Calumma Ecological Services is a Kent-based ecological consultancy, which offers a range of services specialising in reptile and newt surveys and mitigation, protected species and biodiversity risk assessments and general wildlife surveys including advice on biodiversity and development. The company works with a variety of clients from many different backgrounds and industries such as housing developers, local district councils, public utility companies, educational establishments and conservation organisations. It also offers survey work and mitigation advice to individual members of the public who may unexpectedly encounter protected species issues whilst engaged in small planning applications.
Calumma Ecological Services
“FileMaker is integral to a lot of the work we do. Because we’re dealing with such a large volume of information, the ability to write scripts to customise FileMaker has enabled me to develop some exciting applications that I can take to clients and partners. Ecologists are notoriously bad at maths but using FileMaker scripting is straightforward...” says Dr Lee Brady, Principal Ecologist, Calumma Ecological Services
From lily pads to iPads for Calumma Ecological and FileMaker
Easily customisable FileMaker allows interrogation of data in a forward-looking way.
Overview
- Organisation required an easy-to-use database system where information about reptiles and amphibians can be stored, interpreted and fed back.
Industry
- Environment: Kent-based ecological consultancy, which offers a range of services specialising in reptile and newt surveys and mitigation.
Solution
- Reports on specific locations or wider areas, the nature of the habitats and size of specific populations are easily run and e-mailed in PDF format.
Benefits
- FileMaker turns the management of large volumes of data into an easy task.
Calumma is also involved with on-going work with two volunteer conservation groups - one in Kent, the other in Lancashire.
The challenge:
“All populations of amphibians and reptiles both in UK and worldwide are declining and they are constantly under threat,” says Dr. Lee Brady, the principal ecologist at Calumma Ecological Services, who says the main causes of this worrying trend are habitat loss and disease.
This stark fact puts the work carried out by the consultancy into sharp focus and underlines the importance of the data it collects. According to Lee, there are three distinct areas Calumma Ecological Services specialises in - all of which require an easy-to-use database system where information about reptiles and amphibians can be stored, interpreted and fed back.
Day-to-day business for Calumma typically involves carrying out impact assessments on locations where construction is due to take place, to find out whether reptile and amphibians are present on the site and if they are likely to be disturbed.
“Developers of any site, be it for new homes, schools or a retail park, are required by law to carry out impact assessments,” says Lee. “If there is a risk that reptile and newt habitat will be affected we then make recommendations and can carry out mitigation work.”
Calumma is also involved with on-going work with two volunteer conservation groups - one in Kent, the other in Lancashire - who are both involved in the continuous recording of reptile and amphibian activity in their respective areas.
Thirdly, Lee makes annual expeditions to Madagascar where he regularly works with local researchers to record the activity of chameleons. Species such as the Calumma parsonii occur nowhere else in the world and are the inspiration behind the name of the organisation.
It is vital we are able to understand their activity and how the populations are changing over time, so we can help conserve these beautiful and unique creatures.
—Dr Lee Brady, Principal Ecologist, Calumma Ecological Services
“The work we are doing is important on a global scale because many species of chameleon are only found in Madagascar.”
The FileMaker solution:
Calumma’s principle work – impact assessment and mitigation consultancy on development sites – relies heavily on FileMaker. Over time, the team has collected a large number of reptile observations, which are all stored on a FileMaker database. Reports on specific locations or wider areas, the nature of the habitats and size of specific populations are easily run and e-mailed in PDF format.
According to Lee, the ability to easily customise FileMaker has led him to develop some exciting software that allows him to interrogate the data in a forward-looking way and present the results in a format that is accessible to all users, regardless of their expertise.
“I’ve developed an app called Nearest Neighbour, which takes the information we’ve collected on reptile and amphibian populations for the whole county and allows us to predict where other creatures are likely to reside,” he says.
“From this we have created a dot distribution map, which visualises the results. I have also written a script that enables the data to be viewed on Google Earth - an application that most users are familiar with.”
These inventive scripts are also used by the conservation groups in Kent and Lancashire that Lee works with. Both groups are constantly surveying the state of the reptile and amphibian populations in their areas and in recent times, thanks to FileMaker and Lee’s programming skills, their ability to record more information with greater efficiency has been significantly enhanced.
“Using FileMaker Go, I have developed a version of the database that runs on iPads,” says Lee.
This means the groups can take iPads to public events - such as agricultural and garden shows - and ask people whether they have seen any newts or reptile activity, and easily capture the information on the devices.
“Collecting data with an iPad is a quick process, using the touch buttons, and at the end of the day they are able to e-mail the info straight to me. I then import it into the main database. This process has really enhanced our ability to capture information, and the Kent group recently invested in three iPad 2s for this purpose,” he adds.
All of these innovative uses of FileMaker that Lee has developed are currently being applied to a project that is dear to his heart – the conservation of chameleons on Madagascar.
“I’ve been going out to Madagascar for years and I’m in the process of taking the technology I’ve developed and applying it out there,” he says.
“I’m working with local researchers and hopefully my ideas will make a big difference. The work we are doing is important on a global scale because many species of chameleon are only found in Madagascar.
“It is vital we are able to understand their activity and how the populations are changing over time, so we can help conserve these beautiful and unique creatures,” he adds.
Map showing the predicted distribution of adder across Kent. The map was generated within FileMaker using nearest neighbour analysis of species records.
Notable benefits:
- Volume management – FileMaker turns the management of large volumes of data into an easy task.
- Easy scripting – With little training Lee has been able to using FileMaker’s scripting functionality to develop innovative apps that run in conjunction with the main database.
- Integration with best of breed – Included in these scripts is the ability to integrate data with Google Earth, so the information becomes more accessible.
- Research on the Go – Using FileMaker Go, Lee has developed a database that runs on iPads and synchronises with database running on PCs.
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