2. Methods

The data compiled for this atlas were stored and managed in a dedicated relational database, using Microsoft Access, developed by the Northern Territory Flora and Fauna Division, and is now publicly available through the Atlas of Living Australia (www. ala.org.au). The database was constructed specifically to manage invertebrate data collected from targeted field surveys of threatened species, faunal inventories and incidental observations. The structure of this database is shown in Figure 1. The fields were organised into six tables, of which the three most relevant are the taxon table, the site table and the incidental table. Descriptions of some of the more critical fields used to capture data are summarised in Table 1.