Forum — Record Cleaner Announcements

Please now use Record Cleaner (developed by Biological Records Centre)

null@example.com (r.stock) — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 11:08:58 +0000

Dear NBN Record Cleaner users,

We would like to inform you that the NBN Trust can no longer support with the NBN Record Cleaner application. This includes no longer supplying the master list update for the NBN Record Cleaner.

The Biological Records Centre (BRC) has been funded to redevelop the new online Record Cleaner application, see further information on our webpage here - https://nbn.org.uk/tools-and-resources/ … d-cleaner/

If you experience any issues with the new Record Cleaner, please contact BRC (brc@ceh.ac.uk).

Thank you.

Kind regards,
Rhiann

taxon group rules not being applied

null@example.com (kitenet) — Thu, 22 Feb 2024 23:30:47 +0000

Not sure if this forum is still monitored, but if anyone can help I'd be grateful! I've just done a new install of Record Cleaner and have downloaded the latest master species list. I am trying to check some data for bees and hoverflies. The programme seems to run okay and if I click on the link for locally downloaded rules I can tick the boxes for the verification rules for BWARS and Hoverfly Recording Scheme.

My data imports okay, but when I get to the verification part of the programme all it offers are the system rules, with no taxon group rules displayed.

Am I doing something wrong, or is there a fix I need to apply?

Master species list manual update available (May 2022)

null@example.com (sratcliffe) — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 11:09:50 +0000

Dear all,

The attached zip file contains the master species list taken from the UK Species Inventory last month (May 2022), which is now the version on the NBN Atlas.

The files can be updated manually on a fresh install of the NBN Record Cleaner. The zip file contains Graham French's original instructions on how to do this. See this forum post for more details https://forums.nbn.org.uk/viewtopic.php?id=6754.

Many thanks, Sophie

Master species list manual update available (October 2021)

null@example.com (sratcliffe) — Mon, 15 Nov 2021 13:10:00 +0000

The attached zip file contains the master species list taken from the UK Species Inventory last month (October 2021), which is now the version on the NBN Atlas.

Many thanks, Sophie

Updated butterfly rules

null@example.com (sratcliffe) — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 13:43:08 +0000

Butterfly Conservation and Biological Records Centre have updated their butterfly rules for Record Cleaner. The changes are only in the ten km distribution rules which:

* make use of the latest available data collected from 2005 - 2019
* employ the latest names and TVK from the UK Species Inventory

The updated rules are now available to download and use in the NBN Record Cleaner

If you are using Windows 10, please follow these steps to update the rules:
1. Uninstall Record Cleaner
2. Delete the folder C:\Users\your_username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\NBNRecordCleaner
3. Reinstall Record Cleaner
4. Copy and install the latest species list
5. Start Record Cleaner and re-import all the new rulesets

The master species list has not been updated. The latest version is from July 2021, which can be downloaded from here: https://forums.nbn.org.uk/viewtopic.php?id=7744. All going well I should have an update to the master species list next week.

Please let me know if you have any problems,

Best wishes, Sophie

Updated butterfly and moth rules and master species list

null@example.com (sratcliffe) — Fri, 10 Sep 2021 10:17:53 +0000

Butterfly Conservation and Biological Records Centre have updated their butterfly and moth rules for Record Cleaner. The changes include:

* The ten km distributions, which cover macro moths, and have been updated based upon observations from 2000 to 2016.
* The identification difficulty, flight period, and recording period rules have been expanded to include micro moths.
* The butterfly rules have been separated out from the moth rules.
* The nomenclature has been updated to match the current species list.

The updated rules are now available to download and use in the NBN Record Cleaner

If you are using Windows 10, please follow these steps to update the rules:
1. Uninstall Record Cleaner
2. Delete the folder C:\Users\your_username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files (x86)\NBNRecordCleaner
3. Reinstall Record Cleaner
4. Copy and install the latest species list (see below)
5. Start Record Cleaner and re-import all the new rulesets

Latest Master Species List available:
The attached zip file contains the master species list taken from the UK Species Inventory in July 2021. This is the current version on the NBN Atlas.

Please let me know if you have any problems,

Best wishes, Sophie

Record Cleaner - master species list manual update available

null@example.com (sratcliffe) — Mon, 26 Oct 2020 12:55:04 +0000

Dear all,
The attached zip file contains the master species list taken from the UK Species Inventory last month (September 2020) and is the same as the version on the NBN Atlas.

The files can be updated manually on a fresh install of the NBN Record Cleaner.

I have transposed the column headings NameType and WellFormed, following the suggestion from the last update: https://forums.nbn.org.uk/viewtopic.php … 68#p29968.

Please let me know if you have any problems with the files.

Best wishes, Sophie

Record Cleaner - Master species list manual update available

null@example.com (sratcliffe) — Fri, 24 Apr 2020 06:50:46 +0000

The attached zip file contains the master species list taken from the UK Species Inventory this month (April 2020). This version of the species dictionary will be added to the NBN Atlas in early May.

A couple of people have tested this manual update. Please let me know if you have any problems updating the files, if it all goes well I will update the files in the Record Cleaner application.

Many thanks, Sophie

Taxon match tool and Record Cleaner

null@example.com (Darwyn Sumner) — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 21:27:26 +0000

Am I right in thinking that Record Cleaner is sequential in nature? Thus if it detects errors concerned with Scientific name then it will not be able to progress to check dates and spatial references.
My first check is Chris Raper's Taxon match tool (http://nbn-sd-dev.nhm.ac.uk/taxonmatch.php) which was updated quite recently so inevitably if the Record Cleaner's UKSI is not as current then errors will be found. I can find no way past that page to the map screen on p26 of the guide (which starts with a "next" instruction which you'd expect to be preceeded by another procedural instruction - but isn't)
Guess I'll just have to use GIS to check the geospatial spread.

P.S. I remember Dave Brewer demonstrating a simpler map-based utility to me at Monk's Wood - what happened to that?

Record Cleaner - Master species list update

null@example.com (sratcliffe) — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 11:16:59 +0000

Hello,
I have an update of the master species list for Record Cleaner based on the version of the UKSI that is on the NBN Atlas now.

This is the first time that I have updated the species list on Record Cleaner and before I make the update available would anyone be able to test it? I have done a basic check in Record Cleaner and it all looks okay.

I received a comment about Record Cleaner that when choosing from the dropdown list of non-unique names there is not enough information to make a choice as only the authority is offered. We have reformatted the list so that the UKSI recommended name is marked with an asterix.

In order to test the update you will need to update the master species list text file manually following this forum post: https://forums.nbn.org.uk/viewtopic.php?id=6754.

If anyone can help I will send you the new text files.

Many thanks,

Sophie

Grey Plover flight period rule error?

null@example.com (FNRCinfoassist) — Thu, 01 Feb 2018 14:45:02 +0000

I am in the process of capturing bird data and I believe the rule for the Grey Plover flight period is wrong. Can anyone confirm my suspicions? the rule is:

TestType=PeriodWithinYear
Group=Birds Flight Period
ShortName=Grey Plover
Description=Checks date is within most regular occurrence period for Grey Plover
ErrorMsg=Date is outside usual flight period of Grey Plover
Tvk=NBNSYS0000000141
DataFieldName=
StartDate=0701
EndDate=0531
LastChanged=20110713
[EndMetadata]

I believe this should be a reverse rule can anyone confirm?

Flight period rule error?

null@example.com (FNRCinfoassist) — Wed, 20 Sep 2017 10:13:30 +0000

I am working on Hoverflies just now and Meliscaeva auricollis is not passing the flight period rule in the record cleaner. The rule is as follows:

[Metadata]
TestType = PeriodWithinYear
Group = Hoverflies
ShortName=Meliscaeva auricollis: check date is during flight period
Description=Check date is during the known flight period for Meliscaeva auricollis
tvk = NBNSYS0000006933
startDate = 0103
endDate = 0101
ErrorMsg = Date is outside flight period for Meliscaeva auricollis
LastChanged = 20090615
[EndMetadata]

[Data]
Stage = All
startDate = 0103
endDate = 0101

Stage=Adult,Adult Male,Adult Female,Male,Female
startDate = 0103
endDate = 0101

I suspect this is a typo and the end date could be 0110 but I am unsure, any help appreciated. Thank you

NBN Record Cleaner Species dictionary updated October 2016

null@example.com (Graham French) — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 09:13:06 +0000

Hello

The species dictionary used by the NBN Record Cleaner has been updated to use the latest version of the NHM species dictionary
This dictionary can be downloaded using the software updates available link on the Data Load form. On using the NBN Record Cleaner the species dictionary should then automatically update with an "updating species dictionary" message before the dataset is validated.
New or fresh installs of the NBN Record Cleaner also requires this updated dictionary to be downloaded using the software updates.

Best wishes
Graham

NBN Record Cleaner Species dictionary updated December 2015

null@example.com (Graham French) — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 09:43:33 +0000

Hello

Best wishes

Graham

Species Dictionary Update

null@example.com (DaveSlade) — Wed, 16 Dec 2015 11:05:48 +0000

Do we know when the next species dictionary update for Record Cleaner is due? The latest R6 updates incorporating the Agassiz, Heckford, Bevan Lep checklist make Record Cleaner useless for moths.