Welcome to the NatureCounts Post-secondary Curriculum! This curriculum introduces graduate and undergraduate students to NatureCounts, a data and technology platform by Birds Canada. It especially focuses on how students can use NatureCounts as a rich source of accessible biodiversity data for research and conservation, both during and after their university careers.

In the following modules students will learn what NatureCounts is, what data are available, and how to access and work with those data. We’ll also cover the basics of FAIR-abiding data repositories, explore the State of Canada’s Birds, and make the case for how this body of existing data can be used to answer complex questions, examine long-term change, and generate research opportunities with little or no cost.

Students may work through the modules in order, or simply skip to relevant sections. Prerequisites and learning objectives are outlined for each module below. Additional NatureCounts materials are available on Birds Canada Learn.

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Module 1: Introduction to NatureCounts

Learning Objectives:

• Students will understand what data and tools are available through the NatureCounts platform.

Prerequisites:

• None

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Module 2: Existing Data and the FAIR Principles

Learning Objectives:

• Students will appreciate the potential of existing data for novel research.
• Students will understand the FAIR principles of data management and their importance in leveraging existing data for research and conservation.

Prerequisites:

• Module 1, or a general understanding of the NatureCounts platform.

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Module 3: Introduction to the Bird Monitoring Data Exchange

Learning Objectives:

• Students will understand the basic structure and terminology of a data schema.
• Students will be able to apply their understanding of the BMDE to interpret the meaning of, and begin to work with, data downloaded from NatureCounts.

Prerequisites:

• Module 1, or a general understanding of the NatureCounts platform.

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Module 4: Accessing Data With NatureCounts

Learning Objectives:

• Students will understand the NatureCounts levels of data access, and the importance of project metadata.
• Students will be able to apply their knowledge to successfully find, query, access, and download data from NatureCounts.

Prerequisites:

• Module 1, or a general understanding of the NatureCounts platform.
• Module 3 is helpful for interpreting data.

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Module 5: Working With Data From NatureCounts, Part 1

Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to install and load the naturecounts R package.
• Students will be able to access, manage, explore, and visualize NatureCounts data in R.

Prerequisites:

• Module 1 & 3, or a general understanding of the NatureCounts platform and BMDE.
• Module 4.
• A basic understanding of R.

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Module 6: Working With Data From NatureCounts, Part 2

Learning Objectives:

• Students will be able to download, process, and visualize spatial data, including NatureCounts surveys, conservation areas, and environmental layers in R.

Prerequisites:

• Module 5.
• A basic understanding of R.

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Module 7: The State of Canada’s Birds

Learning Objectives:

• Students will understand what data and knowledge are available through the State of Canada’s Birds species accounts and report.
• Students will be able to use the State of Canada’s Birds to support avian research and conservation work.

Prerequisites:

• None.