Sites

Creating a new Site

A site is a reusable place record. Collecting events belong to a site, and specimen capture records reach the site through their collecting event. Create one site for each distinct camp, trap line, locality, or other place used by your project.

1. Navigate to the site page using the bottom navigation bar.

2. Use the + button at the top right corner to create a new site.

   You can also use the three-dot menu icon and tap Create site.

   Tip

   You can minimize repeated entry by duplicating a site instead of creating a new one. Open the three-dot menu and choose Duplicate site. NAHPU copies the site information, but leaves the Site ID and coordinates empty. Enter a unique ID and add the correct coordinates before saving.

3. Create a site ID.

   We recommend creating a site ID convention for your team. An example of site ID convention for mammalogy fieldwork:

   • City, town, or village is ID-ed as it is. For example, the city of Bogor will be BOGOR.
   • The camp site uses {2-letter locality abbreviation}-CAMP{camp number} format. For example, camp 1 in Mt. Gede-Pangrango is GP-CAMP1.
   • The trap line uses {2-letter locality abbreviation}{trapline leader initial}-L{line number} format. For example, line 1 in Mt. Gede-Pangrango led by Heru Handika is GPHH-L1.
   • The pitfall line uses {2-letter locality abbreviation}{pitfall line leader initial}-P{line number} format. For example, line 1 in Mt. Gede-Pangrango led by Heru Handika is GPHH-P1.

   Tip

   For a project involving multiple devices, use the same Site ID for an identical site. This makes exchanged site and event records easier to match when they are imported into another project device.

4. Add the Site leader

   If this is a field camp, you can put the team leader name. If it is a trap line, you can designate the person in charge of that trap line as the site leader.

5. Add the site type

   The site type categorizes the site by its characteristics or use. Choose a value from the project's configured site-type list.

6. Fill in the geography details

   Start with Find existing locality. It matches what you type against every locality already saved in the project, and selecting a suggestion fills the whole geography hierarchy at once. Each field also suggests values already recorded for that field, so a country or state you have typed before comes back as an option.

   Localities are stored once and shared between sites, so reusing a saved locality avoids creating a near-duplicate place record. Which geography fields appear is configurable in Settings.

   We recommend following your museum convention for writing the precise locality and remarks.

   Writing remarks

   If the site is a trapline, it is a good practice to explain how the trapline is run.

   For example:

   The trapline runs from Shelter I to Shelter IV along the trails between the two camp sites.

7. Fill in the habitat information

   • Type: The type of habitats: plantation, lowland rainforest, upper montane forest, etc.

   • Condition: The condition of the habitat: disturbed, undisturbed, minimal disturbance, etc.

   • Description: A brief description of the habitat. For example:

     Dominated by oak trees. The ground was mostly covered by ferns, gingers, and oak seedlings.

Site information

The site form records the place and the people responsible for it:

• Site ID: a project-unique identifier used by events and exchanged records.
• Site leader: the person responsible for the camp, trap line, or other site.
• Site type: the configured category for the site.
• Geography: Country, Island group, State/Province, County/Parish/District, and Municipality/City/Town, shared between sites that record the same place.
• Precise Locality and Remarks: the specific named place below municipality level, and notes about how the site is used or operated.
• Habitat type, condition, and description: the environment observed at the site.

Managing sites

Open the three-dot menu on the site page for these actions:

• Create site: create a new site record.
• Duplicate site: copy the site details into a new record with a blank ID and blank coordinates.
• Copy from project ...: copy selected site information from a site in another project into the current empty site.
• Show QR: display the site record for another mobile device to scan.
• Export site: save the site record as JSON or compresed in a ZIP/TAR.GZ file for records with media attachments. The exported file can be imported into another device or shared with other team members.

  Tip

  For large site records or for importing site into another device without a camera access, use this option. You can then transfer the file to another device and import it there.

• Scan QR: create or replace a site from a site QR code.
• Import site: create or replace a site from an exported JSON record.
• Delete record: delete the current site. A site cannot be deleted while an event still references it.
• Delete all records: delete all sites in the current project. Events that reference those sites must be removed first.

When importing a site, choose whether the imported record creates a new site or updates an existing site. Review linked personnel and coordinates after an import.

Copy site data from another project

Use Copy from project ... when a site in another project has information that you want to reuse in the current project. This action fills the current site; it does not create a new site or change the source project.

The current site must be empty before you begin. A site with information, coordinates, media, or linked data cannot receive copied data. At least two projects must exist, because the source must be a different project.

1. Open the site that will receive the copied information. Make sure it is an empty site record.

2. Open the three-dot menu and select Copy from project ....

3. Select the source project by name, then select one of its sites.

4. Select the data to copy. The available choices include:

   • Site ID
   • Site leader
   • Site type
   • Geography fields, including country, island group, state/province, county/parish/district, municipality/city/town, and precise locality
   • Remarks
   • Habitat type, condition, and description
   • Coordinates

   Fields without data in the source site are unavailable. Selecting Coordinates copies all coordinates belonging to the selected source site.

5. Select Copy to fill the current site.

The source site remains unchanged. This action copies site fields and coordinates only; it does not copy site media, associated-data links, fossil-site records, collecting events, or other records linked to the source site.

If copying is unavailable

If NAHPU reports that multiple projects are required, create or import another project first. If it reports that the site is not empty, create a new site or remove the existing site information, coordinates, media, and linked data before trying again.

Adding coordinates

Each site can have multiple coordinate records for trapline ends, separate collection points, or other points that belong to the same site. Add a coordinate manually, use the device GPS, or import points from a GIS/GPS file.

Use device GPS while adding a coordinate

1. On the site page, open the coordinate panel and tap/click Add coordinate.

2. On the Add coordinates page, use the Device GPS card and tap/click its location button.

3. NAHPU fills the decimal latitude, decimal longitude, elevation, and GPS uncertainty when the operating system provides them. Review the values, complete the remaining fields, and save the coordinate.

   Enter the GPS unit name separately, using the exact model of your device, such as iPad Mini 4.

Manually adding coordinate

1. On the site page at the coordinate panel, tap/click on the Add coordinate button.

2. Enter the coordinate name.

   Keep the name short and informative. You can use the Notes field to add additional information about the coordinate.

   Tip

   We recommend creating a coordinate name convention for your team. Example of coordinate convention for mammalogy:

   • {siteID}S for a coordinate taken at the start of the trapline, such as KMHH-L1S.
   • {siteID}C for the coordinate taken at the center of the trapline.
   • {siteID}E for a coordinate taken at the end of the trapline, such as KMHH-L1E.
   • If the trapline extends beyond the first start point, the coordinate at the new start is suffixed with {number}. For example, KMHH-L1S2 for first extension, KMHH-L1S3 for the next extension, and so on until the trapline are fully moved.
   • If the trapline extends beyond the first end point, the coordinate at the new end is suffixed with {number}. For example, KMHH-L1E2 for first extension, and continue in a similar manner as the start line extension.

3. Select a coordinate format and enter its values.

   NAHPU accepts decimal degrees (DD), degrees and decimal minutes (DDM), degrees-minutes-seconds (DMS), and a single UTM value in the form zone hemisphere easting northing. UTM input uses WGS84. Latitude and longitude directions must match their axes, and converted decimal values must be within valid latitude and longitude ranges.

   For DDM and DMS, enter degrees, minutes, and seconds in their separate numeric fields, then choose N/S for latitude and E/W for longitude. NAHPU adds the coordinate symbols and concatenates the parts for the Darwin Core verbatim latitude and longitude values.

   NAHPU saves decimal latitude and longitude for calculations and also keeps the concatenated value and coordinate system for Darwin Core verbatim fields. If coordinate values are already entered, changing formats asks for confirmation before clearing them. Selecting DD clears older verbatim coordinate values after the coordinate is saved.

4. Add elevation in meters.

5. Select the datum.

   The default datum is WGS84. Check your GPS settings for the exact datum of your coordinates.

6. Enter uncertainty values in meters.

   Watch the uncertainty of your GPS. Some old GPS may not record the number. It is a good practice to take note of the uncertainty if you do not bring the NAHPU device with you to the coordinate location.

7. Enter the name of the GPS you use.

   Example device name: Garmin 62sc

8. Add notes.

   Add additional information if any.

Import coordinates from a file

Use Add coordinate > Import > Select coordinate file for CSV, TSV, Excel, GeoJSON/JSON, KML, zipped Shapefile, or GPX.

For tabular files, Match columns requires Latitude and Longitude in decimal degrees. Optional fields are Name / ID, Elevation (m), GPS unit, and Notes. Review the inferred mapping, leave unwanted fields as Not included, and select Review coordinates. Use Edit column mapping to correct an unexpected preview.

Review warnings and the mapped positions. Use individual checkboxes, Select all, or Clear all, then Add N selected to add the chosen points to the current site. Check the saved points before using them for specimens.

Imported positions use WGS84. Confirm the source datum before import; this workflow does not convert another datum to WGS84. Elevation is in meters. Coordinate uncertainty is not supplied by this import; review and add it from the source when known. Tabular files can supply the GPS unit, while GIS imports do not supply it.

Only point geometries are imported. Unsupported geometries and invalid rows are skipped with warnings; GPX routes and tracks are ignored. No valid points produces an error instead of new coordinates.

Manage and export coordinates

The Manage button in a site's coordinate panel opens all project coordinates. You can filter the list by site, select individual points or all visible points, focus a point on the map, and open the map in full screen.

1. Open a site's coordinate panel and tap/click Manage.

2. Filter by site if needed, then select the coordinates to export.

3. Tap/click Export coordinates (N).

4. Choose GeoJSON (.geojson), KML (.kml), or Shapefile bundle (.zip). Enter a file name, choose a destination directory, and select Export.

5. After the file is created, use Share on devices that support sharing.

Every exported coordinate must have a valid decimal latitude and longitude. GIS exports include the coordinate name, notes, WGS84 decimal latitude and longitude, and elevation when available. Coordinate export is separate from Export records, project bundles, and database backups; use those options when you need tabular records or a restorable NAHPU project copy.