Applicability of 'Tablet' Computers for Use by Field Biologists

摘要

Aside from traveling to and from their study sites and answering emails, three of the most time-consuming things that field biologists do are to (1) write field notes, (2) enter information onto field data sheets, and (3) transcribe those data sheets into Excel, Access, or another database program. Given that the concept of "spare time" is an unknown term to most biologists, any means of saving time in recording data in the field would seem to be highly desirable. In addition, any mechanisms that can make it easier to either retrieve information from field notes efficiently or that minimize errors in data entry are also quite valuable.