Protocol management

To access the administration of a protocol you need the Protocol administrator right. Only an Admin of the Local portal can provide you such access, under certain conditions.

The easiest way to access protocol functions is through the Protocol panel. See wiki section Accessing protocols below for details.

Accessing protocols

Access all protocols functions through the Protocol panel or limited functions as if Submitting records.
Visit wiki section Web interface > Local portal > Protocols > Accessing protocols > Entering data for more details for more details on the second option.

To access the protocol panel:

• Go to Main menu > Administration
  

If you are an administrator, go to the administration section on the left hand column (see image Administration), and scroll down to Protocol administration. Open panel and select Protocol administration (see image below).

Protocol administration.

Or,

• Go to Main menu > Taking part > All my protocol
  

Go to Main menu > Taking part > All my protocols. You will see all protocols you have access to, either as an administrator or otherwise. Users with no administration rights can also follow this path to access protocols but they are no given all options within a protocol.

Admin protocol through All my protocol.

Administrators and users with appropriate rights may have additional ways to access certain protocol functions:

Modify protocol

Modify the protocol from

• Submitting records, as described in wiki section Web interface > Local portal > Protocols > Accessing protocols > Modify protocol.
  

• Protocol panel > Preparation and data, as described in Web interface > Local portal > Protocols > Accessing protocols > Modify protocol.
  

• Protocol panel > Sites. Only available to administrators. Go to wiki section Administration > Protocol management > Sites > Edit for details.
  

Create protocol

Create a new protocol from

• Submitting records, as described in wiki section Web interface > Local portal > Protocols > Accessing protocols > Create protocol.
  

• Protocol panel > Sites. Only available to administrators. Go to wiki section Administration > Protocol management > Sites > +NEW to see how to do it.
  

 

Preparation and data

Identical section to the one of Waterbird Census Protocol, we took as an example, available to registered users with rights. It allows printing maps and entering observations. See wiki section Web interface > Protocols > 'Protocol name' > Preparation and data for more information.

 

Sites

List of all existing sites allowing a protocoled data entry (here as an example, the Waterbird census). Use arrows under titles to alternate between ascending and descending order (see image as an example).

 

1. Search

Reduce list by typing the name of a site, Locality, Municipality , or part of it, and click SEARCH.

When a filter is applied and you want to desactivate it, click on DISPLAY ALL.

2. Search

Select page number and/or number of items per page.

3. Details

Click to see details of selected site.

4. Edit

Click to edit details of selected site.

5. New site

Create a new site.

1. Click + NEW under the list. Select the site as if entering an observation (see wiki section Web interface > Submitting records if necessary) and choose the new option: Create a protocoled census - 'Name of the Protocol' (here Waterbird census, see image below).

2. Enter a name for the new site.

 

3. Either:

• Draw polygon, transect or point as explained in wiki section Web interface > Geometry editor or,
  

• Import shapefile:
  

After a new polygon, transect or point is created, it is possible to export it as a shapefile to use in the future or modify. Click on the file icon under the Polygon (Point, Line or Bounding box) section (see image below, encircled). If necessary, modify it and IMPORT as explained above.

4. When the new site is ready you have three options:

SAVE AND STAY to save the site and continue making changes, or

SAVE AND ADD A RECORD to save and start entering observations or

DELETE SITE if needed. Note: That option is only available as long no data are linked to that site.

The new site is now created and saved (indicated at the top of the page). You have now the option to delete the newly created site if necessary (see image Deleting a newly created site). Otherwise, go anywhere in the page or start the whole process to create other sites without loosing the new one.

 

User/Site

From the "Name of the protocol (for example Waterbird Census Protocol)" menu, select User / Site to assign users to study sites.

Access to sites

List of observers allowed to conduct "Name of the protocol (for example Waterbird Census Protocol)" and the site/s they are assigned to. Use arrows on columns to alternate between ascending and descending order (see image as an example).

1. Search

Reduce list by typing the name of a site, user, or part of it, and click SEARCH.

When a filter is applied and you want to deactivate it, click on DISPLAY ALL to see the full list.

2. Page and items

Select page number and/or number of items per page. Count indicate the total of items found for the search.

3. Details

See details of observers and their assigned site.

4. Edit

Modify the user assigned to this site, or the site assigned to this user.

5. Delete

Revoque the user's right to survey this site for the "Name of the protocol (here Waterbird Census Protocol)" .

6. EXPORT

Export list as a .txt file.

7. + NEW

Grant rights to observer to conduct "Name of the protocol (here Waterbird Census Protocol)" census on designated sites.

Administration users rights

List of users and administrators with access to the "Name of the protocol (here Waterbird Census Protocol)" . Use arrows on columns to alternate between ascending and descending order (see image as an example).

1. Search

Reduce list by typing the name of a right, a user, or part of it, and click SEARCH.

When a filter is applied, to deactivate it, click on DISPLAY ALL.

2. Search

Select page number and/or number of items per page.

3. Details

See the rights granted to the selected observer.

4. Edit

Modify the rights granted to an observer.

5. Delete

Revoque the user's right to survey this site for the "Name of the protocol (here Waterbird Census Protocol)" .

6. + NEW

Add a new right to an observer.

7. Protocol administrators

List of administrators of "Name of the protocol (here Waterbird Census Protocol)" and their email addresses.

 

Settings

Set protocol parameters.

Species list

List of species designated as part of a basic or an extended list. If no species are designated as part of any list, the section appears empty but users are still asked to indicate which list they are using. Use arrows under titles to alternate between ascending and descending order (see image as an example).

See Ending the list in NaturaList to know the difference between a basic, an extended and a complete list.

1. Search

Reduce list by typing the name of a species, or part of it, and click SEARCH.

When a filter is applied, to deactivate it, click on DISPLAY ALL to see the full list.

2. Page and items

Select page number and/or number of items per page. Count indicate the total of items found for the search.

3. Details

See name of species, their assigned order in the list and to which type of list they belong.

 

4. Edit

Modify details for the selected species.

5. Delete

Delete the species from the list.

6. NEW

Add a new species to the list.

Parameters describing the protocol

List of all parameters describing the protocol and their current status.

Use arrows under titles to alternate between ascending and descending order (see image as an example).

 

1. Search

Select page number and/or number of items per page.

2. Active?

Indicates if the user will be asked to provide information about the corresponding parameter. The question will appear when filling the protocol but is not blocking if the user leave it empty.

3. Mandatory?

Indicates if it will be mandatory to provide information regarding this parameter. The question will appear when filling the protocol and have to be answered before going to the next step, a warning asking to fill it appears if not answered.

4. Order

Order in which the different parameters will appear at the beginning of the protocol.

5. Details

See details associated to the selected parameter.

6. Edit

Modify settings for the selected parameter.

7. Parameters

Parameters are protocol dependent. Please refer to each individual protocol for details on each parameter.

Expand the table below to see all possible parameters and the protocols they appear at. Use arrows to alternate between ascending and descending order.

Parameters
Parameter name	Description	Protocol
Additional observer(s)	To indicate if the user is accompanied by someone whose observations are also recorded.	Various: Waterbird census, Woodpeckers, Rook, Sand Martin, Corncrake, Jackdaw, Grey Partridge
Cloud cover	To indicate if there are clouds.	Various: SOCC, Waterbird census
Comment	To leave a comment.	All
Conditions in general	To indicate about surveying conditions overall regarding weather and disturbances. The user may be asked to indicate on next section the reason if surveying conditions are not good.	Various: Waterbird census, Woodpeckers, Rook, Sand Martin, Corncrake, Jackdaw, Grey Partridge
Conditions (notes)	To leave a note regarding conditions.	Various: Woodpeckers, Sand Martin, Corncrake, Jackdaw, Grey Partridge
Count method	To indicate if the survey takes place from the ground, the air, the water, a different way, or if it is unknown.	Waterbird census
Count number	To indicate from the expandable menu the visit the data corresponds to.	Various:
Count paid	To indicate if the count is paid for or not.	Waterbird census
Count type	To indicate if it is a roost count or otherwise.	Various: Waterbird census, Rook, Sand Martin
Counting mammals?	To indicate if besides the compulsory taxonomic group, mammals were also counted.	SOCC
Coverage	To indicate how much of the designated survey area is covered in the survey.	Various: Waterbird census, Woodpeckers, Rook, Sand Martin, Corncrake, Grey Partridge
Drone used?	To indicate if drones were used during the survey.	Various: Rook, Sand Martin
Hide all records from the public	To check if the user wants to keep their observations private.	All
Ice	To indicate the percentage of water surface that is frozen.	Waterbird census
Important changes (since last count?)	To indicate if there have been major changes since the last visit.	Various: Waterbird census, Woodpeckers, Rook, Sand Martin, Corncrake, Jackdaw, Grey Partridge
Intact nests	Number of intact nests. This information will be asked when entering data.	Various: Rook, Sand Martin
Moving/Harvest	To indicate the surface that has been harvested or mown.	Corncrake
Nest location	To select the location of the nest.	Jackdaw
Neutralised time		SOCC
Number of canoes/kayaks	To enter number.	Waterbird census
Number of fishing boats	To enter number.	Waterbird census
Number of fishing boats	To enter number.	Waterbird census
Number of motor boats	To enter number.	Waterbird census
Number of nests occupied by other species	Number of nests occupied by species other than the ones counted in the current protocol. This information will be asked when entering data.	Various: Rook, Sand Martin
Number of persons on shore	To enter number.	Waterbird census
Number of rowing boats	To enter number.	Waterbird census
Number of sailing boats	To enter number.	Waterbird census
Number of sports divers	To enter number.	Waterbird census
Number of stand up paddlers	To enter number.	Waterbird census
Number of surfers	To enter number.	Waterbird census
No species were seen	To check if the user did not detect any of the study species.	Waterbird census
Occupied nests	Number of occupied nests. This information will be asked when entering data.	Various: Rook, Sand Martin, Jackdaw
Optical equipment	To indicate which equipment is used for the survey. Only one option is possible.	Various: Waterbird census, Rook, Sand Martin, Grey Partridge
Playback	To check the species names for which playback will be played during the survey.	Woodpeckers
Potential breeding pairs	To enter the number of breeding pairs. This information will be asked when entering data.	Jackdaw
Rain	To indicate if there are any rain.	Various SOCC
Reason(s) for moderate / bad conditions	To choose the reason for bad surveying conditions. Only one option is possible.	Various: Waterbird census, Rook, Sand Martin
Snow coverage	To indicate the proportion of snow cover.	Waterbird census
Sound played	The user should indicate if they used playback to detect the species.	Grey Partridge
Suspected nests	Number of suspected nests. This information will be asked when entering data.	Various: Rook, Sand Martin
Temperature	To indicate approximate temperature.	SOCC
Temporary shallow water bodies	To indicate the frequency of water bodies.	Corncrake
Visibility	To indicate the approximate distance within which it is possible to identify species, or an overall description.	Various: SOCC, Waterbird census
Water level	To indicate the water level.	Various: Waterbird census, Rook, Sand Martin
Waves	to indicate how the waves are.	Waterbird census
Wind	To indicate if there is any wind.	SOCC

Besides the optional parameters, a user will always be asked:

Comments

An optional comments field will appear in the Choosing date section and may be accompanied by other options depending on the protocol:

• Comment: a comment referring to a general observation,
  

• Additional observer: to name other observer/s participating in the census,
  

• Important changes: to note important changes from previous visits, like noise, pollution or construction work,
  

• Impacts: to record any impact taking place during the survey,
  

• Incidents: to report any incident that may have happened during the count.
  

Hide all records from the public

The user will have the option of keeping records private by checking the appropriate cell. Administrators will always have access to private records (see image above).

Record the trace

This option is only available when entering protocol data through NaturaList. By checking the appropriate cell the user can keep a record of their track.

Parameters

Shows the status of the Free area tool parameter for the "Name of the protocol (here Waterbird Census Protocol)" :

• YES: Free area tool is active.
  
• NO: Free area tool is inactive.
  

When active, it allows both users and administrators to see polygons that have not yet been assigned to an observer. Users can ask to be assigned to a site. See wiki section Web interace > Free area tool for details.

1. Details

See details of the free area tool.

2. Edit

Edit details of the free area tool.

Change status if necessary and click:

• BACK to go to previous screen without saving changes, or
  
• MODIFY to save changes.
  

When the Free area tool is active, administrators have a few more options than regular users when accessing the Free area tool as a user:

• Assigned census/Sample area: list of assigned areas.
  
• Statistics on request: list of messages sent by observers.
  

 

Files for playback

1. Search

Reduce list by typing the name of a species, or part of it, and click SEARCH. When a filter is applied, to deactivate it, click on DISPLAY ALL to see the full list.

2. Page and items

Select page number and/or number of items per page. Count indicate the total of items found for the search.

3. Details

See name of species and the file name containing its playback.

4. Edit

Modify playback file or species name for the selected entry.

5. Delete

Delete the entry from the list.

6. NEW

Add a new playback file to the list.

Shortcuts group

List of existing shortcut groups for this protocol.

1. Search

Reduce list by typing the name of the Shortcut group, or part of it, and click SEARCH.
When a filter is applied, to deactivate it, click on DISPLAY ALL to see the full list.

2. Page and items

Select page number and/or number of items per page. Count indicates the total amount of items found for the search.

3. Details

See details for the selected group.

4. Edit

Edit selected shortcut group.

5. Delete

Delete shortcuts group. You will be asked to confirm. Click YES to delete and NO to cancel.

6. NEW

Create a new shortcut group.

Shortcuts

List of species for which a shortcut exists.

1. Search

Reduce list by typing the name of the group, or part of it, and click SEARCH. When a filter is applied, to deactivate it, click on DISPLAY ALL to see the full list.

2. Page and items

Select page number and/or number of items per page. Count indicates the total of items found for the search.

3. Details

See details for the selected speies.

4. Edit

Edit selected shortcut group.

5. Delete

Delete species shortcut from the group. You will be asked to confirm. Click YES to delete and NO to cancel.

6. NEW

Create a new species shortcut.

Check data

Visualise a summary of survey data.

1. Graphs

Scroll down to see all graphs:

Number of censuses: number of censuses per year from last years to present.

Census duration: total number of hours of survey per year, from last years to present.

Average census time: average number of minutes per survey.

2. Site / Observer

Select a site and/or an observer from the expandable menu. Type the name, or part of it, if nedeed to reduce the list of options. If only a site is observed, you will see surveys from all observers; if only an observer is selected, you will see all sites the observer has access to. See image below as an example of its results.

Place pointer on any coloured square to display date of survey and number of species recorded. Click on any date to display a list of species recorded on a new window.

The color is linked to the number of species counted during the census.

White: = 0 specie

Red : =1 specie

Orange to Yellow to Green: 11 level of colors according the number of species between 1 to 20.

Green: = or >20 species

3. Period / Site

Select a count period and a region from the expandable menu to see surveys at the selected period and site. See image Waterbird census protocol. Check data by selecting site and/or observer as an example of results.

4. Sites without data

Select a count period and a region from the expandable menu. A list will show all sites without data for the selected period and observers assigned to each of the listed sites. Click on any observer's name to access their personal card. Check the e-mail cell (image below, A) to send a message to the observer/s at the site; or check check all on top (image below, B) to send a general message to all observers at all sites.

A message template is shown below the list, along with the email addresses receiving this message (see image below). Change recepients by selecting a new study site from the list above. Send it as it is or type a message in the designated area to personalise it. When done, click SEND THE REQUESTS to send the message.

 

Report

Visualise pooled results from surveys.

1. Filter dates

Select the starting and ending date using the expandable calendar on the right or typing directly dd.mm.yyyy in the corresponding field.

2. Temporal aggregation

Select aggregating criteria from the expandable menu on the right. Options are:

Day: Shows results per day. This is the default option.

Pentad: Shows results in groups of five days.

Week: Shows results per week.

Decade: Shows results in groups of ten days.

Month: Shows results per month.

Year: Shows results per year.

3. Spatial aggregation

Select spatial aggregating criteria from the expandable menu on the right. Options are:

Country: Results are grouped per area covered by the local portal. If the portal only covers part of the country, only this part is considered; if the local portal covers the whole country, all the country is considered.

Canton: Cantons are country-specific administrative defined areas. Their official name differs from country to country: Kreis, province, district, commarca, county, and so on.

Municipality: Municipality, like a canton, is an area administratively defined and country specific.

Supersite: A supersite is a place that includes many other localities, and can only be used if it was previously created.

Place: A place is a group of Localities (see below) linked together within the protocol. It is either represented on the map by a yellow dot or hidden. For example, in STOC EPS census, one may have different point counts in a square. Each of the points represents a Locality, but the square with all the points is a Place. Do the search accordingly. Note sometimes Place and Locality are the same. For example, in the Common breeding bird survey, a Locality represents a transect, and there is only one transect per square.

Locality: A Locality is the exact location a survey takes place. It may represent a point, a transect or a polygon, depending on the study, and it is represented on the map as a dot.

4. Visualisation

SHOW: See results on screen, or

EXPORT: Download results on an excel file.

 

Map

Display the area map by site.

It displays the statistics and information for the selected area:

1: Select area

2: Point displayed

3: pink point = areas where polygons are

4: statistics concerning the area displayed.

Select the site and see details as explained in wiki section Web interface > Protocols >"Name of the protocol "(here Waterbird census protocol) > Map.

Functions in section 4 of image "Protocols. Links for administrators". are different from those of non-administrators.

Links for the polygon

Place the pointer on icons to see the meaning of each of them.

Add observations: Add further observations to this site or any other as described in wiki section Web interface > Protocols > Preparation and data > Add observations.

All site data: See all records associated to the site. From this screen (see image below) you can access other data as in the Search engine tool.

List of records to be checked: See all records associated to the site needing verification.

Links for the square

Place the pointer on icons to see the meaning of each of them.

Modify the protocol: Modify the protocol as described in wiki section Web > Protocols > Preparation and data > Modify the protocol.

All site data: See all records associated to the site. From this screen (see image Waterbird census protocol. Adding observations to a polygon) you can access other data as in the Search engine tool.

List of records to be checked: See all records associated to the site needing verification.

Data visualisation: See all protocols associated to this site as in Web interface > Protocols > "Name of the protocol" (here Waterbird protocol) Browse observations.

Results: See results as described in wiki section Web interface > Protocols > Preparation and data > Results.

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