Coreo - Field Survey Software for Ecologists

BY https://coreo.io hello@coreo.io

The ultimate field survey tool for ecologists

The Challenge “Using pen and paper was extremely time consuming for us and we always had the worry of losing the data. Not to mention the all too common issue of not being able to read your own handwriting.”

Hannah Haggon - Taxus Ecology

Time. We never have enough of it. And that’s never more true than in survey season.

When field survey processes are inefficient they add to our time pressures, creating the need to transcribe, validate and correct data.

Paper-based data collection also results in slow workflows and a lack of data visibility to colleagues. Collecting accurate spatial data, especially boundaries, is also difficult. It’s also hard to link crucial evidence, like photos, to your records.

Inefficient survey methods cost businesses both time and money.

Ultimately they can also impact data accuracy, security and integrity.

The Solution Fast, efficient and accurate field surveys on your mobile device

Coreo is a data collection platform designed for the ecology and environmental sectors. Whether you’re a sole trader or a multinational consultancy, Coreo will streamline your business. It does this by enabling you to: ● Collect the high quality data you need such as accurate location information and photos. ● Eliminate errors and time wasted transcribing data from paper to digital. ● Standardise data collection across your organisation. ● Simplify complex surveys using form logic and calculated fields. ● Share surveys and data with colleagues in real time. ● Have access to all the surveys you need, in one app. ● Keep surveys in-sync across your organisation. ● Access your data any place, any time.

“Using Coreo has meant that we are now spending less time surveying and transcribing and have more time to focus on what really matters to our clients – data analysis, interpretation and advice.”

Bill Butcher - Director at eCountability and UKHab.org

Features

Location based data Whether it’s point, line or polygon data, Coreo allows you to capture the data you need. You can also upload location data, including shapefiles.

Work offline Mobile network coverage is patchy. That’s why Coreo has been designed to work offline. Save base maps for your survey sites. Collect and work with all your records, even in airplane mode.

Media Media files can provide critical evidence for your surveys. Coreo makes collecting these simple whilst you’re in the field.

Simplify surveys Coreo lets you use logic in your surveys, meaning you only ever see the questions you need to answer. Calculated fields make your surveys more powerful, reduce post-survey admin and provide insight into your data whilst you’re in the field.

Collaborate With Coreo, you have complete control over your data. Keep it personal or invite others to work with you on projects. Control who has access on a project by project basis.

Fully scalable Coreo has no limits. No matter the scale of your organisation, Coreo enables you to collect unlimited data across unlimited projects. From protected species to habitat surveys, Coreo allows you to collect all the data your organisation needs.

Reference guides and templates A unique feature of Coreo is the ability to create mediarich reference guides at the click of a button. These are ideal for supporting staff with hard to identify taxa.

Coreo also comes with a range of pre-built ecological templates, including the UKHab Survey.

Dynamic If you need to update a survey’s structure, it’s simple.

Any changes you make get propagated instantly to everyone using the survey, so that the whole team is kept in sync.

Valid data Coreo makes it easy to control what data can be entered. Reduce errors by using dropdowns, searchable lists and flagging obligatory fields.

Safe and secure Coreo uses industry standard data security and has features such as version control and audit logs, so that you always have full control of your data.

So, how does Coreo work?

Set up your account and organisation This might just be for you or, invite all your colleagues to join.

Build your surveys Using Coreo’s intuitive and powerful survey builder you can easily create all the surveys your organisation needs. Or make use of our templates.

Collect your data The Coreo app makes accurate data collection a breeze. The app is available on Android and iOS and works completely offline too.

Manage your data The Coreo platform lets you easily view, filter, edit, quality control and export your data.

The UKHab Survey App

The Official UKHab Survey App Built by experts at UKHab.org, the UKHab Survey app is exclusive to Coreo.

It is designed to streamline your habitat surveys and BNG assessments.

The app contains all the key features and information you need to maximise the efficiency and accuracy of your surveys.

How it works ● Setup offline maps, import habitat features and/ or create them in the app. ● Complete your survey and condition assessment in the field, guided by the app. ● Submit your records. ● Coreo creates two ‘ready to use’ versions of your data - one in the UKHab data model and a Condition Assessment Results record, for use in the Metric 3.1 Calculator Tool.

Praise from users “Coreo makes habitat surveying a simple process. Using the app helps ensure that resulting maps are consistent and accurate, and, therefore, the final BNG reports are accurate.”

Shannon Brady - Urban Green “This will be an absolute game-changer for ecological field surveyors and is likely to become the industry standard for UKHab data collection.”

Emily Drinkwater - Associate Ecologist at SLR

Coreo in action Case Study - Urban Green Urban Green, is a Manchester based design and environmental consultancy.

They have introduced Coreo to help them transform the way they undertake field surveys, with a focus on their UKHab and BNG work.

Charlie Lawler, GIS Technician, explains why: “Like many consultancies, Urban Green primarily used pen and paper to collect data for their habitat surveys. We also tried using software such as ArcGIS Sweet. Both were problematic and led to issues including inaccurate data and a lot of duplicated effort between the ecology and GIS teams. Since adopting Coreo we’ve seen considerable benefits, including: ●

“Fast in-field data recording due to the intuitive way the Coreo app and UKHab Survey are set up.

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“Easy data management - moving data from Coreo to our GIS is quick, easy and streamlined.

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“Habitat maps are now accurate, easy to read and rich in information and we can now be confident using them to accompany client reports.”

“Coreo simplifies the process of mapping habitats. Having aerial imagery, GPS and all the relevant information relating to UKHab definitions and classifications within Coreo makes habitat surveying straightforward. Using the app helps ensure that resulting data are consistent and accurate, and, therefore, the final BNG reports are also accurate.”

Shannon Brady, BNG Consultant

Read the full case study https://coreo.io/case-studies

Coreo in action Case Study - Taxus Ecology Taxus Ecology is a UK-based ecological consultancy that undertakes protected species surveys, ecological impact assessments, habitat surveys and bat surveys. They work in the UK and overseas, often in Saudi Arabia where they specialise in bat work.

David White, Ecologist and Director, explains why they chose Coreo: “We had been using pen and paper for our surveys for years. But it was time consuming and we were always struggling to keep everything organised. We’d end up partly using paper survey forms, our phones for capturing images and obtaining GPS data - and we’d always worry about losing everything. Coreo has provided us with the ideal solution to our survey issues. The key areas it has benefitted us include: ●

Huge time saving - we’ve removed all the transcription.

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Stress relief - our data is stored and backed up in the Cloud immediately.

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Richer data - we can add photos and notes to records directly.

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Improved data quality - the ability to specify mandatory fields has eradicated the problem of missing data.

“Using Coreo has had a genuine, positive impact on the way we work. When using pen and paper, we would spend, at minimum, a week after a survey transcribing the data into a usable format. But with Coreo that task is removed and the data is already in the system ready for us to get straight to the analysis stage” Hannah Haggon, Ecologist and Director

Read the full case study https://coreo.io/case-studies

Other services we offer

Training Although Coreo is designed to be simple to set up and use it’s sometimes easier and more productive to get the whole team together and be taken through things step by step. We offer half and full day training sessions to help onboard your team and make sure that everyone knows exactly what they’re doing from day 1.

Consultancy You’re the experts in ecology and we’re the experts in Coreo. So it can make sense for us to work together to build the surveys that you need.

If you’re struggling for time, or don’t feel confident setting Coreo up for your organisation, we can help to get you ‘survey season ready’ in no time.

Support We’re always here to lend a helping hand and we pride ourselves on supporting our customers throughout their entire journey with us and Coreo.

From seemingly simple things like creating accounts, to offering advice on how best to build surveys, we’re always happy to help you. As a Coreo customer you’ll become a bit like part of our extended family (but without the obligation to come over at Christmas).

Product pricing

Starter

Fundamentals

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Up to 2 projects (surveys)

All the features of Starter, plus...

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Offline records

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Unlimited projects

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1:1 orientation session with one of our experts

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20,000 records per annum

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Web-based version of Coreo

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Access to basic templates

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5,000 records per annum

Access to premium templates, including UKHab Survey*

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Minimum of 2 users

£12

* Additional fee applies for UKHab

£25

/ user / month

Professional

/ user / month

Enterprise

All the features of Fundamentals, plus...

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Ideal for high volume seat packages

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Offline maps

●

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Custom map layers

Option to run both private and citizen science style projects

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Upload video and audio

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A dedicated success manager

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Unlimited records

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Team onboarding workshop

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Zapier integrations

£30

/ user / month

£ Custom

https://natural-apptitude.co.uk

In addition to Coreo, Natural Apptitude provides bespoke software development solutions for clients in the ecological and conservation sectors. We specialise in creating data collection systems and work with clients including the RSPB, the Environment Agency, Butterfly Conservation, NatureScot and many others.

Why choose us?

With more than 10 years working at the forefront of ecological data collection we are ideally placed to support you and your organisation with streamlining your data collection processes.

Combining the expertise of former ecologists, environmental and computer scientists we have a potent set of strengths.

These strengths, along with our commitment to the environment and our focus on customer service, have made us the first choice technical development partner for many leading conservation and ecological organisations in the UK and abroad.

Giving back We believe passionately in doing what we can for the environment, and helping those who are fighting to address the biodiversity crisis. That’s why we’ve partnered with Curlew Action as our charity partner.

Curlew Action works to raise awareness, support conservation efforts, engage with science and policy and highlightt the cultural importance of curlews.

2.5 % of all Coreo sales go to Curlew Action. So when you sign up, you’ll be making a significant contribution towards saving an iconic species.

As well as financial donations, we are also supporting Curlew Action and their partners with data collection on nesting sites and Curlew numbers, along with supporting their citizen science initiatives. Keep an eye out for regular updates on our blogs.

We also support other charities including Birdlife International, Fauna and Flora International and charities working to save Pangolins.

Get in touch If you would like to see how Coreo can support your data collection needs and increase business efficiency, please get in touch with us for a free consultation.

https://coreo.io

hello@coreo.io