Site Data Collection Checklist
Basic Site Overview • Surface water and level of water table: year
• Known challenges and potential disasters
• Fire, flood, frost, etc.
• Topography
• Erosion
• Noise: rail, aircraft, highway, neighbours
• Visual pollution
• Unpleasant odours or other off-site concerns,
run-off, dust, privacy, etc.
• Time
• Money
Climate
• Light availability: sun, rain, clouds, fog
• Temperature: average high and low
temperatures (hardiness zone)
• Average rainfall: yearly and monthly
• Frost: average date, frequency, direction
• Hail: timing, frequency, direction
• Storm: timing, frequency, direction
• Microclimates
• Air drainage
• Altitude and latitude
• Solar access: South/Southwest preferred
• Hot/warm summer slopes
• Cool summer slopes
• Wind access, drains, thermals, chills
• Damaging or desirable winter winds
• Cooling breezes
Mapping
• Existing site drawings
• Aerial photos
• Contour maps
• Legal/ cadastral description
• Land survey
• Contour maps or field survey
• Identify keylines, valleys, and ridges
• Determine slope gradient (degree of slope)
either severe, moderate, minor, or percent
grade
Water and Hydrology
• Water quality
• Existing water rights and resources: note
potential water rights
round and seasonal
• Drainage patterns
• Springs, creeks, streams, ponds (permanence)
• Catchment: size and type
• Flood levels: 100 year flood
Access
• Existing roads
• New roads required and potential cost: to
structures, fields, other
Trees and Forestry
• Identification of existing plants and their vigour
(note location, guilds, species, height, width,
noxious, poisonous, etc.)
• Forests: type, age, condition, value
• Density
• Exotic species present
• Plants to be cultivated: vegetables, fruits,
berries, nuts, natives, exotics, medicinals,
woodlot
Buildings and Utilities
• Electricity, gas, water (well or municipal),
telephone, sewage, internet
• Locate existing utility lines, water lines, sewer
and septic
fencing and animals
• Domestic: primary use, food, manure, grazing
• Water fowl and native birds – nests and
droppings
• Aquaculture
• Native animals of concern (wolf, boar, snakes,
foxes, etc.)
soils and Geology
• Geology and conservation maps (government
maps)
• Soil type: clay, loam, sand
• Soil tests: pH, nitrogen, phosphates, potassium,
and other major and minor elements and
minerals
• Drainage and absorption
68
 • Soil depth and organic content
• Stability of site
• Maximum depth of frost
• History of use

Energy

• Wind direction and velocity (monthly)

• Number of sunny and cloudy days
• Solar access; obstructions
• Stream gradient: from top to bottom
• Other potential energy sources; biomass,
geothermal, methane

Resource (on/off site)

High quality aerial photos and topographic data are becoming widely
• Natural features: springs, sunken areas, available at low-cost and even freely available in many counries.
woodland, minerals, timber, sand deposits in
creeks, stones for building
• Edibles: native fruits and berries, fish
• Sources of biomass: on/off site
• Views: good and not so good
• Sawmill, factories, dump, plant and seed
sources

Community land use

• What is going on upstream and over the fence

(toxic sprays, livestock in streams, etc.)
• Economic and emotional health of community
• Schools, public, hospitals, fire department,
landfill/dump, shops

money and Markets GIS data is available in many countries, here slope mapping is being
used in the analysis of a property.
• Assets and money available
• Budget and Installation phases
• Potential Markets
• Competitors
• Local population figures
• Demographic considerations
• Other forms of capital?

Organisational structure

• Have you created your Holistic Context?

• Who are the current decision-makers?
• What binding agreements exist?
• Details of financial/legal structures
• How is decision monitoring carried out?

Compiling a Bill of Quantities for infrastructure development.

69