Several aspects of data management are very similar in both current ecological research and the modern business world: the volume of data acquired is high and financial resources are scarce. Therefore it is necessary to implement efficient automated processes for everyday data acquisition and data management. Recent innovations in telecommunication technology (i.e. use of the GSM-Network for digital data transfer) allow the inexpensive acquisition of data from remote research plots. Such innovations in combination with scarce financial resources force ecological research organisations to transform their work flows in the field of automated data acquisition. This paper will show an example of how Business Engineering methods can be usefully adapted in the world of science, especially in the field of ecological research.