Smarter Surveying: Digital Solutions for UKHab and BNG Surveys

Discover how digital innovation is streamlining habitat surveys and Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) delivery in this free webinar with environmental professionals. Learn how Coreo, a digital survey platform, can enhance data accuracy, reduce admin time, and improve collaboration through real-world consultancy experience and cutting-edge digital tools.

This blog is ideal for ecologists, environmental consultants, local planning authorities, Local Environmental Record Centres and anyone involved in UKHab or BNG workflows. It features two recorded presentations:

Streamlining UKHab & BNG Surveys with Coreo with Dave Kilbey (Natural Apptitude)
From Field Notes to Fully Digital: Embracing Coreo for UKHab & BNG Surveys with Owen Crawshaw (The Ecology Co-op)

Streamlining UKHab & BNG Surveys with Coreo

Dave Kilbey (Natural Apptitude)

Dave Kilbey demonstrates how Coreo transforms UKHab and BNG surveys by boosting accuracy, ensuring compliance, and saving time. Learn how to seamlessly export data into the Biodiversity Metric and Defra’s condition assessment workbook, and discover how full data transparency with LPAs and clients can reduce follow-ups and build trust.

Dave Kilbey is the Founder and CEO of Natural Apptitude. Natural Apptitude is the UK’s leading producer of data collection software for the ecology and conservation sectors. Its citizen science orientated projects include the Big Butterfly Count, Mammal Mapper and INNS Mapper. Its data collection platform, Coreo, supports hundreds of ecological consultancies and other organisations with field-based surveys, including the UKHab Survey/BNG. Dave has always been passionate about conservation and believes technology has a key role to play in reversing the loss of biodiversity. Outside of work his main interests include birds, botany, bugs and his two white, miniature schnauzers.

What support is available for getting started with Coreo and after?

The best way to get started with Coreo is to book a free demo with our team. We’ll set you up with a 30-day free trial of Coreo, and during that trial, you’ll receive a series of onboarding emails to help you get up and running. If you’re a large team, that’s fine too – we have no limit on the number of people that can attend a demo and take part in the free trial.

You can also find more support resources in the Coreo Knowledgebase, which contains a comprehensive range of training videos, written documentation, and FAQs.

We also offer additional training, consultancy, and other services such as bespoke survey building. Feel free to reach out directly to learn more.

Once you become a subscriber, Coreo has a highly rated Support Desk where you can raise a ticket if you have any questions.

What makes Coreo different to alternative platforms?

While several other platforms offer digital solutions for data collection, Coreo excels by focusing on both functionality and user experience. It has been designed to be as powerful as the products originating from GIS systems but without requiring all the indepth GIS and technical knowhow. We work closely with our clients and understand what people really need in the field and back in the office. Key elements include:

Accessibility and intuitive design: Coreo’s intuitive interface and short learning curve mean you can get your team up and running quickly.
Designed for and with ecologists: Coreo has been built primarily to serve the needs of people collecting ecological and other environmental data. It has been developed in close collaboration with ecologists, and the UKHab/BNG survey is a partnership with the lead author of the UKHab classification. This ensures the software continually evolves with the needs of ecologists.
A Customisable Platform: Coreo offers a range of pre-built survey templates, including those for various specific species, breeding & wintering birds, and the UKHab survey. You can also easily customise any template (apart from UKHab) or create bespoke surveys from scratch. No coding experience is required.

What does the UKHab survey license get you?

The Coreo UKHab survey template was built in collaboration with the lead authors of UKHab. The license gets you access to this product and all of the associated functionality in the Coreo Admin Area, with which you can carry out full UKHab & BNG pre-survey and baseline surveys, with post-development to come soon. The template includes:

Advanced GIS tools: These have been designed to make UKHab/BNG surveys accurate and easy to undertake in the field.
Integrated UKHab codes and assessments: The app has all UKHab codes and condition assessments built in. As you select a code, the app automatically displays the correct condition assessment, saving you time and reducing errors.
Species recording built in: The survey includes the ability to record quadrat and general species data as part of the survey process. The entire botanical list for the UK along with all UK bryophytes and lichen species is built in.
Easy map creation and data export: Coreo produces site maps automatically and gives you access to export your data directly to the Metric Calculation Tool and official Condition Assessment Workbook, removing the need for manual data transcription and ensuring a smooth workflow from field to report generation.
Compatibility with other software: Coreo provides you with several export options which are compatible with other software; for example, you can export Shapefiles, GeoPackage or GeoJSON for use in QGIS or ArcGIS.

Do you require GIS experience to use Coreo?

No, Coreo has been designed to be accessible to everyone and user-friendly by design. It integrates easy-to-use, intuitive GIS tools, allowing you to streamline your workflow and ensure data accuracy while you’re in the field. Here are just a few of the time-saving GIS and mapping tools in Coreo:

Drawing tools: Create precise habitat features by dropping points or by using a stylus if you have one.
Overlap Avoidance and snapping: Powerful tools designed to eliminate overlaps and gaps at the point of capture and/or retrospectively.
Custom Layers: Add custom map layers for reference, such as aerial photography.
Offline maps: Save base maps so that you can work entirely offline if you need to.

Can you buy a Coreo license for an organisation?

Coreo licenses apply to individual users, rather than organisations, so you will pay based on the number of people within the organisation that use it. You can explore the pricing options on the Coreo website.

If your organisation is a charity, you are entitled to a discount. If this applies to you, please get in touch with the team.

From Field Notes to Fully Digital: Embracing Coreo for UKHab & BNG Surveys

Owen Crawshaw (The Ecology Co-op)

Principal Ecologist Owen Crawshaw explores a consultancy’s journey from traditional methods to a streamlined digital workflow using Coreo. Discover the key benefits of going paperless for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and UKHab surveys, illustrated with real-world project examples. The session also addresses current technological limitations and the future of digital ecology.

Owen Crawshaw is a Principal Ecologist at The Ecology Co-op and a Full Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), specialising in ornithology. He has extensive experience in bird surveys and broader ecological work, including BNG assessments, EPS licences, and bat roost inspections. Outside of work, he’s a passionate birdwatcher, photographer, Master Scuba Diver, and keen cricketer.

How did you foster buy-in within your team for Coreo?

It’s a really personal thing – the key is knowing your colleagues. Particularly, it is important to know who is likely to need extra time to get to grips with the platform versus who is a natural technical whizz who is likely to get to grips with the new technology quickly. It’s also crucial to keep an eye on people as they climb the learning curve and be available to provide assistance where it’s needed. Regular check-ins are a good idea, especially because they allow for common mistakes and difficulties to be identified. Another potentially useful idea is to send people out in pairs during field surveys so that they can assist each other with the new tool.

In your experience, is a technical background required to use Coreo?

Not at all. I had very little technical background in GIS, coding or anything like that, and yet I found using Coreo very intuitive. There is of course a learning curve, but the Coreo team have made climbing it as easy and straightforward as possible, and there is ample guidance and help available if you do hit obstacles or difficulties. If you don’t have a technical background – don’t panic!

What device do you tend to use for Coreo in the field?

Personally, I use a tablet and a stylus as the large screen makes it much easier to be precise when doing drawings and entering data. I have also used a mobile phone and would say using Coreo is still feasible on the smaller screen.

What are your recommendations for sharing outputs from Coreo?

One really nice feature within Coreo is that you can share ‘guest access’ to the platform via providing a link to clients. This gives clients the opportunity to view the full body of data within Coreo in addition to the statutory metric outputs.