Documentation

This page lists every activity type Certify supports, grouped by protocol. Your project only has the activity types belonging to its protocol and protocol version. For how to add activities, see Add activities.

Overview

Each activity type below is described by the following attributes.

Attribute	Meaning
Key	The identifier used in the API and in exports.
Time	The time granularity the type records, which determines the time columns in its CSV. Date takes `date`, Timestamp takes `time`, Date range takes `start_date` and `end_date`, Timestamp range takes `start_time` and `end_time`, and None takes no time columns.
CSV columns	Every column of the upload, in order. Always download the template from Certify rather than copying these by hand, since they follow your protocol version.
Metadata	The extra fields defined for the type, with a description where the protocol gives one. Fields with allowed values must use one of those values exactly.
Measurements	The physical quantities recorded against the activity. Each has a quantity kind, a unit that its CSV column header states, and is either required in every row or optional.
Links	The other assets the activity connects to. Each link is a CSV column holding the related asset’s reference ID, and the related asset must already exist before the upload.

Every activity type also takes a name and a reference_id, both required and not repeated in the tables below. See Supplier Reference ID.

Reforestation

Activity types for projects using the Reforestation protocol. Protocol versions: v1.1–1.2

Field plot measurement

Tree measurements are used to quantify above-ground biomass (AGB) within each field plot, which in turn is used to quantify the carbon sequestered in the project area. Each tree measurement must have a unique reference ID, be linked to a specific field plot, and use one of the predefined tree type keys.


Key	`reforestation_field_plot_measurement`
Time	Date (`date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,date,tree_type,field_plot_id,Diameter at breast height (cm),Elevation (m),Height (m),Latitude (degree),Longitude (degree)

Metadata

Tree type

string

required

Allowed values: 692 keys, 160 genus keys such as GENUS_ABAREMA and 532 species keys such as SPECIES_ABAREMA_COCHLEATA. The full list is in Supported tree types.

Measurement	Quantity kind	Unit	Required	Description
Diameter at breast height	`diameter_at_breast_height`	`cm`	Yes	The diameter of the tree at breast height (approx 1.3 meters above the ground).
Elevation	`elevation`	`m`	No	The elevation of the tree location.
Height	`height`	`m`	No	The height of the tree from the base to the top.
Latitude	`latitude`	`degree`	No	The latitude of the tree location.
Longitude	`longitude`	`degree`	No	The longitude of the tree location.

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
happens at	Field plot	One to one	`field_plot_id`

Improved Forest Management

Activity types for projects using the Improved Forest Management protocol. Protocol versions: v1.0–1.1

Sampling round

A sampling round is a set of field plot measurements taken within a specific time frame in a specific project area.


Key	`ifm_sampling_round`
Time	Date range (`start_date`, `end_date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,start_date,end_date,sampling_round_type,project_area_id

Metadata

Sampling round type

string

required

Allowed values: Baseline, Reporting period

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
happens at	Project area	Many to one	`project_area_id`

Harvest

A harvest is the removal of timber or biomass from a parcel. Harvests predating enrollment establish the parcel’s harvest history, and harvests during the Crediting Period are reported so that planned removals can be distinguished from Reversals.


Key	`ifm_harvest`
Time	Date (`date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,date,harvest_type,parcel_id,Area (ha),Mass (kg),Volume (L)

Metadata

Harvest type

string

The type of harvest that occurred on the parcel, such as clear-cutting, selective logging, thinning, stand improvement, or subsistence.

Measurement	Quantity kind	Unit	Required	Description
Area	`area`	`ha`	No	The area of the parcel that was harvested.
Mass	`mass`	`kg`	No	The biomass removed from the parcel. If the volume of timber removed cannot be provided, this should be reported instead.
Volume	`volume`	`L`	No	The volume of timber removed from the parcel.

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
happens at	Parcel	Many to one	`parcel_id`

Field plot measurement


Key	`agb_field_plot_measurement`
Time	Date (`date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,date,tree_type,sampling_round_id,field_plot_id,Diameter at breast height (cm),Elevation (m),Height (m),Latitude (degree),Longitude (degree)

Metadata

Tree type

string

required

Allowed values: 705 keys, 161 genus keys such as GENUS_ABAREMA and 544 species keys such as SPECIES_ABAREMA_COCHLEATA. The full list is in Supported tree types.

Measurement	Quantity kind	Unit	Required	Description
Diameter at breast height	`diameter_at_breast_height`	`cm`	Yes	The diameter of the tree at breast height (approx 1.3 meters above the ground).
Elevation	`elevation`	`m`	No	The elevation of the tree location.
Height	`height`	`m`	No	The height of the tree from the base to the top.
Latitude	`latitude`	`degree`	No	The latitude of the tree location.
Longitude	`longitude`	`degree`	No	The longitude of the tree location.

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
included in	Sampling round	Many to one	`sampling_round_id`
happens at	Field plot	Many to one	`field_plot_id`

Improved Soil Management

Activity types for projects using the Improved Soil Management protocol. Protocol versions: v1.0

Soil sampling campaign

Instances of collecting soil samples from a project area. All campaigns must take place in the same crop phase and within 30 days of each other across reporting periods, so that measured stock changes are comparable.


Key	`soil_carbon_project_area_soil_sampling_campaign`
Time	Date range (`start_date`, `end_date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,start_date,end_date,campaign_type,crop_phase,project_area_id

Metadata

Campaign type

string

required

Allowed values: Baseline, Reporting period

Crop phase

string

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
happens at	Project area	Many to one	`project_area_id`

Soil sample collection

Instances of collecting a soil sample from a measurement location.


Key	`soil_carbon_soil_sample_collection`
Time	Date (`date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,date,core_count,soil_sampling_campaign_id,measurement_location_id,Maximum depth (cm),Minimum depth (cm),Diameter (µm)

Metadata

Number of cores composited

integer

required

The number of soil cores composited to form the soil sample. Together with the core diameter, this gives the total cross-sectional area sampled, from which fine soil mass per unit area is derived. Both must be held constant across sampling campaigns.

Measurement	Quantity kind	Unit	Required	Description
Maximum depth	`depth` / `max_limit`	`cm`	Yes	The minimum / maximum depth of the stratified soil sample.
Minimum depth	`depth` / `min_limit`	`cm`	Yes	The minimum / maximum depth of the stratified soil sample.
Diameter	`diameter`	`µm`	Yes	The diameter of the soil core collected.

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
part of	Soil sampling campaign	Many to one	`soil_sampling_campaign_id`
happens at	Measurement location	Many to one	`measurement_location_id`

Laboratory batch analysis

An instance of analyzing a batch of soil samples in a laboratory.


Key	`soil_carbon_laboratory_batch_analysis`
Time	Date (`date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,date,analysis_method,certified_reference_material,duplicate_count,laboratory_accreditation,laboratory_id

Metadata

Analysis method

string

The method used to analyze the soil samples, which should be Dumas by default.

Certified reference material

string

The certified reference material used to calibrate the laboratory equipment.

Number of duplicate analyses

integer

The total number of duplicate analyses performed across all soil samples in the batch.

Laboratory accreditation

string

The accreditation status of the laboratory performing the analysis.

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
happens at	Laboratory	Many to one	`laboratory_id`

Soil sample analysis

A collection of analyses carried out on soil samples in a laboratory.


Key	`soil_carbon_soil_sample_analysis`
Time	Date (`date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,date,laboratory_batch_analysis_id,soil_sample_collection_id,pH,Electrical conductivity (dS / m),Dry mass (kg),Fine Soil Oven Dry mass (kg),Clay mass fraction (mg / kg),Sand mass fraction (mg / kg),Silt mass fraction (mg / kg),N mass fraction (dry basis) (mg / kg),Total Carbon mass fraction (dry basis) (mg / kg),Total Inorganic Carbon mass fraction (dry basis) (mg / kg),Total Organic Carbon mass fraction (dry basis) (mg / kg)

Measurement	Quantity kind	Unit	Required	Description
pH	`acidity`	—	No	The pH of the soil sample.
Electrical conductivity	`electrical_conductivity`	`dS / m`	No	The electrical conductivity of the soil sample, which indicates salinity. The soil-to-water ratio of the extract or suspension used should be reported alongside it, as the result depends on it.
Dry mass	`mass` / `material_condition_dry`	`kg`	Yes	The total oven-dry mass of the soil sample, before coarse material is sieved out.
Fine Soil Oven Dry mass	`mass` / `fine_soil_oven_dry`	`kg`	Yes	The oven-dry mass of the fine soil fraction, after coarse material retained on a 2 mm sieve is excluded. This is the basis for fine soil mass per unit area.
Clay mass fraction	`mass_fraction` / `clay`	`mg / kg`	No	The mass fraction of clay, sand, or silt in the soil sample.
Sand mass fraction	`mass_fraction` / `sand`	`mg / kg`	No	The mass fraction of clay, sand, or silt in the soil sample.
Silt mass fraction	`mass_fraction` / `silt`	`mg / kg`	No	The mass fraction of clay, sand, or silt in the soil sample.
N mass fraction (dry basis)	`mass_fraction_dry_basis` / `element_n`	`mg / kg`	No	The total nitrogen content of the soil sample on a dry basis.
Total Carbon mass fraction (dry basis)	`mass_fraction_dry_basis` / `total_carbon`	`mg / kg`	No	The total carbon content of the soil sample on a dry basis.
Total Inorganic Carbon mass fraction (dry basis)	`mass_fraction_dry_basis` / `total_inorganic_carbon`	`mg / kg`	No	The total inorganic carbon content of the soil sample on a dry basis.
Total Organic Carbon mass fraction (dry basis)	`mass_fraction_dry_basis` / `total_organic_carbon`	`mg / kg`	No	The total organic carbon content of the soil sample on a dry basis, either measured directly or calculated via subtracting the inorganic carbon content from the total carbon content.

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
included in	Laboratory batch analysis	Many to one	`laboratory_batch_analysis_id`
follows	Soil sample collection	One to one	`soil_sample_collection_id`

Intervention

Instances where an intervention has been applied to a crop field.


Key	`croplands_intervention_applied`
Time	Date (`date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,date,intervention_type,material_type,crop_field_id,Mass (kg),None mass per area (kg / m^2)

Metadata

Intervention type

string

required

The type of intervention applied to the field.

Material

string

The type of material applied to the field, if applicable.

Measurement	Quantity kind	Unit	Required	Description
Mass	`mass`	`kg`	No	The total mass of material applied to the field, if applicable.
None mass per area	`mass_per_area`	`kg / m^2`	No	The rate at which the intervention was applied to the field, if applicable.

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
happens at	Crop field	Many to one	`crop_field_id`

Harvest

An instance of harvesting a crop from a field. Harvests predating the project start are recorded to establish the pre-project productivity baseline used in the market-mediated leakage assessment.


Key	`croplands_harvest`
Time	Date (`date`)
Upload	CSV

CSV columns, in order:

name,reference_id,date,crop_type,crop_field_id,Mass (kg),Yield (kg / m^2)

Metadata

Crop type

string

required

Measurement	Quantity kind	Unit	Required	Description
Mass	`mass`	`kg`	No	The total mass of the crop harvested from the field.
Yield	`mass_per_area` / `crop_yield`	`kg / m^2`	No	The yield of the crop harvested from the field. If this cannot be provided, the total mass of the crop harvested should be reported instead.

Relationship	Related type	Cardinality	CSV column
happens at	Crop field	Many to one	`crop_field_id`

Overview

Certify

Registry

AI

Activities reference

Overview

Reforestation

Field plot measurement

Improved Forest Management

Sampling round

Harvest

Field plot measurement

Improved Soil Management

Soil sampling campaign

Soil sample collection

Laboratory batch analysis

Soil sample analysis

Intervention

Harvest

​Overview

​Reforestation

​Field plot measurement

​Improved Forest Management

​Sampling round

​Harvest

​Field plot measurement

​Improved Soil Management

​Soil sampling campaign

​Soil sample collection

​Laboratory batch analysis

​Soil sample analysis

​Intervention

​Harvest

Overview

Reforestation

Field plot measurement

Improved Forest Management

Sampling round

Harvest

Field plot measurement

Improved Soil Management

Soil sampling campaign

Soil sample collection

Laboratory batch analysis

Soil sample analysis

Intervention

Harvest