New GIS portal allows easier submission and faster verification for farms and certifiers

ASC is transitioning the way in which farm-related spatial data are submitted. Our new GIS (Geographic Information System) Data Form v1.2 allows producers to locate and digitise their farm perimeter with greater ease and confidence using the new platform. The information submitted by Units of Certification (UoCs) will then need to be verified by auditors. The new spatial data collection platform utilizes ESRI’s Survey123 to create a more mature, scalable survey form with the ability to produce reliable standardised data entries. 

“New technologies can sometimes be intimidating for many aquaculture producers and stakeholders around the world. But with the right tools and training, these technologies can speed up confident data collection and verification and allow producers to be stewards of their own data,” Monroe Abbott, GIS coordinator at ASC, says.

“This new system will help to streamline workflows for both farmers and certifiers, employ better data standards with fewer human errors, and a more intuitive user experience.”

Initial user testing for certifiers and end users was done in March and has so far received good reviews. 

“The form is simple to understand. The information of the latitude and longitude is indicated in the form to determine the location of the farm exactly,” an auditor who tried out the survey explains. 

A Norway-based salmon producer also gave positive feedback after the survey test: “One system makes it easier to keep an overview of all that is reported.” 

For users who have no previous experience with spatial data/GIS, ASC has created a guide and instruction videos that will direct farmers through all the steps that have to be taken to create the desired output. 

 

To access the survey, please click here.