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FAQ's |
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How do I become a BARS user?
BARS is used by individuals and organisations involved in implementing Biodiversity Action Plans (BAPs). Normally, an individual becomes a BARS user when a Lead Partner, LBAP co-ordinator or their organisation BARS administrator registers their details via the BARS administration section of the website. When an individual is registered they will receive an automated email giving details of their username and password, and the BAPs they have been registered against.
If you are involved in BAP implementation and would like to use BARS but have not received login details please contact your Lead Partner or LBAP co-ordinator. Alternatively, contact your organisation?s BARS administrator.
How much will it cost and what will I need to use it?
BARS will be available to members of the BAP community free of charge. It will be a bespoke system and no additional software will be required to run it. All computers purchased in the last five years will almost certainly be capable of running BARS. A detailed manual will be available and there will be training workshops to introduce the system.
The minimum specifications for computers running the system will be: the Windows 98 operating system (all more recent versions of the Windows operating
system will work including: OSR2/ Windows 2000 /NT/ XP); a Pentium 166 MHz processor; 32MB RAM; 500MB Hard Disc; Internet Explorer 4; 800x600 dpi screen;
internet connection with at least 33k dial-up speed.
What does BARS do?
BARS is designed to support the full process of action planning, from writing a plan, monitoring its
implementation through to reporting (both internally and externally). It will enable LBAP partnerships, Lead Partners / Agencies
and steering groups to enter action plans, record progress towards targets and actions, enter details about problems encountered
in plan implementation, and generate a range of sophisticated reports. In addition, the system will enable:
- Improved integration and communication between local and national action plans.
- Dissemination of good practice across the biodiversity community, through communicating the types of activities underway and by providing an opportunity to learn from the experience of others.
- LBAP activities to be set in the national context through, for example, viewing contributions to national targets.
- Forward planning and prioritisation of activities.
- Users to assess the full range of BAP-related activities that are underway in a given area, whether the activity is initiated nationally or locally.
How will integration of information across the BAP partnership be achieved?
Perhaps the largest obstacle to integrating BAP-related information is that much of it is text-based. BARS overcomes this problem by structuring text through the use of data standards and dictionaries. These standards include:
- Species and habitat lists
- Target categories (targets and outcomes will also be recorded using numeric fields).
- Action categories (to record the type of activity underway, e.g. "habitat creation scheme").
- Lists of threats to species and habitats.
- Lists of barriers or obstacles to plan implementation.
- Categories to record examples of good practice and success.
- A list of geographical locations.
All users of the system will use the same standards and it will consequently be possible to share and integrate the information across local and national plans. There are text boxes within the system to enter the detail of targets, actions, progress reports, etc. However, the essence of the text is captured using the standard dictionaries.
Many of the actions in my BAP involve more than one organisation. How will BARS cope with these?
One of the great successes of the UK BAP has been the partnerships that have been established. As a result, it is commonly the case that actions involve more than one organisation in implementation, funding or support roles. This creates a problem for reporting purposes because several organisations may include the same activity and delivery in their assessments of BAP progress, creating a high risk of double counting. BARS overcomes this by storing each action within the entire system once, and labelling this action to several organisations. When new data are entered on a shared action the information streams, via the web, to the other partners.
Will the system only be focussed on national priority habitats and species?
No. Many LBAPs work on local priorities and these will be treated by the system in the same way as national HAPs and SAPs. Similarly, the system will allow you to record activities that are not focussed on any particular species or habitat (e.g. cross-cutting themes relating to education or community involvement).
Will it be possible to use BARS in Welsh?
Yes. All the dictionaries will be translated into Welsh and so most of the standard data can be viewed in either language. Welsh users of the system will have the option of entering text-based data in both languages.
Does BARS compete with the NBN?
BARS will complement, not compete with, the National Biodiversity Network (NBN). There will be major benefits of the two systems working together (for example, overlaying NBN distribution data with the activity data available in BARS will help identify gaps in conservation activity). The opportunities for linkage between BARS and NBN are already being explored.
How do I use BARS?
For a full help guide on how to use BARS please go to the Help using this Website section. |
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