Flora and Fauna Databases, Viridans Home

Databases Pictures & Text Maps Searches Tools Tutorials

Tutorials
 These tutorials are step-by-step examples of some of the tasks that the FIS and VFD are designed to perform.

Tutorial 1  (PDF 1.1 Mb)
Use the FIS to investigate Eremophila longifolia (Berrigan)
• Find the plant in the FIS.
• Print a copy of a photograph and written description of the species.
• Plot the distribution of the species on a map of Victorian Bioregions.
• Export the map, in Windows Metafile format, so that it can be incorporated into a report.
I• Import the Windows Metafile to a Microsoft Word document.
The products of this task should be:
• A printed page, with a written description and photograph of Eremophila longifolia.
• A map, in Windows Metafile format, of Victorian Bioregions with the distribution of Eremophila longifolia superimposed.

Tutorial 2  (PDF 1.7 Mb)
Use the FIS to find the rare or threatened plants of the Stawell area
• Locate Stawell on a map of Victoria.
• Draw a circular search area, of radius 10 km, centred on Stawell.
• Search the FIS databases for all records within that area
• Save the map of this search in Windows Metafile format.
• Create a list of all species within the search area
• Generate a subset of that list containing only species categorized as rare or threatened
• Export the list to a Rich Text file that can be loaded into a word processor
• Load the Rich Text file into a Microsoft Word document
• Import the map into the same MS Word document.
The products of this task should be:
• A map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location of all botanical records within a 10 km radius of Stawell.
• A list, in Rich Text format, of all rare or threatened species found in the search area.

Tutorial 3  (PDF 3.4 Mb)
Use the FIS to investigate the flora of the Glenelg Shire with particular reference to EPBC and FFG listed species and exporting information to other packages.
• Locate the Glenelg Shire on a map of Victoria.
• Search the FIS databases for all botanical records within the shire boundaries with a 1 km buffer
• Save a map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location of all records in the shire
• Create a list of all species within the search area
• Generate a subset of that list containing only species listed under the EPBC or FFG Acts
• Export the subset list in CSV format so that it can be loaded into a spreadsheet or external database package
• Create a second map showing only those sites in the Glenelg Shire which contain at least one species of plant listed under the EPBC or FFG Act.
• Save the second map, in Windows Metafile format.
• Create and export a table, in CSV format, of information containing the location, identity and date of collection of all species within the Glenelg Shire that are listed under the EPBC or FFG Act.
• Import the CSV table into a spreadsheet program. 
The products from this task should be:
• A map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location and number of all botanical records within the Glenelg Shire
• A list, in CSV format, containing the names and abundance of all species, within the Glenelg Shire, that are listed under the EPBC or FFG Acts.
• A map, in Windows Metafile format, showing all locations within the Glenelg Shire that support at least one species of plant listed under the EPBC or FFG Act.
• A table, in CSV format, containing the name, geographic location and date of collection, of every record of every species listed under the EPBC or FFG Act that is found in the Glenelg Shire.

Tutorial 4  (PDF 2.4 Mb)
Use the VFD to investigate the fauna of the Victorian Alps bioregion with particular reference to exporting a full list of species to word-processing and spreadsheet packages.
• Locate the Victorian Alps bioregion on a map of Victorian bioregions.
• Search the VFD databases for all site-specific fauna records within the bioregion boundaries
• Print or Save a map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location of all records in the bioregion
• Create a list of all species within the search area
• Export the subset list, in alphabetic order, in CSV (comma separated values) format so that it can be loaded into a spreadsheet or external database package
• Export the subset list, in systematic order) in Rich Text Format (RTF) so that it can be loaded into a word processor
• Import the CSV file into a spreadsheet program. 
The products from this task should be:
• A map, printed on an A4 page or saved in Windows Metafile format, showing the location and number of all site-specific fauna records within the Victorian Alps bioregion
• An alphabetic list, in CSV format, containing the names, conservation status and abundance of all fauna species within the Victorian Alps bioregion
• A systematic list, in Rich Text Format, containing the names, families and major divisions of all fauna species within the Victorian Alps bioregion

Tutorial 5  (PDF 2.3 Mb)
Using the VFD find all breeding records for Regent Parrot (Polytelis anthopeplus), plot these on a map of Victoria and then export the details of each record to a spreadsheet or external database.
• Find Regent Parrot in the VFD
• Search the VFD databases for all breeding records for the species
• Plot these on a map of Victoria
• Save a map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location of all records
• Run the Data Export software to create and export a table, in CSV format, of information containing the location, identity and date of collection of all breeding records.
• Import the CSV table into a spreadsheet program.
The products from this task should be:
• A map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location and number of breeding records for Regent Parrot
• A table, in CSV format, containing the geographic location and date of collection, of every breeding record for the species

Tutorial 6  (PDF 3.0 Mb)
Use the VFD to find all Victorian records for the winter migrant, Orange-bellied Parrot (Neophema chrysogaster) and determine if some of those records are from summer.
• Find Orange-bellied Parrot in the VFD
• Search the VFD databases for all records for the species
• Plot these on a map of Victoria
• Save a map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location of all records
• Create a full subset of the VFD database which contains only sites supporting Orange-bellied Parrot
• Run the Header Search program and find any records from December, January and February
• Plot the summer records on a map of Victoria
• Save this map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location of all summer records
The products from this task should be:
• A map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location and number of all records for Orange-bellied Parrot
• A map, in Windows Metafile format, showing the location and number of summer records for Orange-bellied Parrot

Tutorial 7  (PDF 2.4 Mb)
You are in the rainforest of Alfred National Park in East Gippsland and you see two climbers. One has three-lobed leaves and red flowers with five petals, the other has leaves in groups of five and dark blue, grape-like fruit. Use the FIS to find out what they are.
• Locate Alfred National Park on a map
• Sketch a rough boundary around the park
• Search the FIS for all records within the park
• Create a list of all species within the search area
• Run the Filters part of the program a select Climber, Red Flower and Flowers with Five Petals
• View the results and print a picture and description of the species you think it is
• Run the Filters again and select Climber, Leaves Divided into Leaflets and Fleshy Fruit
• Print a picture and description of the species that matches your plant the best.
The products from this task should be:
• A printed A4 page with a picture of a red-flowered climber
• A printed A4 page with a picture of a fleshy-fruited climber

Tutorial 8  (PDF 4.0 Mb)
Dipodium punctatum was until recently regarded as a widespread and variable orchid species. It has now been split into several new species most of which have few confirmed records. The task is to use the FIS to investigate possible new locations for one of these new species, Dipodium variegatum.
• Find Dipodium variegatum in the FIS
• Search the FIS for all records for the species. Note that all records fall into the East Gippsland Lowlands Bioregion.
• Search the FIS for all quadrat-based records for the species
• Save the site identifiers for each record in a file
• Search for all quadrat-based records in the East Gippsland Lowlands bioregion
• Save the site identifiers for each record in a second file
• Run the Similarity program to compare the floristic composition of sites which support Dipodium variegatum with all other sites in the bioregion.
• Plot all sites with a floristic similarity of greater than 50% with those which support D. variegatum.
• Summarise the full species list for those sites and determine how many of them have Dipodium punctatum s.l. recorded.
• Use the list of sites to create a character species lookup list which can be used to recognize potential new sites.
The products from this task should be:
• A list of quadrats in which Dipodium variegatum has been recorded.
• A list of quadrats within the East Gippsland Lowlands bioregion
• A list of quadrats in that bioregion which have a high floristic similarity with the sites supporting Dipodium variegatum.
• A Rich Text document which contains a list of species (and other related data) which characterize the vegetation which is similar to that which support Dipodium variegatum.

Tutorial 9  (PDF 3.1 Mb) 
Sminthopsis leucopus (White-footed Dunnart) and Sminthopsis murina (Common Dunnart) are two widespread small marsupials which are often mistaken for each other. The two species occupy different geographic, and presumably climatic, ranges.  Use the VFD to investigate and compare climate profiles for each species.
• Find Sminthopsis leucopus in the VFD
• Search the VFD for all records for the species and save those records in a file
• Find Sminthopsis murina in the VFD
• Search the VFD for all records for the species and save those records in a file
• Run the climate program on all records for each species
• Save a climate profile for each species
• Plot and save an map of Victoria showing actual distribution and distribution as predicted by climate for each species
The products from this task should be:
• A list of sites in which Sminthospsis leucopus has been recorded.
• A list of sites in which Sminthospsis murina has been recorded.
• A CSV file containing a climate profile for Sminthopsis leucopus
• A CSV file containing a climate profile for Sminthopsis murina
• A map of Victoria (in BMP format) showing actual and predicted distribution for Sminthopsis leucopus.
• A map of Victoria (in BMP format) showing actual and predicted distribution for Sminthopsis murina.

Tutorial 10  (PDF 2.0 Mb)  
Use the VFD to plot the distribution, on a single map, of the five species of Suta (medium-sized snakes) which have been recorded from Victoria.
• Use the Plot Multiple Species option identify each species of snake
• Plot a map which shows locations for each species as a different coloured and sized circle.
• Print or save the map as a Windows Metafile
• Try different map themes for the plot
The products from this task should be:
• One or more maps, printed on A4 paper or saved as Windows Metafiles, showing the distribution of the five snake species.

Tutorial 11  (PDF 1.7 Mb) 
Use the VFD to create a list of all animal species which have been categorized as rare or threatened in Victoria.
• Subset the full list of animals in the VFD so that it contains only species listed under the FFG Act or the EPBC Act, or have been listed as rare or threatened within the state.
• Export that list, in alphabetic order, in CSV format (comma separated values) suitable for loading into a spreadsheet or external database
• Export the list, in systematic order, in Rich Text Format (RTF) suitable for loading into a word processor
The products from this task should be:
• An alphabetic list, in CSV format, of all rare or threatened animal species in Victoria.
• A systematic list, in RTF format, of all rare or threatened animal species in Victoria. 

Tutorial 12  (PDF 1.0 Mb) 
Create a recording sheet for use in a botanical survey of the Bruthen are.
• Find Bruthen on a 1:100,000 map tile in the FIS.
• Search for all data sites within a radius of 7 km around Bruthen 
• Save a list of all those sites
• Use the saved sites to create a list of abbreviated plant names and their 4-digit codes
The products from this task should be:
• A botanical recording sheet for the Bruthen area.

 Tutorial 13  (PDF 0.7 Mb) 
Enter data for a local species into the FIS.
• Use data which has been created on a recording sheet (see Tutorial 12) and enter that data into the FIS.
Botanical Data Entry:
Tutorial 12 outlined the method for generating a recording sheet that can be used for botanical data collection.  The advantage of this sheet is that it can hold many plant names (each with a unique 9-character abbreviation) and their 4-digit codes.  This means that the user does not need to write down plant names on the sheet (so data recording is more accurate and rapid) and that subsequent data entry can use the 4-digit codes rather than names, which is also faster. Tutorial 13 will take you through a typical data entry task.