Field surveys and deployments
Create a field survey under Projects → Surveys, add camera deployments with map pins, attach trap photos from Library or Upload, and use Direct observations / walkovers for media without a fixed station.
A survey is the study or season you are running—“Corridor dry season 2026,” not a single photo. A deployment is one camera station in that study: where it sat, when it ran, and optional notes about habitat or gear.
You create both under Projects → Surveys. Photos join the survey when you attach them to a deployment or to Direct observations / walkovers, or when you tag an observation in Media and choose this survey. Attached files get a stub observation so they show in filters, exports, and Evidence of Impact.
Prerequisites
- A plan that includes field surveys
- Dashboard → Projects → Surveys
- Teammates optional: Invite a teammate
Surveys are not Team projects
| Surveys | Team projects | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Field studies, camera stations, species records | Internal collaboration and file review |
| Export | Camera-trap data package for partners | Not for scientific tables |
If you need partner-ready camera-trap tables or Media filters by survey, use Surveys.
Create a survey
- Go to Projects → Surveys.
- Create a survey and give it a clear name (for example
Corridor B dry season 2026). - Add a short description of methods or scope if useful.
- Choose a license when you know how the dataset may be shared (Creative Commons options or Other).
- Set status to draft, active, or archived as the work progresses.
- Open the survey to finish metadata and add deployments.
Details worth completing early
| Field | Why you care |
|---|---|
| License | Travels with packages you send to partners |
| Rights holder | Who should be credited |
| Geographic coverage | Plain-language study area |
| Temporal coverage | Overall study window |
| Coordinate uncertainty | Default caution for sensitive places |
| Bibliographic citation | Preferred citation text |
| External dataset ID | If the study already has an ID elsewhere |
Add deployments (camera stations)
On the survey page, add a deployment for each camera:
- Location name (required)—something your team recognizes.
- Optional location ID—a short site code you reuse in notebooks.
- Place the pin on the map (latitude and longitude).
- Set coordinate uncertainty higher when GPS is coarse or the site is sensitive.
- Enter deployment start and end for the period the camera was active.
- Optionally record camera ID/model, height, bait, habitat, and comments.
Attach media to a deployment
On the deployment form (create or edit), use the Media section:
- Choose Library → Select from library, or Upload trap images.
- Thumbnails appear for linked files.
- After the deployment exists, click the leaf on a thumb to open the observation editor and identify species.
You can stage media while creating a deployment; it attaches when you save. Species IDs (leaf) unlock after the deployment is created.
On the survey page, deployment cards can also show linked thumbs with the same leaf shortcut.
Habits that keep partner handoffs clean
- Keep deployment dates aligned with when photos were actually taken.
- Prefer one deployment per physical placement.
- Store accurate coordinates in the dashboard even if the public map will show redacted pins—exports for trusted partners can still need real stations.
Direct observations / walkovers
Below deployments on the survey page, Direct observations / walkovers is for trail walks and opportunistic photos with no fixed station.
- Open Library → Select from library, or Upload.
- Thumbs appear in the walkover set.
- Click the leaf to classify species (same observation editor as Media).
- Set a place with the map pin / location tools on the media when GPS is missing or must be corrected.
Walkover observations stay linked to the survey with no deployment. They still feed Evidence of Impact and Camtrap export media rows; they do not require a station pin on the Evidence map.
How photos join the survey
| Path | Where | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed station | Deployment → Library / Upload | Observation stub: survey + deployment |
| Walkover / direct | Survey → Direct observations / walkovers | Observation stub: survey, no deployment |
| Media Library | Edit observations → choose survey (and usually deployment) | Same observation rows |
Photos do not join a survey by sitting in a folder. Until observations point at the survey, an export still lists your deployments but will not list those photos as study media. Full tagging detail: Tag species and observations.
Survey menu actions
On the Surveys list:
- Edit opens the survey.
- Export Camtrap DP downloads the partner package (Export guide).
- GBIF → Prepare / Download / Publish stages a harvest-ready package, optionally downloads it locally, and can register it for crawl (Prepare and publish to GBIF).
- Delete removes the survey; photos remain, but observations lose this survey link—confirm before you delete.
Steps to get a usable study
- Create the survey with license and rights holder.
- Add every camera station as a deployment.
- Attach trap photos on each deployment (Library or Upload); use the leaf to identify species.
- Add walkover media under Direct observations / walkovers when you have no fixed station.
- Export once and skim the tables before sending them out.
- Optional: publish Evidence of Impact on a program page.
Verifying your setup
- The survey appears under Projects → Surveys.
- Deployments show map pins, start/end dates, and linked media thumbs.
- Walkover thumbs appear under Direct observations / walkovers when used.
- At least one photo observation lists this survey (species chip, leaf editor, or Media filters).
- An export includes your deployment rows and attached media.