Workshops increase invasive species reports to EDDMapS in the Mid-Atlantic United States

Abstract

As the prevalence of smartphones and smartphone applications has penetrated the cellular phone market, and the capabilities of features within smartphones allowed for the replacement of commonly used mapping and identification tools, Bugwood developers began to release smartphone applications for reporting invasive species. To encourage and demonstrate reporting, workshops have been held to walk users through these apps features and overall EDDMapS capabilities. To ascertain the effectiveness of workshops in encouraging reporting via smartphone apps and the EDDMapS MAEDN website, a General Linear Model was used to evaluate the number of records received across the 2012-2017 time frame and evaluate if there was a difference in the number of records in the years MAEDN workshops were held at the Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council conferences and workshops and years no MAEDN workshop was held. The model indicated that the workshops and time were significant factors in the number of records submitted. Being able to confidently demonstrate the effect that workshops can positively impact data recruitment can aid in funding for outreach and educational events.