A Short Guide to Using Pestpoint

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Judith Baker
8 years ago
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A Short Guide to Using Pestpoint What is Pestpoint? Every day, people working in the agricultural sector need to identify plant pests in order to make decisions about how to manage those pests.

The longer it takes to identify a pest the more damage it is likely to cause.

1 A Short Guide to Using Pestpoint What is Pestpoint? Every day, people working in the agricultural sector need to identify plant pests in order to make decisions about how to manage those pests. Many pests are difficult to identify and those who find them are often a long way from the experts who can help with identification. The longer it takes to identify a pest the more damage it is likely to cause. In the case of exotic and regulated plant pests, delays in identification can affect our ability to eradicate or contain the pest. Pestpoint harnesses the power of social media for pest identification. It provides a web-space where an on-line community can create their own exclusive networks in which members collaborate with each other to identify damaging plant pests. By using mobile devices to share pest images and other information, individuals draw on the collective knowledge of their networks to identify pests. Pestpoint documents this process and saves pest records in a searchable database. Pestpoint is an initiative of the Plant Biosecurity Cooperative Research Centre (PBCRC) which acknowledges the role that digital systems can play in helping to manage agricultural pests and safeguard our industries. Pestpoint consists of two pieces of software, a web browser version for connecting people so that they can diagnose a pest problem ( and an ipad app for collecting field information about pests on the fly. Pestpoint Web-browser interface Pestpoint ipad App

2 THE PESTPOINT WEB SITE The Basics Networks. Pestpoint consists of people who organise into private networks in order to share information about pests. A user can create their own networks and/or request to join other networks. Within a network, a user may have the status of member, specialist, supervisor or administrator. A person s status within a network will determine whether they can see only the pest enquiries they submit to the network (member), only the pest enquiries they are invited to see (specialist) or all pest enquiries submitted to the network (supervisor/administrator). This stratification of content helps to maintain privacy of information within and between networks. A typical network Network Clusters Pest Enquiries The central feature of Pestpoint is the Pest Identification Enquiry. A pre-loaded template allows users to add host and symptom information, GPS co-ordinates, images and comments then save this as an identification enquiry to their network. Specialists and administrators can see the enquiry and offer an identification, comment or request additional information. Each new Pest Enquiry receives a unique numerical identifier and is saved as a pest record in the Pestpoint database. This record can be viewed or retrieved or exported. When you log into Pestpoint, your Pest Identification Enquiries are displayed in a timeline with the newest enquiry on the top of the timeline. Pest Occurrences. In addition to making pest identification enquiries, Pestpoint allows users to record pests they have seen and identified in the field. The Pest Occurrence template allows the user to enter

3 the host, auto-fill the GPS co-ordinates and select pests from a pre-loaded list. When saved, these pest occurrences are recorded in Pestpoint. Pest Identification Enquiry Template

4 Completing the Template and Saving The initial pest identification enquiry is saved to the network where members can add comments, images and documents to the enquiry to assist in reaching an identification.

5 Record Pest Occurrences. Select the Pest Occurrences icon from the Actions Toolbar. Fill in the location to insert the GPS. Select a host and a list of associated pests appears below. Click the checkbox beside any pests that you have seen at this location. DON T FORGET TO! Searching and Exporting Data Select the Search tab to display the search options. Use combinations of search words to refine your search for specific enquiries or groups of enquiries. For example, search for specific hosts or pests for all or specific networks. Search on specific words in selected fields, such as host and pest, comments etc. The search output will be displayed as Enquiries in the Timeline. Export these to an Excel file by choosing the Export tab. Search data can also be displayed spatially on a map. Choose the Map tab to export and display mapped data. Click on individual map markers to display pest record details.

6 My Pestpoint Home Page When you login to Pestpoint your Home page shows the networks you belong to in the left-hand panel, Action Tools for Recording Pest Occurrences and requesting Pest Identifications. You can create and join networks, search and view pest records and enquiries, edit and comment on enquiries, view your enquiries in a Timeline, search and export records and much more.

7 WHAT I CAN DO IN PESTPOINT. Create a new network Join an existing network Request a pest identification Record pest occurrences View Pest Records and Occurrences Comment on a pest identification enquiry Share enquiries with specialists Notify network members Identify a pest Generate Reports And more..

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