Survey and Probability Maps
The purpose of this phase is to develop probability of occurrence maps for each of the individual NIS in the survey data. The benefit of a probability of occurrence (PO) map is that it shows environments a particular species is more and less likely to occur in, which is useful if your management area is too large to sample entirely (a census). We also provide guidance on how to survey NIS in order to develop such maps, and how to collate your data if you have collected it in a different format.
Like all predictions the maps are only as good as the data entered. For example if you have only surveyed one or two of all the habitats in your management area (e.g. alongside roads, riparian areas) the predictions will not be accurate for other areas (e.g. limestone ridge). Obviously future sampling could improve upon this. The steps for collecting and preparing data to create a NIS probability of occurrence, or risk, map for your management area are outlined below.
