Local to national – the capacity for increasing the spatial scale of monitoring. Dr Lee Belbin, ACEAS Grand 2014

1. Local To National
The Capacity For Increasing The Spatial Scale Of
Monitoring
Lee Belbin

2. Don Stevens, Tim Page, Simone Langhans, Melissa Dobbie,
Stuart Bunn, Lee Belbin, Peter Negus
Jon Olley, Janet Stein, Wayne Robinson, Bruce Chessman, Nick
Bond, Ben Stewart-Koster
Fran Sheldon, Erin Peterson and Trefor Reynoldson

3. Monitoring
• Monitoring is used for water supply, conservation planning,
water quality, state of environment reporting, management
and detecting disturbance
The Australian

4. Issue 1
• Monitoring happens at site or local scale but management
happens on catchment or regional scale

5. Issue 2
• Aggregation of local to regional information is currently
inconsistent
expatify.com)

6. Issue 3
• Assessment is difficult in areas of low or no data
expatify.com)

7. Question
• Can a spatial modelling approach predict ecosystem health
along stream networks for entire catchments?
The Australian

8. Indicator Selection
The spatial-temporal characteristics of
remotely derived covariates of an indicator
must be suitable for prediction
Seining for fish (photo: Fran Sheldon)

9. Survey Design
The survey design must ensure that the
locations of data are suitable for model-
based predictions and maintain statistical
integrity
Flinders River (photo: Fran Sheldon)

10. Assessment
Survey and model-based
data must be
quantitatively integrated
into the assessment
process
Data Collection
Set objectives
Spatially-explicit
Design- based Protocol
Fit Model, Make
Predictions, &
Quantify Uncertainty
Covariate data
(spatially extensive)
Model based
Conceptual Model
Development &
Indicator selection
±Havewemetourobjectives?
Isuncertaintyacceptable?
Reporting
Scenarios
1
2
3
4
5
Indicator data
Designbased
Identify the areas of
greatest uncertainty
and bias
Assessment
6
7
9
10
Data Collection
Set objectives
Spatially-explicit
Design- based Protocol
Fit Model, Make
Predictions, &
Quantify Uncertainty
Covariate data
(spatially extensive)
Model based
Conceptual Model
Development &
Indicator selection
±Havewemetourobjectives?
Isuncertaintyacceptable?
Reporting
Scenarios
1
2
3
4
5
Indicator data
Designbased
Identify the areas of
greatest uncertainty
and bias
Assessment
6
7
9
10

11. Uncertainty
Uncertainty must be accounted for during the
assessment and reporting process.
Uncertainty should also feedback into the survey-
design phase to identify areas where more or less
data are required
Murray River (photo: Doug Ward)

12. Scenarios
Spatially explicit management scenarios allow
cause-and-effect linkages to be explored
http://www.waterencyclopedia.com/Re-St/Stream-Ecology-Temperature-Impacts-on.html

13. Reporting
Design and model-based reporting using innovative
visualisation techniques (e.g. continuous maps of
condition, trend, and uncertainty) aid communication
with stakeholders.
http://alchemistclub.wikispaces.com/What+is+a+stream%3F

14. Summary
The workshop outcome maximises the use of data
from design-based assessments and provides a
framework for future monitoring programs that
combine design-based assessment with spatial-
modelling.
Getty images

15. QUESTIONS?
no
pleeeeaaaaaase