Symbiota Support Group Meetings

[themerekat]

The Symbiota Support Hub invites you to join our Symbiota Support Group Meetings!

They are held the first Monday of every month at 12:00 noon Pacific / 1:00 PM Mountain / 2:00 Central / 3:00 Eastern.

In these meetings, we will demonstrate a Symbiota tool or feature, make important announcements, and answer user questions. The demonstration portion, but not the Q&A, will be recorded. More information about these sessions can be found here: https://www.idigbio.org/content/symbiota-support-group.

Have a topic in mind that you'd like covered during one of these meetings? Comment here with ideas!

[ljwalker]

From RMBL: keys & character matrices

[ljwalker]

This topic has now been covered: https://youtu.be/GMk2WkE3Hno

[ljwalker]

From SoRo user: Discussion of collecting event data in Symbiota portals

[themerekat]

Can we get more clarification on this? Like, do we store event-based data?

[ljwalker]

Another SoRo user adds, "I would love to hear more about managing event data in symbiota, like how can we create events and lump records into them. Or how can we get the data out of symbiota." @ricklevy21

[ljwalker]

From CCH2 user: How to update snapshot collections

[themerekat]

This has now been covered! https://youtu.be/0i6zudJFtu8

[jesslane13]

How about personal observation management? We've been investigating this as a tool for some of our collectors to enter their own data and make their own labels, without burdening them with full editor access. I haven't seen much about this in the docs.

[ljwalker]

@jesslane13 - This topic has been scheduled for Dec. 5: https://symbiota.org/symbiota-support-group/

[themerekat]

Here's the recording! https://youtu.be/u65P_3VqGVI

[ljwalker]

Jennifer Girón (@JCGiron) requests a session on glossaries in Symbiota portals.

[themerekat]

@JCGiron, you'll be excited to hear that we've added documentation about the glossary to Symbiota Docs! https://biokic.github.io/symbiota-docs/portal_manager/glossary/

[themerekat]

We should have a session on making checklists

[themerekat]

This has been covered! https://youtu.be/ADtwyzyzNwA?si=xUBchREeEVvBL2ce

[themerekat]

Megan King suggests having a SSG about the loan management tools.

[ljwalker]

This topic has now been covered: https://youtu.be/RaeuXeKmFjE?si=q45WvfkdtP8sSjty

(Thanks for your suggestion, Megan King!)

[themerekat]

Suggestion from Mary Barkworth: "Make Using checklists as a topic. My impression is that they could be more widely used in building resources for teaching as well as research. For example, if the only flora available for a region includes LOTS of species, use the tools in Symbiota to create a checklist of species for a smaller area and then make that the starting point for developing a dichotomous family key (which could be posted to KeyBase and the taxa linked to taxon pages in SEINet)."

[themerekat]

This has been covered! https://youtu.be/ADtwyzyzNwA?si=xUBchREeEVvBL2ce

[STHerbariumLSU]

It would be useful to have a session on the best workflow for a WeDigBio event using Symbiota. Please include the best way to add records and review records from these events in "review/verify records". Any tips to keep up with volunteer transcribers during an event would be helpful. As well, the best way to clean up after an event. This goes a bit outside of the Symbiota scope, but would be nice to have recorded, if not already! Thanks! - Jennie Kluse

[ljwalker]

@STHerbariumLSU Thank you for making this suggestion!

While not WeDigBio-specific, you might find this Support Group meeting about crowdsourcing to be helpful: https://youtu.be/HmDMtRrLn-U?si=_ssWN7x7z_KXZkNj&t=263

[Alison-CenterforPlantDiversity]

Hello, I'm a new reviewer of student data entry, and I've figured out a few ways to quickly search for errors when QC'ing the entered data (four portals: CCH2, Bryoportal, Lichenportal and Macroalga Portal), but would like to learn more tricks for developing a checklist of what to check and how to see data needing editing. Thanks, Alison Colwell

[zoonomen-APP]

Hi Alison,
I am working on a project with Jim Hinds -- redoing the Lichen Checklist for New England. A great deal of my work (and contribution) consists of reviewing, editing, correcting the CLH held data for the related records. I live and breath daily by the joys and sorrows that result from the challenges of data entry. Despite my ranting and raving, my sympathies are with the data entry stalwarts.
I would be interested in hearing about your approaches and problems. I anticipate that my approach may differ substantially from yours but may still have a few tricks.
Alan P. Peterson
My email is [email protected]

[ljwalker]

Suggested during March 2024 SSG meeting: Best practices for including iNaturalist data in Symbiota portals. (@mickley!)

[mickley]

@ljwalker Sorry I missed this. I'll try to listen to the recording, but is there anything that I can add?

I am also still waiting for my code that provides batch upload of linked resources from last March to be incorporated into Symbiota, see Symbiota/Symbiota#701, so that is holding up any potential iNaturalist features on my end.

[ljwalker]

Suggested during March 2024: Label customization how-to (requested by @Alison-CenterforPlantDiversity & Karen Golinski)

[ljwalker]

This topic was originally covered in June 2022: https://youtu.be/EjydsbVGyRA?si=xPoMVT5qFlZlEVBC

[karenGolinski]

I watched the training some time ago and chatted with Katie about labels separately but I’m still not satisfied with the way they look. I will submit an email to discuss again. Thanks y’all.

[themerekat]

Digitization workflows using Symbiota

[themerekat]

Mark Barkworth suggests how to use Symbiota portals to create floras/faunas as part of a research project. This uses checklists, but is more tailored toward how you can curate these over the course of a project.

[walterfertig]

A fun, interactive session might include techniques for georeferencing, such as using different map layers, employing Google map searches, and how to interpret labels like a field biologist. There may be some good hacks people have come up with across the network that they could share.

[themerekat]

@walterfertig , I could see that being interesting! That starts to slide a little bit away from the topic of Symbiota, but it's definitely of interest to the community.

[Alison-CenterforPlantDiversity]

Thank you, Walter! I like this idea. The Geolocate is quirky enough that I can never remember how to use it (intermittent user) and definitely cannot properly train my people on it and I don't have time to sit through all four of their online trainings. The result is that unless a TRS is a simple section centroid, we skip the georeferencing step. Time to improve the training kit on georeferencing!

…

________________________________ From: walterfertig ***@***.***> Sent: Monday, March 24, 2025 10:45 PM To: BioKIC/symbiota-docs ***@***.***> Cc: Alison E L Colwell ***@***.***>; Mention ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [BioKIC/symbiota-docs] Symbiota Support Group Meetings (Discussion #34) A fun, interactive session might include techniques for georeferencing, such as using different map layers, employing Google map searches, and how to interpret labels like a field biologist. There may be some good hacks people have come up with across the network that they could share. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#34 (comment)>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AWZZDOWN2DQW5QF37662SPT2WDUN7AVCNFSM6AAAAABZWU7336VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTENRRGA2DSMY>. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.

[walterfertig]

Hi Alison Thanks for your interest. Geolocate was built for mapping fish, so has a few quirks when applied to sessile organisms like plants. It is a useful tool to get you in the ballpark when mapping, but then it is best to use other info from the label to figure out the best spot to map something. Georeferencing is also improved when the mapper has some knowledge of the organism being mapped (like its habitat preferences) and an understanding of how collectors work in the field and record data. I have learned a few tricks over the years, both in the herbarium and from field work, to help train our student mappers. Mapping is a skill of its own, and one we often are too quick to relegate to machines or un-trained workers to do. Mismapped locations are the biggest source of error in Symbiota records, hands down. I think it would be a relevant topic for the group. Walter Fertig Collections manager Marion Ownbey Herbarium Washington State University Pullman, WA

…

________________________________ From: Alison Colwell ***@***.***> Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 8:45 AM To: BioKIC/symbiota-docs ***@***.***> Cc: Fertig, Walter ***@***.***>; Mention ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [BioKIC/symbiota-docs] Symbiota Support Group Meetings (Discussion #34) [EXTERNAL EMAIL] Thank you, Walter! I like this idea. The Geolocate is quirky enough that I can never remember how to use it (intermittent user) and definitely cannot properly train my people on it and I don't have time to sit through all four of their online trainings. The result is that unless a TRS is a simple section centroid, we skip the georeferencing step. Time to improve the training kit on georeferencing!

________________________________ From: walterfertig ***@***.***> Sent: Monday, March 24, 2025 10:45 PM To: BioKIC/symbiota-docs ***@***.***> Cc: Alison E L Colwell ***@***.***>; Mention ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [BioKIC/symbiota-docs] Symbiota Support Group Meetings (Discussion #34) A fun, interactive session might include techniques for georeferencing, such as using different map layers, employing Google map searches, and how to interpret labels like a field biologist. There may be some good hacks people have come up with across the network that they could share. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<#34 (comment)<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/BioKIC/symbiota-docs/discussions/34*discussioncomment-12610493__;Iw!!JmPEgBY0HMszNaDT!tKNzWWNRTZLrAg82L8dSTmL2kRqLaNNj0eUEj181FsMYb28Y238CkrRDSuwW6wPaBL30NfkZWeG49gvlfgzmZsfns6JW$>>, or unsubscribe<https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AWZZDOWN2DQW5QF37662SPT2WDUN7AVCNFSM6AAAAABZWU7336VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTENRRGA2DSMY<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AWZZDOWN2DQW5QF37662SPT2WDUN7AVCNFSM6AAAAABZWU7336VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTENRRGA2DSMY__;!!JmPEgBY0HMszNaDT!tKNzWWNRTZLrAg82L8dSTmL2kRqLaNNj0eUEj181FsMYb28Y238CkrRDSuwW6wPaBL30NfkZWeG49gvlfgzmZu_OaezR$>>. You are receiving this because you were mentioned. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/BioKIC/symbiota-docs/discussions/34*discussioncomment-12617140__;Iw!!JmPEgBY0HMszNaDT!tKNzWWNRTZLrAg82L8dSTmL2kRqLaNNj0eUEj181FsMYb28Y238CkrRDSuwW6wPaBL30NfkZWeG49gvlfgzmZo436fy-$>, or unsubscribe<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/BIGIPFHSVCZQ6UR7QFWBQJD2WF22NAVCNFSM6AAAAABZWU7336VHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43URDJONRXK43TNFXW4Q3PNVWWK3TUHMYTENRRG4YTIMA__;!!JmPEgBY0HMszNaDT!tKNzWWNRTZLrAg82L8dSTmL2kRqLaNNj0eUEj181FsMYb28Y238CkrRDSuwW6wPaBL30NfkZWeG49gvlfgzmZvp-d_ZG$>. You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>