Checklist for site survey before Permaculture design on simulation platform

Site-Design-simulation-Permaculture This list is intended for preparing the workshop dedicated to site design using the simulation platform.

Clarify your main entry access point and transportation means toward the next food market. Your connection to the world is important
Clarify the access to electricity and water.
Identify Google maps satellite exact location. And possibly create your spot boundaries in Google map customization
Define the area (square meters or acres) with photos on extreme spots ; the most humid and the driest. If extreme seasonal variation ; make photo of the rainy and dry season of the same spot.
More about photos
- Identify 10 referential points as a source and target for photos distributed on the area. From each spot take a photo of the 9 other referential points always directing your camera horizontally in order to identify the difference of level between your source and target referential points.
- If zone 0 is already identified make sure to integrate it as a referential point and make additional photos inside and in direction of this area
- If an infrastructure already exists take photos showing the size and shape and state of the elements and their path to the route infrastructure.
- Make photos of particular spots raising concerns
- Make photos of the sectors you have identified
- If you have this possibility on your phone/camera take videos and 360 degrees photos. Either orientate your camera always horizontally during shooting or edit the photos and videos so that they will appear horizontal (it will save time) when compiled for the platform simulation.
- Bring with you some USB sticks to store the photos you will make of your design and to copy Aflorestanova video materials (at least 8GB capacity)
Apart from land regeneration and food and Habitat autonomy what are your points of focus. It can be specific food production, training center, consulting, green building, children education on sustainability or anything which motivate you and may create beneficial opportunities. This will drive the design along time and help defining priorities.
Find witnesses or archives about your spot 100 years ago or more before the local Anthropocene impact.
Do you have access to mulch ? Usually a layer of 30cm of mulch is needed in tropical condition in order to provide with heat protection, resistance to wind and water erosion and give nutrients and humidity to the microorganisms in the soil ecosystem. (Be aware as well that mulching a dry area will prevent its humidification if initially dry when only small rains happen after mulching). Knowing your mulch capacity over time will orientated your zone 0,1,2 and reforestation strategies.
Collect local know-how detrimental or beneficial to the ecosystem
Verify the capacity to get local and well adapted fauna and flora species. Usually if they are abundant it means they are well adapted to the context. For animal try to identify the sustainability in the choices neighbor farmers are making.
Map with contours (showing altitude lines) is extremely useful to prepare the terrain of the simulation platform before design
It may happen that the platform will be used with 2 perspectives (in case of large properties) sequentially from the global to the more complex sub ecosystem requiring fine design.
- the entire property in order to identify main sectors and zoning,
- a focus on strategic zones, usually 0,1,2 , to focus on the complexity of more domesticated zones.