Weed & Pest Assessments

Overview

The Weeds & Pest Assessments module supports recording of roadside weed and pest management with mapping functionality and mobile app support.

This register provides the following features:

• Record inspections and treatment from mobile or web

• Different positions with different levels of access and features - Coordinators, Assessors, Officers and Contractor/Treaters

• Record infestations from a large database of species including pest plants, invasive weeds, mice and rabbits (with common and scientific names)

• Find roadside segments using the map

• Estimate the percentage cover of weed species

• Add photos and other supporting evidence

• Coordinators receive automatic notifications of new inspections

• Assign to Contractors/Treaters and record treatment method(s) including the chemical used, and weather conditions including wind direction, wind speed and temperature along with the treatment date, time, photos and comments.

• Highly configurable - add your own chemical treatment options and methods, weed and pest species and ranges for atmospheric conditions

• Configure inspection areas using Library geospatial features and zone filter

For other types of environmental health concerns such as pollution incidents, hazards and complaints, use the Recovery Cases module. For compliance, see also Communication module (for example for sending warnings and notices to property owners).

Assessments are managed by workflow which starts with an initial inspection to identify sites and is followed by assessment and treatment if required. A summary of this process is shown below.

Positions

The following are outlines of the Weed Inspection positions and what they can do:

Access

To access Weed & Pest Assessments

• Weed & Pest Assessments must be enabled for the event.

• Go on duty with a Weed Inspection Position

If you can't access it, ask your administrator to check your permissions.

Locate the Weed & Pest Assessments register under Inspections > Weed & Pest Assessments in the menu.

Administration

Administrators are able to set the Weed & Pest Assessments module up by:

• Add (or removing) the Weed & Pest Asessments register from events in the Event settings

• Enable the Weed Inspections positions by adding the positions to the Event. Without these positions, users will not be able to use the module.

• Add the policy of Weed Inspections User to an existing position if it doesn't have it

• Add the relevant positions of Weed Inspections to a user's profile if they need it. See the guide on positions.

• Add or modify Chemicals, Treatment Methods, Weed Species and ranges for Percentage Cover, Wind Direction, Wind Speed and Wind Temperature via Lookups.

• Importing work summaries in bulk

Finding Weed & Pest Assessments

The register includes a number of features to assist in finding Weed & Pest Assessments including:

• Datagrid view

• Map view

• Filters including workflow, common species, assessments under review, chemicals and treatments and atmospheric conditions

• Combination filters and search by most fields

Filters

Filters help make management of Weed & Pest Assessments easier by focusing on specific groups of items on the datagrid.

Viewing Weed & Pest Assessments

You can open Weed & Pest Assessments from the datagrid or the map.

When viewing Weed & Pest Assessments, sections can be expanded to show information.

As each section is completed, new sections may show additional information.

Weed & Pest Assessment Settings

Weed & Pest Assessments are divided into the following sections (sections may or may not appear depending on what information is entered, your permissions level, and what mode you're viewing):

Record Notes

When editing, record notes in the rich text field as you make changes which will appear in the Activity log.

Refer to: Recording Notes

Assessment

Use the Assessment section to view and record details of any inspection. This section is normally completed by the person assigned to the Assessor position in the Workflow section and filled in when the Status is set to the Inspect stage.

Asset

This field records the road segment where the weed or pest was sighted. Use the location lookup to select it from the map. If you're on mobile you

Species

This field records the weed or pest species. Use the lookup list to search for the specific species observed. The system supports a database of commonly reported weeds and pests. Your Administrator configures the list of levels for your site using the Weed: Weed Species lookup.

Percentage Cover

This field records a range to estimate how prevalent the weed or pest is in the recorded area. Use the pulldown list to select a range. Your Administrator configures the list of levels for your site using the Weed: Percentage Cover lookup.

Assessment Photos

This field is used to upload photo(s) into the assessment as evidence using File Attachments.

Supporting Information

This field is used for additional information relevant to the inspection using a rich text field. Where supporting information is provided users can filter to show all items where there are detailed notes.

Treatment

This section records details of the treatment work along with any atmospheric conditions (as these can affect environmental health compliance) and evidence. It is usually done by the person assigned the Treater position Workflow section when the Status is set to the Treatment Required and Treatment Progress stages.

Treatment Method

This field records the technique used to treat the infestation. Select from the pulldown list of options. Your Administrator configures the list of methods for your site using the Weed: Treatment Method lookup.

Chemical

This field records a chemical used for the treatment. If a chemical has been used, select one option from the pulldown list. Your Administrator configures the list of chemicals for your site using the Weed: Chemical lookup.

Weather Conditions

Three fields are used to record weather conditions - Wind Direction, Wind Speed and Temperature. Atmospheric conditions are required for avoiding spray drift in high temperatures or windy conditions and therefore are important to record for compliance.

Wind Direction uses the 8-wind compass settings by default to record the direction. Select an option from the pulldown list. Your Administrator can change this using the Weed: Wind Direction lookup.

Wind Speed uses ranges to record the speed in kph. Select an option from the pulldown list. Your Administrator can change the ranges using the Weed: Wind Speed lookup.

Temperature also uses ranges to record the wind temperature in degrees Celcius. Select an option from the pulldown list. Your Administrator can change the ranges using the Weed: Wind Temperature lookup.

Treatment Date and Time fields

Several fields are used to record the Treatment time the duration of onsite treatment work for which is also automatically calculated based on what is entered.

Treatment Date records the day of treatment. Use the date selector to set this.

Site Start Time and Site End Time record the time of the onsite treatment. Use the time selector to enter the times. Upon saving the calculated duration in hours in the Calculated Treatment Time field. If the field calculation doesn't reflect the time spent, the Treatment Time Override.

Treatment Photos

This field can capture as many photos of the treatment as necessary using the Attachments function.

Treatment Comment

This field enables detailed notes on the treatment to be recorded using the rich text field provided.

Workflow

Status

New Weed & Pest Assessments start as Inspect. At this stage, the Assessment section is normally completed by the person assigned to the Assessor position. If it is decided that no treatment is required then the Status should be set to No Treatment Required. If the pest is unable to be treated, the Status should be changed to Unable to Treat. In either case, a record remains of the infestation which can be monitored over time.

When treatment is required, the assessment is set to Treatment Required and is usually done by the person assigned the Treater position. As the treatment progresses, the status should be set to Treatment in Progress. When it is done, the status should be changed to Treated.

A Coordinator can reviewed and removed the assessment, if they decided it is no longer needs tracking they can archive it by setting the Status to Closed.

Activity

Refer to: Viewing and Opening Register Items: Activity

Updating Weed & Pest Assessments

When updating Weed & Pest Assessments:

• Add notes on your edits in the Record Notes field

• Complete each section of the Settings as required.

• Update the Status to reflect the current stage of assessment/treatment

• Record additional photos as required

As an Weed Inspections Assessor during the Inspect stage:

• Update details in the Assessment section

• Note any changes based on ongoing assessment and add Supporting Information

As a Treater during the Treatment Required or Treatment in Progress stage:

• Update the Treatment section with treatment information

• Add any notes on the efficacy of treatment to the Treatment Comment

As a Weed Inspections Coordinator:

• Delegate and assign Assessors for inspection and Treaters for treatment using the Assessor Assignment and Treater Assignment

• Review, close (archive) in the Status any items that no longer need to be worked on

Adding Weed & Pest Assessments

To add a new Weed & Pest Assessment:

1. From the register, in the New item menu select the New Weed & Pest Assessment button (or drop down the list from any other register and select it)

2. Complete each section of the Settings as required. Initially this should start with the default Status of Inspect and complete Assessment details.

3. Save

Bulk Actions

The following additional bulk actions can be performed via the Actions menu:

Reports

Reports available for Weed & Pest Assessments include:

• Treatments Report

• Total Treatments by Assignee Report

• Inspected Assets

• Uninspected assets