A relational database program for the management of large vegetation—environment datasets for ecosystem classification

MACKENZIE W.H.

Research Branch, Ministry of Forests, Bag 5000, Smithers, British Columbia, Canada VOJ 2NO.
E-mail: will.mackenzie@gemsl.gov.bc.ca

The biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification [EEC] program is the foundation for resource planning and management in British Columbia, Canada. The EEC system is based upon vegetation classification in the tradition of Braun-Blanquet with a focus on the classification of site potential.The EEC has a 30-year history and is currently based on more than 30,000 plot records; substantial additions occur every year. Each plot record contains detailed site,soils, and vegetation information.

Until recently, access to this large body of information has been impeded by a lack of suitable data management tools. Original mainframe-based systems used formatted-text flat files and, while useful for smaller projects, were unable to efficiently managelarge data sets and acquired data errors over time.

A freeware database program called Venus Professional (VPro) was designed by an ecologist-programmer team to facilitate access, management, and analysis of the EEC data. Emphasis was placed on maintaining the freedom of users to manipulate the data. VPro is written in Visual Easic for the widely available database software Microsoft Access". Data is stored in relational tables with relatively simple structure to allow easy access to data. Some features include:

• Relational links to library databases that contain code standards and full species list.
• Data fields are tied to these libraries to facilitate data entry, ensure proper coding, and allow global taxonomic updates.
• An "Audit trail" function that records and date-stamps changes made to existing data records.
• The ability to use smaller "dynasets" of data from a larger plot database for efficient use of computer resources while maintaining a single master data pool.
• Create and use multi-level classification hierarchies for organising and reporting data.
• Report and analyse on single plots or plot summaries by hierarchical classification unit.
• Combine species codes for reports and analysis.
• Export vegetation and environment data to multivariate analysis packages.

VPro is specifically tailored to the sampling methodology and data requirements of the EEC program. However, its ability to manage large data sets in a systematic fashion has led to its use by individuals and organisations in other jurisdictions of Canada and the U.S.A.