Ecoscope Workflows and Data Analysis

Purpose

Use this page as a practical guide for choosing, configuring, running and interpreting Ecoscope workflow dashboards. The scope is limited to workflow types and analyzing data in Ecoscope. It assumes that your Ecoscope account and EarthRanger data source have already been set up.

What Ecoscope Workflows Do

Ecoscope Workflows turn selected EarthRanger data into dashboards. A workflow pulls data from a connected source, filters it according to your configuration, runs predefined calculations, then produces visual outputs such as maps, charts, tables and summary metrics.

A workflow does not decide what the data means for you. It gives you structured outputs so you can interpret field patterns, compare results and prepare operational or reporting products.

The Four Workflow Types

Workflow type	Use it to analyze	Main question it helps answer	Typical outputs
Events Workflow	EarthRanger event records	Where, when and how often did selected events occur?	Event maps, density maps, time series charts, event type summaries
Patrols Workflow	Patrol routes and patrol related events	Where did patrols go, how much effort was recorded and what was encountered?	Patrol tracks, coverage maps, time and distance metrics, patrol event charts
Event Details: Numeric Field Workflow	Numeric values captured inside one event type	How large, intense or frequent were reported values, not just event counts?	Numeric summaries, value based maps, bar charts, pie charts and event tables
Subject Tracking Workflow	GPS locations from tracked subjects	How did animals, vehicles or other tracked assets move over time?	Trajectory maps, movement metrics, home range maps, density maps and movement charts

General Workflow Process

Use the same basic process for all workflow types:

1. Go to Workflow Templates.
2. Select the workflow template that matches the kind of data you want to analyze.
3. Select the relevant EarthRanger data source when prompted.
4. Enter a clear workflow name and description.
5. Set the time range for the data you want to include.
6. Configure the workflow specific fields.
7. Submit the workflow.
8. Confirm that the workflow status is Ready.
9. Select Run.
10. Open the dashboard when the status changes to Success.
11. Review maps, charts, summary metrics and tables.
12. Export useful widgets as PNG files when needed for reports or presentations.

Use short, identifiable workflow names. Include the data type, filter and date range for easy identification later. For example:

Foot Patrols Jan-Mar 2026 Human Wildlife Conflict - 2026 Q1 Tracking Rhino Group - Dry Season 2026

Events Workflow

When to use it

Use the Events Workflow when you want to analyze reported EarthRanger events over a defined period. This is appropriate for incident monitoring, wildlife sightings, conflict reports, fire reports, snares, illegal activity, carcass reports or any other event type configured in EarthRanger.

Key configuration choices

Field	Practical guidance
Workflow name and description	Include the event type or theme and the date range.
Time range	Start with a focused period. Very large ranges may slow processing and make the dashboard harder to interpret.
Event Types	Select one or more event types. Leave blank only if you deliberately want all event types.
Group Data	Use this when you want separate dashboard views by event type, reported by, month, day of week or another supported category.
Events Bar Chart interval	Use month for broad trends, week or day for closer operational review, and hour for daily activity pattern analysis.
Event Location Filter	Use only when you need to exclude known bad locations, such as 0,0 coordinates.

How to analyze the dashboard

Look first at the total volume of events. Then compare event types, timing and location. Use the map to identify geographic concentrations. Use the bar chart to identify peaks, seasonal changes or unusual increases. Use the pie chart to understand the proportion of each event type. If you grouped the data, switch between views to compare patterns.

Useful analysis questions:

1. Which event types are most common?
2. Are reports clustered in specific areas?
3. Do events increase during a particular month, week, day or hour?
4. Are the patterns operationally meaningful, or could they reflect reporting effort?
5. Should patrol coverage, monitoring effort or community engagement be adjusted?

Patrols Workflow

When to use it

Use the Patrols Workflow when you want to analyze patrol effort, patrol movement and events recorded during patrols. This workflow is useful for patrol performance reporting, coverage gap analysis and operational planning.

Key configuration choices

Field	Practical guidance
Workflow name and description	Include the patrol type and reporting period.
Time range	Match the reporting period, such as one month, one quarter or one patrol cycle.
Patrol Types	Select specific patrol types if you want a focused analysis. Leave blank only if all patrol types are relevant.
Event Types	Select event types associated with patrol analysis, such as illegal activity, wildlife sightings or incidents.
Group Data	Use this to compare patrol type, patrol status, patrol subject, patrol serial number, time periods or spatial regions.
Trajectory Category	Use this to style patrol tracks by a meaningful category, such as patrol type or patrol status.
Patrol Events Bar Chart interval	Choose an interval that matches the management question. Month for reporting, day for close operational review.

How to analyze the dashboard

Start with the summary metrics: number of patrols, total time, total distance, average speed and maximum speed. Then check the map to see where patrols actually went. Compare the patrol coverage against the area that should have been covered. Use the events map and event charts to understand what was encountered during patrols.

Useful analysis questions:

1. Which areas received strong patrol coverage?
2. Which areas appear under patrolled?
3. Are patrols repeatedly following the same routes?
4. Are high risk areas also receiving enough patrol effort?
5. Which event types are most commonly recorded during patrols?
6. Do patrol events cluster along specific routes or boundaries?
7. Does patrol effort align with conservation priorities?

Event Details: Numeric Field Workflow

When to use it

Use the Event Details: Numeric Field Workflow when the value inside an event is more important than the number of events. This is useful when an event form includes a numeric field such as herd size, group size, number of snares, quantity observed, number of people, weight, distance or another measurement.

This workflow usually analyzes one event type at a time because the available numeric and category fields depend on the event form schema.

Key configuration choices

Field	Practical guidance
Select Event Type	Choose the event type that contains the numeric field you want to analyze.
Numeric Field	Choose the field that contains the value of interest, such as group size or quantity.
Category Field	Optional. Use this when you want to break values down by a category, such as herd type or observation type.
Time range	Select the reporting period for the numeric analysis.
Group Data	Use this when comparing by time period or category.
Include Events Without Geometry	Use only if records without location are still important for the analysis.

How to analyze the dashboard

Do not interpret this dashboard as a simple event count. The main question is about numeric value. For example, ten elephant sighting events could represent ten elephants or two hundred elephants, depending on the group size field.

Start with the summary table. Check the sum, minimum, maximum, median and mean. Then look at the bar chart to see how total values change over time. If a category field is used, compare how each category contributes to the total. Use the value based map to identify where high values are concentrated.

Useful analysis questions:

1. What is the total value reported during the selected period?
2. Are a few records driving most of the total?
3. Where are the highest values located?
4. Do values change by month, season or reporting period?
5. Are category differences meaningful?
6. Are there outliers that need to be checked against the original EarthRanger records?

Subject Tracking Workflow

When to use it

Use the Subject Tracking Workflow when you want to analyze movement data from tracked subjects. These may be animals, vehicles, rangers or other GPS tracked assets configured as subjects in EarthRanger.

Key configuration choices

Field	Practical guidance
Workflow name and description	Include the subject group and time range.
Subject Group	Select the group of tracked subjects to include. The selected group determines which tracks are pulled into the workflow.
Time range	Choose a period that matches the movement question. Shorter periods are easier to interpret.
Group Data	Use this to compare subject name, subject subtype, sex or time intervals.
Trajectory Segment Filter	Advanced. Use only if you understand how speed, distance and duration filters affect track cleaning.
Time Density Map	Use defaults unless you have a specific movement analysis reason to customize the grid.

How to analyze the dashboard

Start with the trajectory map to understand broad movement patterns. Then review movement metrics such as time tracked, distance traveled, speed, number of locations and day or night activity where available. Use home range or density outputs to identify areas of repeated use.

Useful analysis questions:

1. Where did the subject or group spend the most time?
2. Are movement paths concentrated or widely dispersed?
3. Are there unusual long distance movements or gaps in tracking?
4. Do movement patterns differ by subject, month or day of week?
5. Are the results biologically or operationally plausible?
6. Should apparent outliers be checked against the original tracking data?

Using Group Data Effectively

Group Data creates separate dashboard views from the same workflow. Use it when comparison is part of the analysis. For example, group events by month, patrols by patrol type or subjects by subject name.

Use grouping carefully. Each additional grouping can increase processing time and make the dashboard harder to interpret. Start with one grouping that directly supports the question you are asking.

Good grouping choices:

Analysis goal	Suggested grouping
Compare event trends over time	Month or year and month
Compare different event types	Event type
Compare patrol performance	Patrol type, status or patrol subject
Compare tracked animals	Subject name
Compare spatial coverage	Spatial regions, where supported

Running, Duplicating and Rerunning Workflows

After a workflow is submitted, check that it shows Ready before running it. Select Run to generate the dashboard. When the workflow completes successfully, open the workflow to view the dashboard.

Use Duplicate when you want to reuse an existing configuration with small changes, such as a new date range or a different subject group. This is faster and reduces configuration errors.

Use Advanced Run for heavy workflows, such as long date ranges, large patrol datasets, large subject groups or workflows with many grouping views. If a normal run is slow or fails due to timeout, try narrowing the configuration first, then use Advanced Run if needed.

Practical Interpretation Checklist

Before using dashboard results in a report or decision, check the following:

1. Data source: Is the workflow using the correct EarthRanger site?
2. Date range: Does the selected period match the reporting or analysis question?
3. Timezone: Is the timezone correct for the site?
4. Filters: Are event types, patrol types or subject groups selected correctly?
5. Grouping: Does the grouping answer a real comparison question?
6. Missing geometry: Are records without location included or excluded intentionally?
7. Outliers: Do unusually high values, speeds or locations make sense?
8. Effort bias: Could event clusters reflect where people report most often rather than where incidents truly occur most often?
9. Operational meaning: What action, decision or follow up does the pattern suggest?
10. Export needs: Which map or chart should be downloaded for reporting?

Common Problems and Fixes

Problem	Likely cause	What to do
Workflow fails with a timeout	Too much data, too long a time range or too many groupings	Shorten the time range, reduce selected categories or use Advanced Run.
Workflow has no useful output	Wrong event type, patrol type, subject group or date range	Check configuration and rerun.
Numeric Field workflow output looks wrong	The workflow is summing numeric values, not counting events	Check the selected numeric field and review the summary table.
Subject Tracking workflow loses all trajectory data	Advanced segment filter may be too strict	Relax minimum or maximum segment distance, duration or speed settings.
Permission error	The EarthRanger user linked to the data source lacks access to the queried data	Ask the EarthRanger site administrator to check access to the relevant events, patrols, subjects or subject group.
Duplicate grouper error	The same grouping was added more than once	Remove the duplicate grouping and rerun.

Best Practices

1. Start with the simplest configuration that answers the question.
2. Use a short, clear time range before scaling up to longer periods.
3. Leave advanced settings at their defaults unless you know what the setting controls.
4. Use grouping only when it supports a specific comparison.
5. Use Duplicate for repeated monthly, quarterly or seasonal reporting.
6. Use Advanced Run only when needed for large or slow workflows.
7. Always interpret the dashboard in relation to field effort, reporting practices and known site context.
8. When a workflow fails, open the metadata panel and copy the error details before contacting support.

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For additional help, visit the EarthRanger Help Center or contact your site administrator.