Appernathy: iPad Application for the Long-term Ecological Monitoring Project at W&J’s

Abernathy Field Station

Appernathy Application

• Developed by Information Technology Leadership students as part of their Senior Capstone project (Spring 2011).

– Students: Alex Blon, Ryan Lehman (also an HHMI LEM intern during Summer 2009), and John Mathews.

• The application is currently being used by students in EVS and BIO courses to collect data on salamander diversity and abundance.

– Has a very easy-to-use graphic interface that guides students in the data collection process.

• Minimizes errors in data collection • Easier to use than Trimble handheld computers• Well suited for data collection by inexperienced

students– Picture keys for identifying organisms– Can be used in non-majors BIO and EVS lab course

• Software being used extensively by students in both EVS100 (non-majors lab course) and by students in BIO412 (Experimental Biology course).

• Further development of the software is ongoing by students and faculty in ITL.– Create a base application that can then be

modified for collecting other types of data