Data Input
Data input into the Shoresearch tablet/mobile app (including any uploaded photos) is automatically uploaded into the national Shoresearch Data Portal, while completed paper survey forms are manually input into the Data Portal by Wildlife Trust staff or trained volunteers. Records on the Data Portal are reviewed by your coordinating local Wildlife Trust staff/trained volunteers, who are able to make changes to the record you submit, such as changing or specifying the species name, to ensure records are accurate.
The Shoresearch Data Portal is based on the biological record management software developed by The Biological Records Centre (BRC) called Indicia. The software is utilised by iRecord and other environmental recording schemes. Indicia is developed with record verification and data flow ability in mind and has functionality inbuilt to facilitate these.
The Shoresearch Data Portal captures a range of survey types which are part of the standardised Shoresearch protocol;
- Quadrat Biodiversity Survey
- Box Core Survey
- Walkover Survey
- Times Species Search
Each survey form is designed to collect data specific to each survey methodology. All survey forms collect necessary information about the survey activity including;
- Date
- Location (as name and GPS Coordinates in decimal latitude and longitude format fields)
- Survey start and end times
- Site designations
- Details of the surveyors and participants
- Environmental conditions (tide times and height, weather, temperature)
- General habitat types, biotope and substrate
Each form asks for details specific to the methodology used (i.e. quadrat data, box core data, species lists, etc.). These survey specific forms also enable species record entry as well as additional data. The Shoresearch survey forms are developed to capture the necessary details for each survey method. The lead coordinator can use survey methods best suited to the habitat and conditions of the site.
The data fields are validated as closely as possible using data form restrictions for date and coordinate fields, for example, or dropdown or check box functionality in other cases.
Users can upload photos of the survey, quadrats or species found during the survey, which aids verification later (outlined below). Each photo is linked to the Record via a unique ID within the database and passed onto the BRC warehouse along-side each Record.
Data Flow
Data submitted to the Shoresearch Data portal is hosted on the Biological Records Centre online data warehouse. From here it is incorporated into the iRecord verification procedures to ensure accuracy of the records (for more information on the iRecord verification process, please see the BRC website). This process ensures that Shoresearch survey data is available to users at a national level.
Once verified, records are shared with the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas (formerly Gateway) under an agreement from The Wildlife Trusts. This data will be collated alongside other data and made available via the NBN Atlas by the relevant national recording scheme, or will be provided directly via the NBN Atlas in a dataset administered by the Biological Records Centre and/or the relevant national recording scheme. The dataset is updated on the NBN Atlas on a two-monthly or quarterly basis using an automated export process. If you do not want your observations to be made available in this way, please do not submit them.
Once verified records have been made available, their use will be governed by the NBN Atlas (Gateway) Terms and Conditions. Your name will be stored as part of the record and may be made publicly available via the NBN Atlas along with the species name, date and location of the record. If you submit a record of a species that could be vulnerable to disturbance or persecution if the record is made publicly available, the record will be flagged as ‘sensitive’ and will not be made publicly available. Your contact details will be held in a database at the Biological Records Centre and will only be used to contact you if there is a query about the verification of your wildlife observations. The personal data you submit with records is lawfully kept indefinitely.
Shoresearch data is shared under an Creative Commons licence with attribution (CC-BY) and allows Local Environmental Record Centers (LERC) and other designated organisations or individuals to download Shoresearch survey data directly from the Shoresearch Data Portal via the iRecord LERC download functionality. This ensures the downward flow of data to local biological record processors for use at county/local level.
Anyone with a Shoresearch account on the Data Portal may view submitted records. Account holders (e.g. Wildlife Trusts/accounts which self-lead Shoresearch and upload their own data) may also download records they have submitted.
This data flow ensures the valuable Shoresearch data you collect can be shared and used by environmental organisations, scientists and individuals. This realises the true value of your data, helping to protect the marine environment.
Validation and Verification
Validation is the process of carrying out standardized, often automated checks on the ‘completeness’, accuracy of transmission and validity of the content of a record.
Verification is the process that ensures the accuracy of the identification of the things being recorded.
Before entering into any data system, each Record collected through Shoresearch is either verified in the field or via photographic checking by Shoresearch staff or core volunteers. Once manually checked, the records are processed into the National Shoresearch Survey Data Portal.
As the Portal is based on an Indicia system, it adopts an online approach to record verification. Verification is done within the BRC process via iRecord.
There are three levels of record validation and verification within the Indicia system:
- In the field and during data entry, the fields have validation rules set up to ensure that;
a. date format data,
b. coordinates are in a valid format,
c. species names are based on the UK Species Inventory accepted naming convention,
d. other field entries are confined by dropdown or checkbox options for the users to ensure consistency in the entered data. Each participating Trust assigns trained volunteers or members of staff responsible for processing records into the Shoresearch Data Portal. - The automated record check is a system where each Record is checked against established rules developed with national recording schemes by the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) used by the NBN Record Cleaner system. For specific taxonomic groups, these rules particular constraints for each species within the taxon group;
a. The known geographic range
b. The seasonal range of the species
c. Difficulties with identification in the field
If a record fails, these rules it is flagged within the Indicial system with icons reflecting the rules for which it failed. - Every Record submitted to the Indicia system goes through manual verification. Within BRC, nearly all verifiers are expert volunteers working on behalf of a national recording scheme, or a team of volunteers working at the county level. These volunteer experts have access to a restricted page on the BRC iRecord system on which they are presented with each Record within their area of expertise. These records contain all the details submitted and the ability to directly contact the recorder, the details of the rules that the Record failed in the Automated record checking process, any photos, or previous comments relating to the Record. The verifier uses this information to decide the verification status for the Record. These statuses can be changed later as and when more information regarding the Record comes to light.
The Wildlife Trusts aims to recruit trained Shoresearch volunteers to act as verifiers on the iRecord/BRC process to complete the manual verification for records collected through the National Shoresearch project.
Indicia Verification Status
Verification level 1 Verification level 2 Accepted Correct Considered correct Not accepted Unable to verify Incorrect Unconfirmed Plausible Not reviewed Explanation of terms for verification status 1:
- Accepted: The record is accepted as meeting the standard required for inclusion by the recording scheme or project in question.
- Not accepted: The record is NOT accepted as meeting the standard required for inclusion.
- Unconfirmed: The record is in the system but has either not been looked at, or a verification decision not yet been reached.
Explanation of terms for verification status 2:
- Correct: The verifier is able to confirm that the species has been identified correctly, usually on the basis of photo/s within iRecord (or specimen/s outside iRecord).
- Considered correct: The verifier has not seen photo/s or specimen/s but has a high degree of confidence that the record is likely to be correct, based on difficulty of ID, date, location and recorder skills/experience etc.
- Unable to verify: The verifier has a high degree of confidence that the record is likely to be incorrect based on difficulty of ID, date, location and recorder skills/experience (and where no photo/s or specimen/s are available); or photos are available but do not show enough detail to confirm the identification; and/or the record is not sufficiently well documented to confirm (e.g. location is vague).
- Incorrect: The verifier is able to confirm that the species has not been identified correctly, or the record is erroneous in other respects, on the basis of photo/s or specimen/s, or on information from the recorder.
- Plausible: The record is plausible based on species, date and location, but there is not enough supporting evidence for the possibility of misidentification to be ruled out, and the record remains within the "Unconfirmed" category.
- Not reviewed: The record is in the system but has either not been looked at, or a verification decision not yet been reached (all records start off in this category).
For more information, please visit the BRC website.