How can you ensure consistent environmental monitoring over time?

1 Define your objectives and indicators

Before you start any monitoring activity, you need to have a clear idea of what you want to achieve, and how you will measure your progress and outcomes. You should define your monitoring objectives based on your environmental design goals, stakeholders' needs, and relevant policies and standards. You should also select appropriate indicators that can capture the changes and impacts of your environmental design interventions, and that are feasible, reliable, and comparable over time. Indicators can be quantitative or qualitative, and can relate to environmental, social, economic, or institutional aspects of your design.

2 Choose your methods and tools

Once you have your objectives and indicators, you need to decide how you will collect, analyze, and report your monitoring data. You should choose methods and tools that are suitable for your indicators, context, and budget, and that can provide consistent and accurate information over time. You should also consider the frequency, duration, and scale of your monitoring, and how you will handle data gaps, uncertainties, and errors. Some examples of methods and tools for environmental monitoring are remote sensing, field surveys, sensors, drones, GIS, models, and software.

4 Implement your monitoring plan

After you have your objectives, indicators, methods, tools, baseline, and reference, you are ready to implement your monitoring plan. You should follow the steps and procedures that you defined in your plan, and ensure that your monitoring activities are consistent, transparent, and ethical. You should also record and document your monitoring data and processes, and store them in a secure and accessible way. You should also check and verify your data quality and validity, and address any issues or challenges that may arise during your monitoring.

5 Analyze and report your findings

Once you have collected your monitoring data, you need to analyze and report your findings. You should use appropriate statistical or qualitative methods to analyze your data, and compare your results with your baseline and reference. You should also interpret your findings in relation to your objectives, indicators, and context, and identify any trends, patterns, anomalies, or causal relationships. You should report your findings in a clear and concise way, using visual aids such as graphs, maps, or tables. You should also highlight your main conclusions, recommendations, and lessons learned from your monitoring.

6 Review and adapt your monitoring plan

Environmental monitoring is not a one-time activity, but a continuous and adaptive process. You should review and adapt your monitoring plan regularly, based on your findings, feedback, and changing circumstances. You should evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of your monitoring plan, and identify any gaps, challenges, or opportunities for improvement. You should also update your objectives, indicators, methods, tools, baseline, or reference, if needed, to reflect the current and future state of your environmental system and design. You should also communicate and collaborate with your stakeholders and partners, and share your monitoring results and insights with them.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?