Standards for complex observation types

Absence Data/Negative Data

Note: this standard is in progress

Temporary solution

Field standards

Field Name	AC CDC Standards and Notes	Examples
NAMEtemp	Genus species [ABSENT] If the observation is tied to an existing record:Genus species [ABSENT; old record IDNUM]	Platanthera hookeri [ABSENT; old record is IDNUM 625173]
OBDESC	If the observation is tied to an existing record, enter this text in the existing record OBDESC field: [site searched by observer on OBDATE but species not seen. DM_INITIALS DATE_OBDESC_NOTE_ADDED]	[site searched by Don McLelland on 2021 06 19 but species not seen. JEP 2021 09 20]

Bird Observations - non-eBird Data

Note: this standard is in progress

e.g., point counts, incidental observations

Case 1. True location of bird: _Coordinates _– location of bird [Locuncm] - the estimated magnitude of error in the coordinates assigned to the true location (i.e., error in GPS + error in correctly plotting position) [NOTEloc] – “coordinates are location of bird”

Case 2. Bird detected within some distance of a known location (e.g., point count survey) _Coordinates _– location of a survey station [Locuncm] - the estimated distance of the bird from the survey station [NOTEloc] – “coordinates are location from which bird was observed, not the location of bird” – or – “coordinates are of survey station”

Ecological Communities

Note: this standard is in progress

Field Name	Description	Required?
ELCODE	If the observation pertains to a defined community (i.e., one with an ELCODE) use the ELCODE field	ACTION: add Neily established community types, generating an ELCODE for each (*-NS)
NAMEtemp	If the observation does not pertain to a defined community put in the NAMEtemp field the prefix [COMMUNITY] followed by scientific names of the dominant stratum and minimal description (CSB 160524)	Example: [COMMUNITY] Picea mariana8 - Abies balsamea1 - Picea rubens1 upland/swamp forest
obDESC	age and condition of the community	Example: 75 year old forest, mesic to wet swamp
obASSP	Additional associated species preferably in order of abundance within a plant layer (from subcanopy, shrub/sapling, understory, moss/lichen on ground	Example: Nemopanthus mucronatus; Gaylussacia baccata (70% tall shrub cover); Kalmia angustifolia; Pteridium aquilinum var. latiusculum; Cornus canadensis; Ledum groenlandicum; Pleurozium schreberi; Sphagnum sp

Examples.

1. Ecological community that does not have an ELCODE: NAMEtemp = [COMMUNITY] – Picea nigra shrub swamp obASSP = Carex trisperma, osmunda cinnamomea obDESC = <blank>, or, 75 year old forest, mesic to wet swamp

2. Old forest:

• use community-assoc fields
• and flag as IsOLDFOREST = 1

Other Features

Non-taxa and non-ecological community natural and anthropogenic features

Field Name	Description	Required?	Data Type	Domain	Length
OTHERfeature	keyword of any kind chosen from standard list (e.g., geology, landform, forestry,gypsum, karst, cave, old forest) so consistent and searchable (replaces OTHERfeature and OTHERfeatureTYPE fields)	No	Text
OBDESC	for a more detailed description if present (replaces OTHERfeatureNOTE field)	No	Text
isOLDFOREST	Whether the location is an old forest stand; **If no species information is available: **record old forest information using the OTHERfeature fields If species information is available: record the ecological community (see section above), describing old forest conditions in [obDESC] and entering 1 in the [isOLDFOREST] field	No	number	0, 1

Examples

1. Gypsum, karst OTHERfeature = gypsum or karst OBDESC = <description of feature>

2. clearcut OTHERfeature = clearcut OBDESC = ~5 year old clearcut with regenerating red maple

OTHERfeature vs COMMUNITY

• natural features can for the most part be fit into a [COMMUNITY], even features without significant vegetation, e.g., granitic cliff
• multi-species congregations, e.g., important shorebird areas (which would receive an ELCODE and S-rank)(NatureServe standards available for this, maybe vague)(BC, ON)

OTHERfeature vs observation record

• use species record whenever possible, e.g., beaver pond, beaver dam

Online Databases

E.g., iNaturalist, Facebook, Bug Guide, eBird, Moth Photographers Group

iNaturalist

Field Name	Description	Required?	Data Type	Length
OBSERVER	If known: observer name in standard format (see above) If unknown: “iNaturalist user: “&user_login
URL	Of the observation if available (not the photo). E.g., https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/15854706, where the final number is the iNat observation ID	Yes, if available	text	255
URL_IMAGE	URL of an image associated with the observation. E.g., https://static.inaturalist.org/photos/39395777/medium.jpeg?1558351332	No	text	255
ACCNUM	The iNaturalist observation ID preceded by ‘iNat’: E.g., iNat15854706	Yes, to avoid duplicates in database	text
OBEVID	iNaturalist. This can be concatenated with other evidence categories, separated by a semicolon	Yes	text
PROJECT	iNaturalist	No	text
COLLECTION	Abbreviated as iNat	Yes	text
COLLNUM	Do not use.		text
LOCUNCM	When loading these into our database, we set at LOCUNCM 50 or 200 m		integer
SURVEYSITE	Single placename; optionally, use script to set as nearest CGNDB locality. Should not use for records with LOCUNCM > _.		text	255
DIRECTIONS	Generate with CDC script. Should not use for records with LOCUNCM > 100.		text	255

eBird - IN PROGRESS

TBD.

Captive, cultivated or planted observations

1. Planted into wild habitat within the native range with the intention of population augmentation: should be tracked as a regular occurrence, with a clear note in OBDESC (e.g., OBDESC = planted for population augmentation).
2. Planted outside of the native range: can be ignored entirely or (if the record is likely to come back at us again in future, especially SAR) added to the database with the recEXCLUDE = 1 i.e., the Exclude Record box turned on. Ensure there is a clear note in recExcludeReason
3. Planted ornamentally within native range: should generally be excluded (either completely for most species or with database exclude box for SAR, i.e., recEXCLUDE = 1).