Introduction
The Environment & Animal Society of Taiwan (EAST) is one of the oldest environmental organizations in Taiwan. Founded in 1996, EAST has more than 3,000 volunteers and 400 monthly donors. The organization has been committed to environmental education, ecological communities, public participation, legal action, and policy advocacy.
EAST's nature observation project is a flagship program that has engaged thousands of volunteers and the public in observing and recording local biodiversity for nearly 20 years. The project has helped to raise awareness of environmental issues and provide data for scientific research.
The digital Challenges
The traditional data collection methods used by EAST's nature observation project were time-consuming and error-prone. Paper-based records were difficult to use in the field, and electronic spreadsheets were often incomplete or inaccurate.
In addition, the project lacked a central data repository, making it difficult to track and analyze data over time. This limited the impact of the project and made it difficult to share data with other organizations and researchers.
Seeking for answers from Anffy Nocode Platform
EAST partnered with Anffy to develop a custom application to address these challenges. The application was designed to meet the specific needs of EAST's nature observation project, including:
- Accuracy: The application uses a standardized species database to ensure that all data is recorded correctly.
- Effortlessness: The application simplifies data collection by automating common tasks and providing intuitive user interfaces.
- Efficiency: The application provides a central data repository for storing and analyzing data.
Benefits and progress obtained
The Anffy application has been a success for EAST's nature observation project. The application has improved the accuracy, efficiency, and effectiveness of data collection.
As a result of the application, EAST has been able to:
- Increase the number of observations collected by 50%.
- Improve the accuracy of data by 90%.
- Reduce the time spent on data entry by 75%.
The application has also made it easier for EAST to share data with other organizations and researchers. This has helped to raise awareness of environmental issues and support scientific research.
Summary
- Using Anffy to build a nature observation application has effectively improved the accuracy and richness of data collection at the event site, reduced the difficulty of entering and analyzing data, and liberated people. This allows professional volunteers to allocate more of their energy to observation, ensuring the experience of participating in public welfare activities, and laying a solid foundation for long-term data science analysis. The data can be refined into insights through the system to help future nature education and dissemination.
- In the process of application development, after the basic logic is cleaned up, it is necessary to invest time early to coordinate the use habits of different observation groups and user groups, and focus on special points. Only in this way can the product be used effectively and there will not be too many structural changes in the future.
- Relying on smart phones, computers, and other devices to enter information will inevitably be affected by weather and network signals, and a backup plan needs to be designed in advance. The operation of importing data has a certain operating threshold for most users, and training and information verification need to be done well.
- Under the clear goals and product logic, using Anffy services can achieve the integration of all operation data at a controllable cost.
Based on the experience of EAST, the following recommendations can be made for organizations considering using a similar application:
- Early collaboration: It is important to collaborate with different observation groups and users to understand their needs and preferences. This will help to ensure that the application is designed to meet the specific requirements of the organization.
- Planning for contingencies: The application will be used in the field, so it is important to plan for contingencies such as weather and connectivity issues. A backup plan should be in place in case of unexpected events.
- Training and support: Users will need training on how to use the application. It is also important to provide support for troubleshooting and other issues.
Overall, the Anffy application is a powerful tool that can help nature observation organizations to improve their data collection and analysis capabilities.