SPLASH
Materials for
contributors
(To download files directly to
your computer, right click on the links below and use the “Save Target as…”
option.)
This
is the Access database we use at Cascadia to compile all incoming SPLASH
Data. We greatly prefer that contributors
use this database for entering their original field data and submitting it to
us. It reduces data entry errors
significantly and creates and enforces the necessary links between related
tables. IF YOU HAVE ACCESS YOU
SHOULD BE USING THIS DATABASE.
Please, also download the Introduction to the SPLASH
Data Entry Database, for some tips on setting it up for your research group
and an explanation of its basic structure.
This
is an Excel workbook containing a series of worksheets that conform to the
structure of the primary data tables in our Access database. We created it as a way to receive data
from groups that are unable to run Access.
If you MUST use Excel, leave the tables EXACTLY as you found them. DO NOT add or remove columns. Follow the directions in the SPLASH Data
Fields document (available below) VERY, VERY CAREFULLY to avoid common
mistakes/misuse of this file that will compromise our ability to import your
data (and make the data manager very unhappy).
Everybody needs
this document! But you
especially need it if you are using the Excel import template, as it explains
the details of all the SPLASH data fields, and most importantly, what kind of
data belong in them (Access will help you do this correctly, Excel will not,
you are responsible for doing it right).
This
document details the procedure we use at Cascadia for managing our digital
images with ACDSee 8.0. Some of the information presented here
is specific to version 8.0, but 7.0 works well also. This takes you through the entire
process, in graphic detail:
·
downloading your card
·
renaming your images
·
creating an organized folder structure
·
batch entry of metadata
·
frame-by-frame review
·
selecting the best images of each whale in each sighting
·
generating prints for matching
·
backing it all up
·
and much, much more
FINALLY…
help is but an email away!
If
you have any questions or need help with any aspect of your SPLASH data
contribution, don’t hesitate to contact Erin Falcone at efalcone@cascadiaresearch.org.
We
will also gladly customize the Access database for your individual needs. Please review it and let us know what we
can do to make it more useful for your research group.
THANKS, AND HAVE A
PRODUCTIVE FIELD SEASON!