Step 4: Match project and control plots

Now you’ve created your project plots and control plots in the previous step, we need to match the plots in the two datasets so that they can be compared.

Earth Blox template: VM0047 Step 4: Match project and control plots

This template matches project plots with control plots using a 'k-nearest neighbours' approach, as specified in the VM0047 documentation. This template produces a dataset containing all valid control plots, and includes both matched and unmatched control plots.

Steps for running the workflow

• 1. Upload your Project plots and Control plots
• 2. Add your Project plots to the workflows
• 2. Add your Control plots to the workflows
• 3. Running the workflow
• 4. Download your exported dataset
• Customising the workflow

1. Upload your Project plots and Control plots

1. Start by uploading your project plots dataset to your Assets. 
2. Now also upload your candidate control plots dataset to your Assets.

2. Add your Project plots to the workflows

Replace the example project plots dataset in the workflows with your own.

1. In the workflow using Example project plots, click ‘View or change dataset’
   
2. Under the Assets tab, find your Project plots dataset
   
   
   
3. Uncheck ‘Use recommended blocks’
   
   

2. Add your Control plots to the workflows

Repeat the steps above for the workflow that uses the Example candidate control plots, and replace them with your own candidate control plots.

The filter-by-attribute blocks ensure that only control plots with valid stocking index measurements are included in the matching.

Learn more: Filter by attribute block

3. Running the workflow

Once you've loaded your data and made any customisations, click on the Run button in the bottom right of the workspace.

A popup in the bottom right corner will show you the progress of your exports. You can leave the project workspace without interrupting the export process.

4. Download your exported dataset

1. Click on the Earth Blox logo in the top left-hand corner to leave the project workspace. 
2. Click on the Exports page in the navigation menu
   
   
3. Click on the download icon to start the download to your device. Exported datasets are available to download for 48 hours.

Customising the workflow

The Match sample plots block matches one or more control plots to each project plot. You can customise how many are matched – this is the ‘k’ in ‘k nearest neighbours'.

Learn more: Match sample plots

If there’s noise in the data (more likely if you are using an optical index), a higher k value can even it out. However, a high-quality dataset like Chloris Geospatial: Aboveground Biomass Stock and Change (30m) will have low noise, so a relatively low k value is acceptable.

The workflow outputs a dataset of both matched and unmatched control plots using the Export dataset block, and also shows the results on the Dashboard using the Create table block. 

Matched control plots will include:

1. The ID of the project plot to which they are matched (matched_uid)
2. The distance metric describing how close the match is between the control plot and the project plot to which it is matched (distance)
3. A weight metric describing how close the match is between the control plot and the project plot to which it is matched (the sum of the weights of all the control plots matched to a given project plot is 1).

Note that ‘distance’ refers to the similarity of characteristics (the closer the distance, the more similar the characteristics) rather than physical distance.