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Topic: Seen-something identify-learn-and-record-your-own-observations

Not wishing to be pedantic what exactly is the purpose of this link?
Provided that I am a registered user the link takes me to a form where I'm invited to "Report a Sighting".
So I type in a species and the autocomplete works.
I decide not to submit  a photograph so I'm invited to put in a location. Once again there is not an option to put in a UK grid reference and as this is how my GPS is set I can either convert it to Lat and Long or type in a location.
I can use "my location", provided I wish to share this information and it may not be relevant to the record I'm trying to submit, or I can type  in an address, which is ok if the record is associated with an address. This may be ok but not very applicable to those who live in rural areas. I typed in my address and it place me in a peat bog miles away from my address! However, I can move the pointer on the map to near enough the correct location. It would be much easier to type in the OS grid reference.
So far so good - I add the date and a comment and submit the record. Success.

OK so this works but I have no idea what is going to happen to my record.
Will it be forwarded to the organisation responsible for records in the that VC or location or to another organisation?
Should NBN be encouraging people to submit records without an explanation of what will happen to this information?
The list of questions will cascade from here onwards and it is not necessary for me to continue, but I have my doubts whether the implications of submit a record have been considered.

The title of the link is also misleading as there is nothing here which would help me identify my sighting or learn anything.

This needs a re-think, perhaps it would be better to not ask for records but to provide a link to the most appropriate local organisation who can collect and verify the record and/or provide help and information.

Christine

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Re: Seen-something identify-learn-and-record-your-own-observations

Many thanks for your comments and suggestions.  These will be logged and feedback will be taken into consideration.
For reference OS grid referencing will be add to the NBN Atlas functionality.

Regards
NBN Support

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Re: Seen-something identify-learn-and-record-your-own-observations

I was just about to ask about this too - the "latest sightings" on the front page seems to be starting to show records submitted directly to the atlas website (including with personal info i.e. full home addresses) so I looked at a couple out of interest and started wondering how the data flow and verification is going to work, who is going to be custodian (BRC/national schemes like iRecord, or the NBN Trust?) etc. As Christine says, the questions could cascade onwards.  :)

Teresa

-----------------
Teresa Frost | Wetland Bird Survey National Organiser | BTO
Other hat  | National Forum for Biological Recording Council
(Old hats  | NBN Board, ALERC Board, CBDC, KMBRC)

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Re: Seen-something identify-learn-and-record-your-own-observations

Hi, Thanks for your comments. We have disabled this function for now (the link will take you to the list of schemes and societies on the NBN website) as we are aware it still needs work. The full details have not been finalised yet, but in future any sightings submitted through the Atlas will be forwarded to another online recording system (e.g. iRecord) so that they will be verified and shared appropriately.