What's an Activity?

An Activity is the main record used to document conservation and restoration work in FieldDoc.

Each Activity represents one trackable action happening in a specific place. For example, an Activity might describe planting a riparian buffer, restoring a stream, installing green infrastructure, monitoring water quality, or leading a community engagement effort.

You can think of an Activity as the digital record of work happening on the ground.

What Can an Activity Include?

An Activity can include:

• A name and description

• An Activity Type

• A mapped location or implementation footprint

• Planned and completed dates

• Implementation status

• Metrics used to track progress

• Environmental models that estimate benefits

• Documents, images, and supporting files

• Monitoring results and updates

Not every Activity will include all of this information. Add the details that are useful for managing, understanding, and reporting the work.

One Activity Represents One Trackable Action

Each Activity should represent a clear piece of work that can be described and tracked.

For example, a larger restoration project might include several Activities:

• Planting a five-acre forest buffer

• Restoring 1,000 feet of stream

• Installing a stormwater practice

• Monitoring water quality after construction

Keeping these actions in separate Activity records makes it easier to map locations, track progress, calculate results, and report outcomes.

Name Activities Clearly

Give each Activity a name that helps people understand what the record represents.

A useful name may include:

• The location

• The type of work

• The project or site name

• A tracking number used by your organization

For example:

• Smith Farm Riparian Buffer

• Pine Creek Stream Restoration

• Main Street Rain Garden

• RC-104 Water Quality Monitoring

Avoid vague names such as “New Activity,” “Project 1,” or “Site Work.”

Choose an Activity Type

The Activity Type describes the kind of work being completed.

Examples may include:

• Riparian buffer planting

• Stream restoration

• Wetland restoration

• Green infrastructure

• Conservation planning

• Monitoring or research

• Community engagement

Choosing the correct Activity Type helps organize records and may make environmental models available.

FieldDoc manages a standard list of Activity Types so similar work can be described consistently across organizations and programs.

Map Where the Work Is Happening

An Activity can include a mapped location or implementation footprint.

Depending on the work, you may use:

• A point for one location

• A line for work along a stream, trail, or shoreline

• A polygon for an area such as a field, wetland, or planting site

You can draw the location in FieldDoc or import geospatial data created in another system.

The map should show where the Activity is planned or where the work was completed.

Track Progress and Results

Activities can be updated as work moves from planning through completion and monitoring.

You can use the Activity record to track:

• What is planned

• When implementation has been completed

• Metric tracking against implementation status

• What outcomes are expected

For example, an Activity may begin with a planned value of five acres. After the work is completed, the record can be updated with the number of acres actually planted. You can track the number of trees planted and the number of volunteers that assisted.

Use Metrics and Models

Metrics describe the size, amount, or result of an Activity.

Examples include:

• Acres restored

• Feet of stream improved

• Trees planted

• People engaged

• Water samples collected

Environmental models can estimate benefits such as reductions in pollution or improvements in habitat.

Models are not turned on automatically. Select the models that are appropriate for the Activity and the reporting needs of your organization or program.

Organize Activities in Folders

Activities can be placed in folders and subfolders within a Workspace.

Folders help your organization group related Activities by project, region, year, funding source, or another useful category.

Adding an Activity to a folder does not change the Activity itself. It only helps users organize and find the record.

Share Activities Through Pacts

An Activity can also be connected to a Pact.

A Pact shares selected Activities with a funder, Program Manager, or collaborative initiative. Connecting an Activity to a Pact does not move the record or create a second copy.

The Activity remains in your organization’s Workspace, where your team can continue to manage and update it.

An Activity can be organized in a folder for internal use and shared through a Pact at the same time.

Build a Lasting Record

An Activity can grow as the work progresses.

You may begin with a name, description, and planned location. Later, you can add implementation dates, completed metrics, photographs, model results, reports, and monitoring information.

Over time, your Activities become a lasting digital record of your organization’s conservation and restoration work. These records can support planning, project management, reporting, analysis, and communication.