Ecobot Collector 4+

I have used Ecobot almost since it launched and as a wetland professional of over 20 yrs it’s a game changer for me. What I also love is that it just keeps getting better with more functionality and new survey types. Their customer service is friendly and quick to respond to any issues (very few and far between) and they have a lot of resources for using the platform. As someone who remembers hard copies and trying to read others writing or plant names written wrong it makes entry in the field so much faster. Now you can auto populate some form criteria based on your sample point lat/long like soil map unit, Section, township, range, and NWI data. No more spending time looking up that data. The ability to double check your soil indicators in the web form with likely met, partially met, not met, and more info is huge. Add to this you can now take photos in the field make notes and you basically have a photo log that you can put together on the web side in minutes. This doesn’t even touch on the other two forms Ecobot has which I haven’t used enough to comment on. For me it’s a required tool in my toolbox as a wetland delineator!

I’m very happy with this app. It provides a standardized format for data entry in the field and minimizes editing and production of professional quality data sheets in the office. I estimate that when data is written by hand in a field notebook, on average 30-60 minutes is needed in the office to create electronics data sheets, proofread, edit and finalize. With Ecobot, each data sheet requires just a few minutes of office time to finalize.

Several features of this app stand out that are worth mentioning:
- the app can be used for delineations in any Corps district. Once the region is selected, the appropriate vegetation list, hydrology and Hydric soil indicators, and data sheet format are automatically selected.
- basic project info is entered once then can be copied to all subsequent data sheets for that project.
- the app can pull up online soil survey and NWI data to populate those fields.
- 50/20 and other vegetation calculations are automatically calculated.
- plant species can be entered through a call up menu with appropriate indicator status. If you don’t have a positive ID in the field you can enter a colloquial name to record data and edit later when the plant has been definitively identified.

The Ecobot team provides great customer service. Any questions or concerns are addressed immediately. They are clearly committed to providing a quality product and are responsive to suggestions on how to improve the app.

This app is exactly what we’ve been looking for for several years. It includes everything you need to complete efficient and accurate wetland delineations. The app is well thought out, intuitive, accurate, fast, and efficient.

Ecobot has streamlined our field data collection as well as our office post-processing time. We’re able to pass along our time savings to our clients in addition to providing a higher quality product.

Lee and his team provide excellent customer service and support and are genuinely interested in providing a product that adds value to our work.