Review and update vocabulary terms for "samplingProtocolMethodEcology" and other samplingProtocolMethodDomains (DMM)

[pbrenton]

Vocabularies need to be accurately described and conform to best practice standard criteria for vocabulary definitions. These include the following:

• The categorical terms list should be as comprehensive as possible (ie. it should include terms for all possible cases for a particular property). This will ensure that extreme edge cases will be minimised and hence minimise the need to include an option for "other" as an escape for misinterpretation of options that could/should reasonably placed into a provided category;
• Terms must be mutually exclusive (ie. a case cannot be interpreted to be able to apply to multiple categorical terms concurrently, it should only be able to be interpreted as applicable to a single term in a given property);
• Terms should be explicit in interpreted meaning, but concise in categorical form;
• Terms should be able to be expressable in multiple languages and still comply with the above rules;
• Each term should be clearly defined, particularly in respect to the boundary conditions between it and it's neighbouring terms. This is to ensure that cases close to boundary conditions can be correctly interpreted and assigned the most appropriate category.
• Each vocabulary list should be versioned in it's own right and appropriately referenced in usage.

The DMM vocabulary "datasetStatus" requires the following actions to be undertaken:

1. Review and updating of the terms list in accordance with above rules;
2. Terms need to be defined;

A list of terms have been created for the ecology class of samplingProtocolMethodDomain, current terms list for samplingProtocolMethodEcology is:

• Air quality - Fixed sensor
• Air quality - Mobile sensor
• Bat survey - Echolocation recorder
• Bat survey - Harp trapping
• Beach profile survey - Emery method
• Beach profile survey - Optical method
• Bird survey - Distance sample (along transect)
• Bird survey - Fixed-area
• Bird survey - Fixed-time
• Bird survey - Fixed-time & Fixed-area
• Bird survey - Mist netting
• Fauna survey - 2-Ha track plot method
• Fauna survey - Active search
• Fauna survey - Aerial distance sampler method
• Fauna survey - Cage trapping
• Fauna survey - Call playback
• Fauna survey - Camera trapping
• Fauna survey - Elliot trapping
• Fauna survey - Funnel trapping
• Fauna survey - Hair tubes
• Fauna survey - Nest box monitoring
• Fauna survey - Pitfall trapping
• Fauna survey - Scat survey
• Fauna survey - Spotlight search
• Fauna survey - Strip transect aerial survey
• Fauna survey - Turtle trapping
• Fish survey - Electrofishing
• Fish survey - Set net/trap
• Fish survey - Sweep netting
• Insect survey - Black light
• Insect survey - Malaise trap
• Insect survey - Baited trap
• Insect survey - Glue trap
• Insect survey - Sweep netting
• Riparian condition assessment - Rapid Appraisal of Riparian Condition (RARC)
• Vegetation condition assessment
• Vegetation survey - General transect & plot
• Vegetation survey - Intensive inventory

Similar lists of protocols should be developed for other samplingProtocolDomains.
The following list is not comprehensive, but additional samplingProtocolDomains could include:

• samplingProtocolMethodWater
• samplingProtocolMethodMarine
• samplingProtocolMethodLimnology
• samplingProtocolMethodClimate
• samplingProtocolMethodAtmosphere
• samplingProtocolMethodSoils
• samplingProtocolMethodGeology
• samplingProtocolMethodChemistry
• samplingProtocolMethodPhysics
• etc.

samplingProtocolMethods should be unique within a vocabulary, but may occur in more than one vocabulary.

Domain-based protocols vocabularies may already exist for other domains, but they have not been identified as part of this current activity