How do I set up a transect survey for vegetation monitoring?

Transect surveys are one of the most common structured methods for vegetation assessment. This guide walks through setting up a belt transect in TerraSitu from project creation to first field observation.

What you'll need

• A project and site already created in TerraSitu
• The start and end GPS coordinates for your transect (decimal degrees)
• Your transect interval (the spacing between observation stops, in metres)

Step 1 — Create the survey

1. Open your site detail page and click Add Survey
2. Name the survey (e.g. "Transect 1 — Eucalypt Woodland Belt")
3. Set the start date and assign the field researcher(s)
4. Click Create

Step 2 — Configure the transect method

1. On the survey detail page, click Configure Method
2. Select Transect and click Next
3. Choose how to define your transect coordinates:
   • Enter manually — type coordinates directly if you have them
   • Draw on map — click the start and end points on an interactive map
   • Import from GIS layer — select an existing line layer to convert to transect units
   • Generate parallel transects — fill a boundary with evenly-spaced parallel transects automatically
4. Enter the transect label, coordinates or select a layer, and set the Interval (metres) — typically 10 m, 25 m, or 50 m
5. Click Next to preview the configuration, then Generate Units

TerraSitu calculates the number of stops and creates a sampling unit for each one.

Step 3 — Build the observation form

1. Click Form Builder on the survey detail page
2. Add fields relevant to your vegetation protocol. A typical belt transect form includes:
   • Species Lookup — flora species recorded at the stop
   • Dropdown — growth form (tree, shrub, herb, grass, sedge, fern, etc.)
   • Number — cover percentage or abundance class
   • Number — height (metres)
   • Dropdown — condition class (e.g. Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, Dead)
   • Checkbox — reproductive status (flowering, fruiting, seeding)
   • Text — notes
   • Photo — specimen or habit photo
3. Organise fields into sections: "Species Record", "Condition", "Notes"
4. Click Save Template

Step 4 — Sync to mobile

1. Open the TerraSitu mobile app and go to Sync
2. Find the survey and tap Download
3. Wait for the package to complete — you'll see the transect stops on the map

Step 5 — In the field

1. Navigate to your first transect stop using the map
2. Tap Add Observation — your GPS coordinates are automatically captured
3. Complete the form for each species recorded at that stop
4. Move to the next stop and repeat
5. Add multiple observations per stop as needed — one per species is standard

Step 6 — After fieldwork

1. Sync your observations when you have connectivity
2. Go to QA Review and review each observation for completeness
3. Approve or flag observations before generating your report

Tip: If your protocol requires a fixed-width belt (e.g. 10 m wide), note the belt width in the survey description or add a text field to the form. TerraSitu records the transect centreline — belt width is a survey design parameter recorded in your methodology, not a spatial constraint in the system.

Related Articles

• Survey methods — Full reference for all survey method types
• Building observation forms — Designing your data collection form
• Syncing data to mobile — Preparing devices for offline fieldwork