

I have created slides highlighting a very popular non-profit, the Australian Koala Foundation. Even though I have visited this site before, revisiting it and exploring possibilities through this foundation has helped me discover that I can volunteer as their headquarters is in Brisbane CBD. I plan to do this ASAP :)

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1v0Ef0YlOQA3LtRgB9TW4b-9FZzFmN3rLEO9Py1UciJg/edit?usp=sharing

Trees in Queensland

I have created a slideshow of common trees in the state Queensland. Most tree facts were easy to find, others not so much. I had to omit a couple trees that I could not find information on, including the beautiful Frangipani!

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yPLp9Gv2sg6shCMA1vP9KyegqFMEt2Yn9ZCVM_9fLPY/edit?usp=sharing

Web Soil Survey

Today I had the chance to try out the Web Soil Survey. I do not have much knowledge on soil in general, so I was ready to get started and see what I could learn.

The tools were easy enough to navigate and I didn't have any problems locating an AOI. It gets a bit more complicated after finding your area of interest - perhaps not for a professional who knows more about soil types. Exploring all of the different tabs really shows you how useful this tool can be. From different slopes to the different agriculture you can grow from your selected area.

Overall I think that this can be a great website to acquire all types of data for selected areas of land. Although to use this tool I believe you need some background in soil data to fully understand the depth of this program. 

Climate in Queensland

I'm going to share with you a few websites that are related to the climate at Daisy Hill Conservation Park.
The first link provides details of current and past climate statements - https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/seasonal-climate-outlook/monthly-climate-statements/
This is important for tracking climate change in the area.
The next link deals with climate adaptation - https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/climate-adaptation/ This provides scenarios for the future so that we are prepared to deal with certain climate change issues.
This last link provides the weather forecast for Logan Central. (Daisy Hill is located inside the city Logan) - http://www.bom.gov.au/qld/forecasts/logan-central.shtml

Ecology Slides

I have prepared some slides going over the basics of ecology.

Ecology Slides

Map of Daisy Hill Conservation Park

Today I have created a map of my study area using Google's MyMaps. After a quick 15 minute tutorial I found this mapping tool quite easy to navigate. Once you create a new map, you can name it and give it a short description (or you can come back to this step!) Now the fun part begins. Users can zoom into any part of the world to mark locations. I used the toolbar to draw lines around the conservation park, I then named this layer. Within this area I can also add markers for important hubs or habitats. There are different options that may be used for the markers ranging from just changing the color to creating your own!

Since the area I am exploring is open to the public for numerous recreational activities, I thought it would be convenient to mark the closest two major cities. I also put in directions to the park from both locations. This was easily done by marking the starting location and finishing location.

Overall I'm very pleased with the simplicity of Google's MyMaps. As a new user to mapping and GIS tools I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm excited to continue using this program as it is definitely 'new user' friendly. Below I have provided the link to the map I have created for my study area. Before sharing with anyone I needed to change the settings so that it is visible for all. Enjoy :)

Daisy Hill Conservation Park Map