These scripts serve as the heart of the interpretations of an AIM sample design. Their are four main scripts, each with a major focus which warrants a chapter (Functional Diversity, Species Diversity, Rare Species, Floristic Quality Index) in a report.
One script deals with whether the vegetation on site is in reference condition, at the level of major life form. E.g. Tree, Shrub, Forbs, Grasses. This is the most fundamental of interpretations of AIM data.
A second script concerns the number of species which are present in the production tables of an ESD, and how many were observed on plot. This may indicate if a functional-structural group is missing material.
the third script provides a format for detecting and noting the presence of rare species across the sample design.
The final script calculcates Floristic Quality Indices across the field office. Note, FQI values are only available in a select number of states.