Protocols web

Protocols are standardised ways of collecting data linked to a geometry (points, transects or polygons). The methodology to follow depends on the study's goal (see summary on the table below). A country administrator will grant you access if you meet certain criteria. Not all protocols are available in all countries.

Protocols summary table
Name	Group	Mobile support	Points		Transects		Polygons		Surveys/Year
			Number	Time/point	Number	Time/transect	Number	Time/polygon
Waterbird census protocol	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
Private Territory Mapping	Birds	YES
Point count	Birds	YES	1
Woodpeckers	Birds	YES	5
Rock Ptarmigans protocol	Birds	YES	1	n/a			1	≥ 1h	2
Black Grouse protocol	Birds	YES					1	≥ 1h	n/a
Woodcock monitoring	Birds	YES					1		n/a
SOCC Seguiment s'ocells comuns a Catalunya	Birds	NO			1				4
Rook	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
Sand Martin	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
Corncrake	Birds	YES
Jackdaw	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
Grey Partridge	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
MHB & BDM	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
MF Monitoring of breeding birds in wetlands	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
VBS Monitoring of breeding birds on training military areas	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
CBBS in Protected areas	Birds	YES
other territory mapping	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
Woodpecker territory	Birds	YES
Cirl Bunting	Birds	YES	many	n/a					n/a
Bewick's Swan	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
Birds of Prey	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
Bee-eater	Birds	YES					1	n/a	n/a
CoBiMo	Birds	YES			<1	n/a			n/a

Accessing protocols

The easier way to access all functions of a protocol is through the protocol panel. Go to Menu > Take part > All my protocol. It lists all protocols you have access to in this local portal (see image below). Depending on your rights you could also access the protocol panel through the Administration section: Menu > Administration > Protocol administration > Protocol administration. Options vary depending on your rights (administrators have access to more functions).

However, there are other ways that in certain conditions may give access to some of the functions (see following sections).

Entering data

Enter data to a protocol from the protocol panel (see above) or as if submitting records.

To enter data as if submitting records,

1. access the page STEP 1/3 : Approximate choice of a site either from main menu or from Submit button.

2. Choose between:

• choosing from
  

Only available if you have already entered data on this protocol and study site.

Select a protocol, and a site (if there is more than one option for this protocol).

• by clicking on the map.
  

click anywhere within the polygon if you want to enter data on a protocol using polygons, or

click on the protocol dot if you want to enter data on a protocol using dots.

NOTE: Show / hide polygons clicking on the layers icon on the top left corner of the map, and check the cell polygons (see image below). Polygons will be shown in yellow.

• Other options (by typing text, by choosing a municipality).
  

Access to Step 2/3: Precise site choice. Scroll to your study site.

3. Select Add observations on the new window (see image below).

Modify protocol

Modify protocols from

• the protocol panel. Go to Menu > Taking part > All my protocols > "Name of the protocol" > Preparation and data > Modify the protocol. See wiki section above, Local portal > Protocols > Accessing protocols.
  

• submitting records.
  

1. Access the page STEP 1/3 : Approximate choice of a site either from Main menu > Taking part or from Submit button (see image as an example).

2. Scroll down to choosing from if you have already entered data at the site you want to modify; or by clicking on the map to select the site from the map.

3. Click on the site to modify and select Modification of a protocoled census if you accessed from choosing from; or Modify the protocol if accessed from the map.

NOTE: If the protocol you want to modify works with polygons, activate polygons from the layers icon at the top left corner (see image Showing polygons on the map) before clicking on the study site.

Create protocol

Create a new area to survey.

Not all users have access to this function. It depends on the protocol, your local portal and your rights. If you do, access the map as if entering observations and click anywhere on the map (except on a dot or polygon). Click on Create a protocoled census. If you are allowed to create a new study site in more than one protocol, all options will be listed (see image below).

Preparation and data

Click on Preparation and data lists all sites available to the current profile and allows access to the functions listed hereafter for each place:

Add observations

Click on Add observations (see image below) in the site you need to enter data to.

Starting the protocol

Before entering observations, it is required to enter general parameters regarding the protocol.

1. Select site

If necessary, change site by selecting from the tabs. The active site is highlighted in yellow (see image above).

Choose date

2. Enter date

Choose from the expandable menu the date the survey took place.

3. Enter starting time

Enter the time the census started selecting from the expandable fields.

4. Ending time

Enter the time the census ended selecting from the expandable fields.

5. Enter comments

Choose one option from the tabs on top (5a) and type a comment (5b). Note the number of tabs and the information required may differ from country to country:

• Comment: if the comment will refer to a general observation,
  
• Additional observer: if you name other observer/s participating in the census,
  
• Important changes: to note important changes from your previous visit, like noise, pollution or construction work,
  
• Impacts: record any impact taking place during the survey,
  
• Incidents: report any incident that may have happened during the count.
  

6. Hide all records from the public

Check if you do not want other users to see your records.

Location and visits

7. Count number

Some protocols have certain restrictions regarding the number or dates to conduct surveys. If the protocol requires it, select from the expandable menu which visit your data corresponds to. If the protocol does not require this field, you will only see Reference name and Reference locality.

8. Parameters

Enter parameters required for your polygon. Note fields and the order in which they appear may differ from country to country. You may not encounter all possible fields described underneath. Expand the table below to see all possibilities.

Fields marked with an asterisk are mandatory.

Parameters
Name	Description
Additional observer	Indicate if you are accompanied by someone whose observations are also recorded.
Cloud cover	Indicate if there were clouds.
Comment	You may enter a comment if you find it appropriate.
Conditions in general	Choose how are surveying conditions overall regarding weather and disturbances, and may be asked to indicate on next section the reason if surveying conditions are not good.
Conditions (notes)	Leave a note regarding conditions if necessary.
Count method	Indicate if you are surveying from the ground, the air, the water, a different way, or if it is unknown.
Count paid	Indicate if the count is paid for or not.
Count type	Tick roost count if you are counting roosting birds, or during day otherwise.
Counting mammals?	Indicate if besides the compulsory taxonomic group, you also counted mammals.
Coverage	Indicate how much of the designated survey area is covered in the survey.
Coverage (notes)	Leave any comment regarding the coverage.
Drone used	Indicate if drones were used during the survey.
Ice	Indicate the percentage of water surface that is frozen.
Important changes	Indicate if there have been major changes since your last visit.
Intact nests	Type number of intact nests. This information will be asked when entering data.
Moving/Harvest	Indicate the surface that has been harvested or mown.
Neutralised time
Nest location	Select from the expandable menu the location of the nest.
Number of canoes/kayaks	Enter number.
Number of fishing boats	Enter number.
Number of fishing boats	Enter number.
Number of motor boats	Enter number.
Number of nests occupied by other species	Type number of nests occupied by species other than the ones counted in the current protocol. This information will be asked when entering data.
Number of persons on shore	Enter number.
Number of rowing boats	Enter number.
Number of sailing boats	Enter number.
Number of sports divers	Enter number.
Number of stand up paddlers	Enter number.
Number of surfers	Enter number.
Occupied nests	Type number of occupied nests. This information will be asked when entering data.
Optical equipment	Indicate which equipment you are using for the survey, if any. Note you can only choose one option.
Playback	Check the species names for which playback will be played during the survey.
Potential breeding pairs	Type the number of breeding pairs. This information will be asked when entering data.
Rain	Indicate if there was any rain.
Reason(s) for moderate / bad conditions	If general conditions indicated above are not good, open the expandable menu and choose the reason (see image below). Only one option is possible: choose the one that is closest to the reality.
Snow coverage	Indicate the proportion of snow cover.
Sound played	Indicate if you used playback to detect the species by sliding the mark on/off.
Suspected nests	Type number of suspected nests. This information will be asked when entering data.
Temperature	Indicate approximate temperature.
Temporary shallow water bodies	Indicate the frequency of water bodies.
Visibility	Indicate the approximate distance within which it is possible to identify species, or an overall description.
Water level	Indicate the water level.
Waves	Indicate how the waves are.
Wind	Indicate if there was any wind.

9. Start entering data

Options may differ from protocol to protocol but can be summarised as:

NEXT: Continue entering data normally.

CHOOSE A LIST TO ENTER DATA: Some protocols make a distinction between a Basic and an Extended list (see image Continue to enter data as an example).

BASIC LIST: Select to load a species list strictly related to the protocol (ie. waterbirds). It will facilitate entering data. See an example of how it may look like in image Example of a basic list compared to an Example of extended list. Which species belong to a basic list is determined by each local portal and may differ from one to another.

EXTENDED LIST: Select to load a species list strictly related to the protocol (ie. waterbirds) along with other related ones (ie. reed-living species). It will facilitate entering data. See an example of how it may look like in image Example of extended list. Species included in a basic list and an extended list are determined by each local portal and may differ from country to country.

If the administrator of the protocol did not prepare any list for this protocol, you will not be given any list of species to enter from; but you will still have to choose a list option in this section.

NO SPECIES / INDIVIDUALS WERE SEEN: Indicate if your survey did not provide any data. You will be taken to directly to end the protocol. Surveys with no species are also important results! It means you followed the established methodology, and therefore your survey is valid, but no birds were present. They can indicate major population changes and are of extreme importance for conservation purposes.

Entering observations

Enter observations as if entering a list. See wiki section Web interface > Submitting records > Step 3/3: Transmit my sighting > If accessed from a list> List section if further information is needed.

If your portal provided you with a basic or extended species list, use it to facilitate entering observations.

10. Count precision

Choose from the expandable menu count precision. By default, no sign is displayed and the number entered is assumed to be accurate ( = precise number). See correspondence of symbols at Web interface > Codes and symbols.

11. Number of individuals

Type number of individuals.

12. Atlas code

When available, select from the expandable menu the corresponding atlas code.

13. Additional information

Click on the + sign to open the additional information form, and fill as described in wiki section Web interface > Take part: Submitting records > Step 3/3:Transmit my sighting > If accessed from a list (fill a daily form) > Additional information.

14. Other species

If you want to report a species not in the list, enter as usual: type the name of the species, or part of it, in the left hand field, select from the expandable menu on its right and click on add that species to the list to save the record. When in the list, indicate number of individuals, atlas code and additional information as previously described.

Ending the protocol

When all species are recorded, indicate

1. I recorded all species of the program if you identified and recorded all species seen or heard that are of interest to the protocol, or

2. I recorded all species (=full observation list) if besides all species of interest to the protocol, you also identified and recorded all other species seen or heard. Note you can only record in this list species identified within the designated study area. Any species recorded outside of the study area should be submitted as an individual record.

Then, you will be taken to set parameters to start a new protocol.

Results

See some general statistics about your surveys results on a page by graphs, list and list plus percent of frequency occurrence .

To see specific counts results go to Census results or Display on map.

Graphs Number of species and Total number :

Number of species

Represents the number of species recorded during each visit.

In the example in the image above, the user recorded 7 species during the first visit of 2021, 4 on the second visit, and 5 on each of the last two. Equally, no species were recorded in any of the 4 visits of 2023.

Click on the download icon (encircled in picture) to download the data as a .CVS file, that can be uploaded into R software.

Total number

Represents the number of individuals recorded in each visit, pulling all species together.

From the example in the image above, the user recorded 53 individuals on the first visit of 2021, 14 on the second and so on, and none in any of the visits in 2023.

Click on the download icon (encircled in picture) to download the data as a .CVS file, that can be uploaded into R software.

Statistics and results of recorded species:

Last visit

List of species recorded at the selected site during the last visit. Use arrows under titles to alternate between ascending and descending order (see image as an example). Orange arrow in image indicates the date of last visit.

Species only reported during the last visit

List of species recorded only during the last visit and no other visit. Use arrows under titles to alternate between ascending and descending order (see image as an example). Orange arrow in image indicates the date of the last visit.

Species only reported during previous visits

List of species that were not reported during the last visit but were seen in one of the previous ones. Use arrows under titles to alternate between ascending and descending order (see image as an example). Orange arrow in image indicates the date of last visit.

Species for all years

List of all species reported by the user at this site, and the frequency of occurence. Use arrows under titles to alternate between ascending and descending order (see image as an example). Orange arrow in image indicates the date of last visit.

Display on map

For the selected site, see the polygon, line or point to survey on a map. To know how to navigate the map, refer to wiki section Web interface > Navigating the map.

Here you can:

1. Visualize your polygon/transect/point to count
2. Generate a printable map version of your census area
   
   

Modify the protocol

Modify the site to survey. Only users that have been granted this right will have access to the section.

1. Modify name

Add or amend site custom name. Site reference name can only be changed by administrators.

2. Modify polygon, line or point

Change the shape of the polygon, line or position of the point. See Web interface > Navigating the map to know how to move around the map, and Web interface > Geometry editor to know how to draw or modify a polygon, line or point.

3. Download polygon, line or point

Download the polygon, line or point as a shapefile, to use in the future or to modify it with an external GIS program.

4. Upload site

Import an existing polygon, line or point.

Census results

Click on Census results to see all available years with data for this site (see image below). Select the one to visualise.

Sites with no records do not appear on the menu. You can only see your own records, unless you are a protocol administrator. To know more about administrators, see wiki section Administration.

A new window will show all your records at the selected site. A grey section on top contains general information about this particular count, while the bottom part refers to the observations.

A. Protocol section

General information about the selected visit at the selected site.

1. Date

Date and time of selected survey. Notice the bar representing the extent of the day, and the yellow marking indicating time of day the survey took place (see image Time of survey).

2. Site

Site of selected survey.

3. Author

Name of observer. If you are an administrator, click on name to access their personal card.

4. General comment

Comment about the selected survey.

5. Protocol

11. Click on the + sign to expand the panel, and on the - sign to collapse when opened (encircled on image below). It summarises protocol parameters for this visit (see image below).

12. Click on the + sign to expand the panel, and on the - sign to collapse when opened (encircled on image below). It lists all visits (see image below).

6. Export maps of all visits

Download maps as described in sub section Web interface > Protocols > Preparation and data > Download map below.

7. Export

Export your data as described in wiki section Web interface > Exporting your data.

B. Observations section

1. Visits

List of al visits to the site for the selected period. Use the bar on the right to see all visits if necessary.

NOTE: a danger sign besides the census date indicates census were entered in uncorrelated dates even when the date introduced is the correct one. Do enter census in chronological order to avoid the issue.

2. Species

List of species recorded on the selected visit to this site. If necessary, move the right hand bar to see the full list. See wiki section Various > Symbols cheatsheet to know correspondence of symbols next to species names.

If your observations were submitted through the website, records are associated to a protocol polygon but their precise location within the polygon is unknown. No observations will be displayed in the map (see image Waterbird census protocol. Browsing visits as an example).

If your observations were submitted through NaturaList, records are displayed on the map on their precise location within the polygon (see image Waterbird census protocol. Records visualisation on the map. as an example).

3. Map

See the polygon of the surveyed site and all observations for the selected visit, if they were submitted through NaturaList. To know how to navigate the map, visit wiki section Web interface > Navigating the map.

To better visualise observations, select a species from the Observed species section left of the map (see sub-section 2. Species above). All records of the selected species are displayed in red, while all others continue being displayed in yellow.

7. Summary of observations
Details associated to the selected observation are summarised next to its position (represented by a red dot). To see how to interpret it, refer to wiki section Mobile interface > Understanding a summary of observations.

8. Additional functions
Click on any record to open a menu with additional functions. Red dots indicate observations where additional functions apply to. Note not all protocols allow all functions and therefore, some protocols may not display all icons.

9. Zoom
Select to zoom and center observations. Choose between

Zoom on all records of the species to see and center all records of the selected species.
Zoom on all records to see and center all records of this visit. When selected this option, all records will be displayed even when they were previously hidden.

10. Add a species in the form
Add a new entry to the selected visit. Enter information as for a list. See wiki section Web interface > Submitting records > Step 3/3: Submit my sighting > As if accessed from a list > List section.

Download map

It is possible to download the map, for example if you cannot record observations on your device while in the field, or to keep a second copy of your data for dataproof. You can choose the map layer (available layers depend on the local portal), the transparency of the map and the colour mode (colour vs. black and white), in any combination, and download as a pdf file.

The PDF file displays:

- the map of your protocol area with the polygon, points and/or transects to survey

- a QR code that, when scanned, drives you directly to the place on the map while entering data on the web

- the name of the local portal the map comes from

- the GPS coordinates, Atitude, Reference place name for the polygon, points or transect, and Reference name

1. Choose from the expandable menu the map layer you would like to print.

2. Click on pdf icon to download the map as a pdf.

Check data

Calendar showing visits to different sites and number of species detected.

1. Select site

Select a site by typing the name, or part of the name, in the left field (1a) and/or selecting from the expandable menu on the right (1b). Click 'Select a site' from the expandable menu to revert the selection and visualise all site again.

2. SHOW

Click to apply selection.

3. Graphic area

See a calendar with dates in which surveys took place (colored cells). Move pointer on any colored cell to see the date the census took place and the number of species recorded. The darker the colour, the larger number of species.

Click on any coloured cell to see on a new window a list of species recorded on that date. Refer to wiki section Web interface > Codes and symbols to understand the meaning of the different symbols associated to each observation.

Map

Map and statistics for the site. You can only see your own site/s unless you are a user with special rights or an administrator.

1. Select site

Select area on the left hand expandable menu (1a) and/or study site on the right hand menu (1b). 'Country' on the area menu refers to the whole area covered by the local portal you are in.

2. Statistics

Basic statistics about the selected area or site/sites.

• Statistics for the displayed region
  

Statistics when more than one site is included in the selected area. Data from all sites are pooled in the results.

• Statistics for square
  

Statistics when only one site is included in the search. It includes names of all users involved, and it is possible to contact them (icon 2) and/see all records associated by the user (icon 1).

3. Map area

Map with the polygons to survey highlighted in pink. Visit wiki section Web interface > Navigating the map to know how to navigate the map.
Select a site on the right hand expandable menu (see 1b) when there is more than one site per area.

Click on the desired polygon to see details (see image below).

4. Links for the polygon/transect/point

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.

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 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.

Data visualisation:

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

5. Export

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

Visit wiki section Web interface > Exporting your data for more information on exporting.

6. Download map

Choose map layer and style.

Visit wiki section Web interface > Protocols > Preparation and data > Download map for more information on downloading maps.

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