ARS | Publication request: The database for inventory, monitoring and assessment (DIMA)

Submitted to: Rangelands
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: June 1, 2011
Publication Date: August 22, 2011
Citation: Courtright, E., Van Zee, J.W. 2011. The database for inventory, monitoring and assessment (DIMA). Rangelands. 33(4):21-26.

Interpretive Summary: The Database for Inventory, Monitoring and Assessment (DIMA) is used for collecting, storing and summarizing natural resources data, including soil and vegetation attributes. It does not require knowledge of databases to use as it is entirely menu driven. It can be used with a pen (on a tablet PC) or on a standard PC with keyboard entry. It is very flexible and includes a large number of standard soil and vegetation methods.

Technical Abstract: Land managers increasingly need to collect, store, and analyze monitoring and assessment datasets that include multiple methods and occur over multiple years. The Database for Inventory,Monitoring and Assessment (DIMA) is a highly customizable software tool for data collection, management, and interpretation. DIMA is a free Microsoft Access database that can be used easily without extensive knowledge of Access (download DIMA from http://jornada.nmsu.edu/monit-assess/dima/download). Data can be entered for common, nationally accepted vegetation and soil monitoring methods in the field using a Tablet PC (touch screen entry) or in the office on a standard computer (keyboard entry) with user-specified choice lists.