Thanks, Ella.  If you read my post you will see that I don't claim that page does not exist.  I am well aware of that page, and it is so easy to get there from the link you provide.

It is, however, a very different matter when you try to get there by typing a string into the species search page http://species.als.scot/, and get a mass of returns which include strings that bear only a vague resemblance to what was entered, and things that are not species at all.  An example was given by Christine Johnson a while back - try searching for Golden Eagle, and ask yourself why there are 795 returns, including 'Golders Green Bus Station', which contains neither 'golden' nor 'eagle', is not a species, and is not in Scotland. Yes, Golden Eagle is first in the list, but that is unusual in ALS string-matching algorithms.

Those of us who use the Gateway for taxonomy queries often have to deal with things that are far less clear-cut than 'Golden Eagle', so 'unhelpful design' is a generously benign description for the ALS site.

The reason I was doing the import yesterday was to process records from an army of volunteer recorders who want to see their records in the public domain and *easily accessible* through the NBN interface. NBN has no records except what these recorders agree to provide to you. Without the goodwill of recorders and data managers, and an interface that meets *their* needs, any interface is doomed to failure. That is something that *everyone* involved in the development of a replacement for G5 would do well to contemplate at length.

Murdo

The Gateway has the Friday afternoon blues again - maps not working!

Christine

Thanks, Rachel.

However, there is not just a 'bug' in the search algorithm - the algorithm is totally unfit for purpose, as several posts have demonstrated. The page is about browsing *taxa*, so it is quite clear that the user wants to search taxa and not locations. Wanting to accommodate users 'who are not experts' is all very laudable (it is one of my greatest concerns about this seriously flawed project that folk not confident in IT will *not* use it, just as they deserted G5 in droves because of its unhelpful interface), but pretending that returning ‘Golders Green’ when they type ‘Golden Eagle’ is not the way to reassure them. That has nothing to do with the odd spelling error. ‘Golden Eagle’ is not the best example for this particular point, but you have been given many others that return nothing at all like the target.

You have also missed the point about the failure to return B. distinctus, and the crucial point about the N. cornicina example, but I don’t feel I can make the case any clearer.

More important than all that, though, is this astounding statement in your post: ‘species shown on the NBN Atlas Scotland are already restricted to just those species occurring in Scotland’.

How on earth can anyone do that? Who searched the entire literature to determine what did not occur in Scotland? And how did they do what is widely considered impossible, and prove a negative?

Species are discovered for the first time in Scotland at a frequency that would require an FTE or few to search the current literature for all taxa, and update your restricted species list at least weekly if the list was to be kept up to date. In the past year or so I personally have added several to the Scottish list.  When I do, one of the first things I want is an indication of where else in UK it has been recorded, and at the moment the first place I go is the Gateway.

Your statement leaves me utterly incredulous, and if you are correct it represents another step in the well-established trend of removing valuable functionality from the data interface we have seen from G4 to G5 and now to ALS.

Please add to the lengthening list of points for attention:

1 – Sort out the search algorithm throughout the site. You have an excellent one in G5, so pinch the algorithm from there and translate the code, if you can’t just drop the code in directly.

2 – Implement the whole of UKSI in ALS. Whatever you may have read, Scotland is a long way from independence, and if that nightmare ever materialises wildlife will not change its behaviour.

M.

"no data at all.."
I am not certain I SHOULD comment here (I am going to..), largely because I am fairly new to the Forum, but more importantly I have not read all that might lead to the frustration expressed here - sorry, but
...I am very supportive of the HBRG Data Manager who so obviously feels the strain of the Gateway's inadequacy. Like many others I shrug and move to my next project. But the Gateway is so inefficient that I am at the point of abandoning my small-scale researches, recording for my region and, even, submitting. I potter in a County which does not submit towards the Gateway, so I can still be useful.
Now, here's a thing, in my angry frustration I have taken to opening iSpot (I dare not put in a direct link here) and there I can search for my taget species and there I can click on a Direct Link to the Gateway (in the ID Panel).
The link almost never fails whereas, in the Gateway itself, after say the 11 o'clock cuppa (for example), searching is, well, HOPELESS.
It would be nice to see a note to say the Gateway is DOWN so we can all move on instead of assuming it's an Internet/Download speed/PC/Win10 issue - please?

Oh thanks Rachel. I understand ageing and some of the problems facing Gateways in general.
I have been trying to make headway with Atlas Scotland too but it does not suit my purpose very well (though it has a nice display).
I have yet to successfully interrogate individual records in ALS - it is a tortuous (and unsuccessful?) route via the near-invisible panel in the Interactive Map.
And I have found some records (Scots) in NBN but not in ALS - is that normal or to be expected at this stage?
As (very small fry!) examples -
a search for Pegomya betae returned results but none of my (personal) records are shown via ALS. all my records are shown via the NBN Gateway.
And Hayhurstia atriplicis
I am not allowed H'links here but ALS shows all BUT mine
NBN shows my eleven precious ones.
So, are you (I mean is ALS) using the NBN data?
Significantly both Gateways are working briskly this morning.

It is unnecessary to get my records into the ALS before the due date, thanks Rachel. And you appear to be right, my older records appear to be there.
I am interested, however, in interrogating records generally but in a little detail, say the date, recorder and, if available, the precise location. Is there an easy route please?
Thanks for taking time to respond.
Derek

Brilliant, do ask if you have any further questions.

All the best
Rachel