| Author |
Messages |
|
skycrake 
Posts:18
 |
| 02/23/2010 5:27 PM |
 Alert
|
Is it possible to record latitude and longitude in the description for a locality other than as a comment?
For example, can the layout of the locality fields be edited via the advanced license?
On reflection, maybe you don't see the need to record latitude and longitude - it's just that using the iPhone as a field recording device, it can record accurate positioning using the built-in GPS.
I would be interested in your thoughts on this.
Regards, Paul
|
|
|
|
|
jjones
Posts:5105
|
| 02/24/2010 8:49 AM |
Alert
|
Hi Paul,
I rarely get accurate lat/long readings from my iPhone - but I digress. And don't get me started on AT&T. 
But, no, the Location fields are set. However, for each sighting - and I think this is the more important question here - you can create your own user-defined fields (UDFs - Ctrl+U), and in there create a Lat and a Long field for recording these values for each sighting if you so choose. Now you can report on those fields and use them as selection criteria for your reports (e.g. all sightings above Lat 38 and west of Long 40).
Let me know if I missed the point.
Jeff |
|
Birder's Diary Technical Support |
|
|
skycrake
Posts:18
|
| 02/24/2010 10:48 PM |
Alert
|
Thanks Jeff.
The Iphone app that I use is Birdsight AU. As far as I know there is nothing else around for Australia. There are version for North America - don't know whether you have used it?
It seems pretty easy to use but the way it works is that you set up the Location first (before you record any sightings for that location) and the Lat and Long are obtained from the GPS and stored in the location.
Even so, it probably does make sense to store Lat and Long for each separate sighting. If I did set up user-defined fields, given the way that Keyboard Entry works, it would be no great problem to keep the Lat and Long set as you typed in multiple sightings for a particular spot.
Cheers
Paul |
|
|
|
|
jjones
Posts:5105
|
| 02/25/2010 9:11 AM |
Alert
|
Hi Paul,
I haven't seen Birdsight. I will check it out.
As for keeping any UDF field value between sightings entered, currently, after clicking Add Sighting, all UDF fields are cleared. It would be simple enough to add a CheckBox ("Do Not Clear UDFs") for v3.7. So that you can clear or not clear UDFs after each entry. But, then that would apply to all UDFs. Is that more of a hassle than not? I have, personally, about 16 UDFs defined. Now, I have to manually clear the 14 I don't want saved. Hmmmm.
There are many ways to skin this cat,
- One CheckBox on the Keyboard Entry form that says "Do Not Clear UDFs"; user turns it on or off as needed.
- A CheckBox to the right of each UDF in the Keyboard UDF scrolling area; user can check or uncheck each field they want to not be cleared from sighting to sighting.
- Feature on the UDF itself; Clear or Don't clear after Keyboard sighting entry.
What does everyone think?
Jeff
p.s. Don't construe this as a commitment to get this feature into 3.7. #1 above is easy, the others take more time and are competing with a slew of other features and the need to get 3.7 out on the street. |
|
Birder's Diary Technical Support |
|
|
skycrake
Posts:18
|
| 02/25/2010 4:02 PM |
Alert
|
Jeff
Sounds a bit messy whichever way it's done.
Maybe that's why it would be best to have Lat and Long as fields in Location. That way it only has to be done once per birding site.
Paul |
|
|
|
|
jjones
Posts:5105
|
| 02/25/2010 6:11 PM |
Alert
|
But then you can't use it as selection criteria in a report or View/Edit window, nor can you output it in a report.
UDFs allow you to do both. But currently you have to enter that data each time.
still thinking... |
|
Birder's Diary Technical Support |
|
|
TMK
Posts:32
|
| 02/25/2010 7:15 PM |
Alert
|
I would prefer option #1, it sounds the most straight forward.
Tim |
|
|
|
|
cowboyinbrla
Posts:270
|
| 02/25/2010 7:23 PM |
Alert
|
I like #1 too; plus, some "locations" cover a wide area and a single Lat/Long point doesn't really describe it well.
For instance, a National Park - you might use the entrance as the Lat/Long point, but the bird in question might have been a duck seen in a lake several miles into the park.
I suspect that for the future iPhone-ish application, a simple "insert GPS Coordinates" button on the "Add sightings" window would suffice. That button could pull the GPS info from the phone, and insert it into the sightings Lat/Long fields. That would be useful only when you're recording the sightings right on the spot, of course. |
|
|
|
|
skycrake
Posts:18
|
| 02/26/2010 4:37 PM |
Alert
|
You may well be right about #1 being the the most approprite solution, but when it comes to the situation you describe (the National Park example), I think the idea would be to proceed something like this:
1. Set up a location for Yellowstone National Park with the parent of (say) Wyoming;
2. Set up new locations (as many as there are discrete observation sites in the Park) such as YNP Gate, YNP Lake etc - with Yellowstone National Park as the parent. Each of these discrete locations would have its own Lat and Long.
BTW, as far as the iPhone is concerned, the iPhone app "Birdsight" works somewhat like this, but it stores Lat and Long as you set up the site (location), not sighting by sighting. There is a version for North America called Birdsight North America, available from the Apple iStore. It is produced by Natural Guides, LLC.
Paul |
|
|
|
|
cowboyinbrla
Posts:270
|
| 02/26/2010 4:43 PM |
Alert
|
Paul - you're right for folks that want to get to that level of record-keeping. But I'm not sure how many do. I keep fairly detailed location choices myself, but for most NWR's, etc. I just list the refuge itself, instead of any particular point within. I may be in the minority here, though.
Kevin |
|
|
|
|
skycrake
Posts:18
|
| 02/26/2010 4:56 PM |
Alert
|
Kevin
I can see where you are coming from. Actually, I have been asking myself what is the point of recording lat and longitude, anyway? If you are doing wildlife surveys that are repeated periodically, there is probably a good reason. Otherwise, I'm not sure
In fact, I have not used it myself and it was only the fact that Birdsight provided the facility that prompted my question in the first place ...
Paul
|
|
|
|
|
gerco
Posts:133
|
| 02/28/2010 1:35 PM |
Alert
|
One case why you want to record lat long is when you export your observations to eBird. They require a lat/long. If you use the Toolkit to export your observations from Birder's Diary to eBird, the lat/long info will be stored in a table with the other protocol information. The toolkit will also allow you enter the lat/long for your observations during the export process.
Another reason for a lat/long is to map it. If you like mapping you could plot your observations in e.g. Google Earth, Google map or a professional GIS package.
Gerco |
|
|
|
|
|