Customizing a Project Data Entry Form

This article covers how new or existing citizen and community science projects hosted on the FieldScope platform can create or update the data entry forms that their project participants fill out on their phone, tablet, or computer.

When new projects launch on FieldScope, project on-boarding specialists provide these projects with a digital folder that includes a Google spreadsheet that project organizers use to define (or update over time) the components of the data entry form for their project. The information below provides explanations and instructions for filling out the three portions of this spreadsheet, which deals with media uploads, which observation data will be collected by participants, and what information users need to provide about where they collect data.

Stations

A station is a location on Earth that can be defined by latitude and longitude coordinates. These stations are the locations where users indicate they have collected the data they are uploading. In a FieldScope project, all contributions from participants in a project must be tied to a station. By default, any participant creating a new station must give that station a name and set the latitude and longitude by (1) entering the information (in decimal degrees) manually, (2) using the provided map to zoom in and manually place a map pin, or (3) by using the geolocation button (circled in red below) to allow the platform to locate the user automatically.

Adding additional fields to the station form 

A project may choose to add additional fields to the station form to allow participants to contribute other information about that station location.

Additional fields you add to your station form should be mostly unchanging. For example, some projects may have participants (1) enter directions to each station location, (2)mark locations as “public” or “private,” or (3) categorize the geography in which each station is located. Different options are available; if you would like to learn more about whether a field is appropriate for the station form, discuss this with the FieldScope on-boarding team.

If the information you want participants to contribute about data collection locations may change overtime, it may be better to include the fields to input this information in your project's observation form, rather than the station form. Observations are different measurements or recording of information at a station location taken on different dates and times. See more on that below.

Observations

Observations are contributions made by project participants when they fill out and submit the data entry form. Observations are always tied to a location (called a station in FieldScope; see above). Observations can also include media objects including photos and videos (more on that below).

A data entry form is made up of one or more fields, set by the project. These are the fields of information that the project participants fill out. Below is information about the different types of fields and field attributes that may be utilized.

Attributes of all fields

• Name - Each field has a name. It may be a generic name used in many projects (e.g., water temperature) or something specific to a project (e.g., number of cars counted at an intersection).
• Description (optional) - If a field may not be self-explanatory or needs additional instruction or explanation, a project can include a field description that will show up as a  question mark help icon next to the field name. Hovering over or clicking this icon allows participants to learn more about the associated field.

• Grouping (optional) - Frequently, a project observation form includes many different fields that participants fill out. It can be helpful to group these fields into bundles of field groups with a heading to organize them.  

 

• Required flag (optional) - Projects can set some or all fields as required. If a field is set as required, the form cannot be submitted unless a participant completes it.
• Field type - Fields in FieldScope can be numeric, categorical, or open text fields. Numeric fields allow a participant to enter numeric integers only. Categorical fields allow participants to select from a list of values previously decided upon by project organizers. Open text fields allow participants to enter any open text values without having to select from a list.

Attributes of numeric fields

• Minimum and maximum allowable range - Projects are able to set an allowable minimum and/or maximum value for any numeric data field. If a participant enters a value over or under the allowable limit, the data entry form will alert them of the allowable range so the participant may fix their entry.

• Units - Numeric fields need 1 or more units attached to them (e.g., count, °C, miles, or sq.ft.).
• Precision - Numeric fields may only allow for whole integers or they may include decimal places (tenths, hundredths, etc.), as needed.

Note: Projects are able to give participants different unit options because of different tools and sensors being used to carry out data collection. The FieldScope system allows for the following units with conversions behind the scenes so that measurements are encoded correctly.

• °C and °F
• kilometers, meters, centimeters, millimeters, inches, feet, yards, and miles (and the square version of these for measurements of area)

Attributes of categorial (dropdown list) fields

• List of values for participants to select from - A field can have a list attached to it so that a participant selects from this list of values. There is no limit to the number of values a project can include in a values list associated with a field.  

Attributes of open text fields

An open text field is what it sounds like - a text block that participants can use to enter any information you would like them to contribute. A project data form can have more than one open text field. Commonly, projects will have a generic field titled “Observation Notes” that participants can use to provide any information not included elsewhere on the form. 

Media objects

A project can have one or more types of media that participants can upload as part of a data submission. We recommend only including options for media types that are part of your organizational data collection protocol. For example, do not include the option for video and audio files if you are not asking participants to contribute video or audio data, as this can be confusing for participants. Allowable media types are included below, including specifications for file types and sizes.

Type of media	Allowable file types	File size restrictions
Photos	.jpg, .png	Recommend less than 5 MB for speedy upload
Videos	.mp3, .wav	No more than 100 MB
Audio	.mp4	No more than 100 MB
Documents	.pdf, .txt, .csv, .xls, xlsx, .pages, .keynote, .key, .numbers, .ppt, .pptx	No more than 100 MB

Note: Once a media type is enabled for a project, a participant can include one or more of that media type as part of a data entry form. There is no limit on the number of files. Larger file sizes -- greater than 20 MB -- will take a minute or more to load.

Data Extent

Project managers have the ability to restrict where data collectors may collect data for their projects. If you would like to restrict your participants’ data to a particular area, indicate that in the data extent portion of the document. You may either (1) provide a written explanation of what this area should encompass, such as a state name or park name, or (2) provide a map image indicating where boundaries should be located.

Repeatable fields

In some cases, a project may want users to fill out a field, or a set of fields, once and then fill it out a second time. For example, in the FrogWatch USA project, users report on the frog species they hear and the intensity of the frog calls (this type of data collection requires project training). Often, participants hear a second frog species, or even a third. In this case, participants may enter multiple instances of the “Species” and “Call Intensity” fields. We refer to these entries as “repeatable fields.” When a field, or group of fields, is marked as repeatable on the data entry form, a user has the option to add  more instances of the same fields to facilitate further observations.

When creating a project data entry form, projects can optionally set a field, or group of fields, in a data entry form as repeatable. Only one field, or one group of fields, per project data entry form can be set as repeatable.