Shoreline Monitoring Database

User Guide

General

Shoreline monitoring is often a desired or required goal of community science groups and local entities, but protocols and guidelines can be hard to find and misleading if not used appropriately.

To overcome these obstacles, the shoreline research and management community needs standardized approaches for monitoring and a “toolbox” of protocols and information.

The Shoreline Monitoring Database emphasizes methods that are simple and affordable, and that can be used for monitoring restoration sites and evaluating status and trends. The database is coordinated with the Puget Sound Ecosystem Monitoring Program’s (PSEMP) Nearshore Work Group in order to provide resources for technical expertise.”

Primary components include (1) a decision tree that will help guide monitoring choices, (2) organization and documentation of protocols that are not well known or are not in digital form, (3) database capabilities that can combine multiple datasets and ensures data longevity and compatibility across groups, (4) data visualizations of uploaded data, and (5) a map of sampling locations. The goal is to have a platform that will build upon other resources to fulfill monitoring needs. This can help inform decisions to catalyze action by (1) providing effective guidance for how to monitor, (2) helping environmental entities and organizations access the resources they need in order to move forward in their goals, and (3) providing a feedback loop of completed projects that can inform future projects.


Accounts

In the top right corner of the page there is a 'Sign Up' button. Once you click that button, you will fill in your details, and you will be registered.

On the 'Log In' page, click the 'Forgot your password?' link below the log in form.

The link will take you to a form and ask you to put in your email. You will then receive an email with instructions to change your password.

If you can't remember the email address you used, or the form does not work, get in touch with us using the details on the Contact page.


Surveys

On the landing page for each protocol there are templates for data collection and submission.

Once you have collected your data, create a .csv file, and input the data from your field datasheet/s, so that it exactly matches the formatting of the example data .csv. Pay attention to case, capitalization, and the maximum number of digits in each field.

Make sure you are logged in, by looking for your username in the top right corner of the page. If you are not logged in already, click the 'Log In' button.

Navigate to the correct protocol by going to the Protocols page, then choosing the protocol your surveys are for.

From there, click on the Submit button, and fill out the form. Note that you can upload one attachment to each upload (such as an image, map, or pdf report detailing your site/study), and that you must add some information into the 'Read me text' box (additional info on site/study, or website link). Make sure to include any specific methods of data collection.

It is important that you keep a copy of the .csv file you upload, if you wish to refer to it again in the future. Only the data is stored in the Shoreline Monitoring Database, the file itself is not stored.

First, check the page for red error text, and ensure you have attached a data file in .csv format, and included text in the 'Read me text' box.

If there is a problem with your data file, there will be error messages on the page. The messages should tell you what about your upload could not be validated. Amend your data file accordingly, and then try to upload it again.

If you still can't successfully upload your data, please get in touch, using the details on the Contact page.

Make sure you are logged in, by looking for your username in the top right corner of the page. If you are not logged in already, click the 'Log In' button.

Navigate to the correct protocol by going to the Protocols page, then choosing the protocol.

Click on the 'Upload History' button to all previous data uploads. In the table, search, sort, or look for the upload you want to edit.

When you've found the upload you want to edit, click the 'overwrite' link. This will take you to the details view of the upload.

To edit the 'Read me text' click the 'edit' button above the text box.

To edit the attachment click either the 'delete' or 'replace' buttons below the attachment. If there is no attachment, you can add one by clicking the 'Add an attachment' button.

To edit the data, click the 'overwrite' button above the surveys table, and attach the new .csv file. You can overwrite the whole dataset for an upload, but you can't edit it line by line. Make the changes you want to the .csv file on your computer, or prepare a new .csv file, and then upload.

Note, you can only overwrite your own uploads.