Photopoint monitoring

This Photopoint monitoring guide and all indicators in the Land Manager’s Monitoring Guide series are provided in PDF format to allow you to either read it on the screen, or from a version that you print, that can be used in the field as a reference to guide your monitoring activities.

Content for the Photopoint monitoring guide follows the heading structure below:

• What is it?
• Why use photopoints for monitoring?
• Key aspects of photopoint monitoring
• Managing your information
• Equipment
• Bibliography
• Acknowledgments

To decide if you want to download the Photopoint monitoring guide, read the following introductory information that describes what it is and why you would use it.

What is it?

Photopoints are permanent or semi-permanent sites set up from where you can take a series of photographs over time which can be compared to show short or long-term physical change at each location. The pictures for comparison are taken at the same location, with the same direction, angle, focus points and preferably camera settings. Photographic records provide a permanent visual record of change on your property without reliance on memory or taking physical measurements, and are used to support other monitoring efforts where you are collecting data.

Why use photographs for monitoring?

Taking photographs at photopoints on your property can be the simplest way to monitor short- and/or longer-term change that is the result of management decisions, climatic conditions/impacts and natural events. It is a relatively quick, simple and inexpensive monitoring method. A sequence of photos taken at suitable intervals over a period of time can provide a rich source of information. A pictorial record of changing conditions can also support your other monitoring efforts.

When photopoints are set up in the right location, photographs can be one of the most reliable and consistent methods of ‘summary’ monitoring over time. Little technical skill is required for photo monitoring, and there is less of a problem with measurement error and variation found with other types of monitoring. Other advantages include low capital requirement to install and maintain this system of monitoring, and there is little impact on surrounding areas or ongoing management.

Photographic records accompanied by information on management actions, climate and natural events enable you to show and explain to others—workers, family, neighbours, contractors, funding bodies—how and possibly why particular locations have changed.

Images from photopoints can provide a valuable supporting record if you are monitoring:

• Pasture condition, pasture species and yearly pasture use
• Ground cover, organic litter, shrub cover, recruitment of woody plants, tree canopy cover and health, and vegetation density
• Native vegetation area and wetland area
• Native plant richness, large trees, fallen woody material and in-stream habitat
• Impacts on native vegetation, impacts on wetlands
• Farm water flow, gully erosion, hill slope erosion and wind erosion
• Saline land and deep-rooted perennials
• Weed cover and weed species
• Effects of fire, drought, flood, dieback and feral animals
• Wind erosion

Downloads

From this page you can download the following files:

• The print-friendly version of this indicator (PDF, 297kB*) that contains a copy of all the pages from the photopoint monitoring section of the Land Manager's Monitoring Guide.
• The record sheets associated with photopoint monitoring (PDF, 27kB*). For your convenience the record sheets have also been provided as a zipped and an executable Excel file (ZIP, 5kB)(EXE, 73kB).

*Requires Acrobat Reader 

If you experience any difficulty downloading or accessing the materials within the Land Manager's Monitoring Guide please contact the LMMG Team.