Purpose

How to store and keep safe the data collected during monitoring/surveys. The objectives are to:

• make sure the data is entered correctly,
• safely store data on the cloud or external hard drive with regular backups
• follow best practices for data longevity and security

Definitions

Cloud storage – a place to store files on the internet instead of only on a computer or external hard drive. The files can be accessed from anywhere with internet access.

External hard drive – a portable storage device that plugs into a computer to store files instead of only on one computer. The files can be accessed by plugging the hard drive into a computer.

Data proofing – checking data for errors, inconsistencies or missing information to make sure it is correct and complete before analysis, sharing or storage.

Metadata – information that describes other data, which helps to understand the data and keep it organised. Come examples of metadata:

• a photo of a plant will have metadata about where and when it was taken and what its file name is.
• a spreadsheet that contains mammal trapping data will have metadata that explains what each of the data types means. E.g. ‘breeding status’ means whether the animal shows signs of reproducing, recorded for males as “non-breeding” or “breeding” and for females as “pouch young”, “lactating” or “young at heel”.
• a list of monitoring sites will have metadata about where the sites are (coordinates) and any other information that is the same every year, like habitat type

Who

Rangers:

• enter the data in the field and/or on return to the office

Ranger coordinators:

• check the data has been entered correctly
• transfer field data to the appropriate storage device
• manage storage devices and making sure regular backups occur

Training and skills

• Provide training to rangers on how to transfer data from electronic devices into a spreadsheet and/or enter data from paper datasheets into a spreadsheet

Gather your gear

• Laptop or computer
• Cloud storage service or external hard drive(s)
• Internet connection (cloud storage)
• Information/data:
  • Raw versions of the collected data, like Fulcrum exports or scans of paper datasheets
  • Spreadsheets or databases with the collected data
  • Documents (word and final PDF) relating to project (e.g. survey plans, reports)
  • Site coordinates, GIS files and maps, including other site metadata (e.g. habitat type, site name)
  • Camera trap images and acoustic recordings from SD cards
  • Photos and videos taken during the monitoring e.g. animal tracks, plants, rangers doing the work

Actions

Design a folder structure & choose a storage option

Before going into the field:

1. Decide on a folder structure and file naming system so that you can easily store and find information/data.
   • Year, location and/or type of survey are common ways that to structure folders and name files.
   • Keep folder structures and file names for each project consistent, such as project name, date and location from where data was collected (e.g. BilbyTrapping_2025_Location)
   • It’s a good idea to keep all the different types of information and data (e.g. GPS site locations, raw data, spreadsheets, reports etc.) related to a specific survey saved in the one project folder (with or without subfolders).
   • Camera trap images and acoustic recordings are often stored separately to the other survey data. They take up a lot of storage space so you will need very large external hard drive or more cloud storage space. They can take a long time to download if only stored in cloud storage so you may want to keep a copy on an external hard drive.
2. Choose a storage option, checking that it meets with community and ranger group expectations for data management.
3. Cloud storage (recommended – requires regular and reliable internet)
4. Choose a cloud storage provider that offers a reliable service and has a good reputation.
5. Create an account.
6. Decide who can access the data and if they can edit or only read the data, and setup account permissions.
7. Use access controls like encryption provided by the cloud storage service to protect data from any unauthorised access.
8. External hard drive with regular back up
9. Purchase appropriately sized hard drive(s)
   • Hard drives used for data storage should be at least 1TB
   • It is best practice to have at least two hard drives, one for daily use and one for regular backups.
   • Choose a size larger than you think you need to make sure you have enough storage space in the future, especially if used for images or sound files.
10. Use password protection on the hard drive.
11. Decide who can access the data and share the password with them.
12. Decide how regularly the data will be backed upped (e.g. daily, weekly, monthly).
    • Software can be purchased to automate backup tasks and to ensure backups occur at regular intervals (e.g. daily, weekly) or it can be done manually.
13. Set up the folder structure in the cloud storage/hard drive(s).
14. Write a short document on the data storage and backup procedures for future reference and training purposes.

• • Update the document if the procedures are ever changed.

Data entry and proofing

As soon as possible after returning from the field:

1. Nominate a ranger to transfer the data collected in the field into a spreadsheet by:
   
   1. Exporting raw data from electronic device(s) and copying into the spreadsheet or,
   2. Entering the data from paper datasheets into the spreadsheet.
   • Remember to keep raw data including exports from electronic devices and scans of paper datasheets.
2. Once entered, the ranger coordinator should proof the data, fixing any errors, inconsistencies or missing information.
3. Compare data in the spreadsheet to paper datasheets/raw exported data from electronic device(s).
4. Check with the rangers who did the work about any remaining issues.
5. Once proofed, the ranger coordinator should import the data into any database(s), and analyse, report on and share as required.

Data storage – Cloud storage

1. Transfer all information/data related to the survey into to the appropriate folders in the cloud storage.
2. Check the transferred files have all uploaded properly.
3. If internet is not going to always be connected, a local copy can be kept on a computer, but files that have been edited should be re-uploaded to the cloud storage when reconnected to the internet.
4. Keep a detailed records of data transfers (like date of transfer, where the data is stored), and any incidents related to data storage.

Data storage – External hard drive

1. Transfer all information/data related to the survey into the appropriate folders onto one of the external hard drives (primary hard drive)
2. Check the transferred files have all copied over and no corruption has occurred.
3. Safely eject the hard drive from the computer.
4. Label the primary hard drive (e.g. date of transfer, location and/or survey)
5. Keep the primary hard drive in a secure location (e.g. locked cabinet in an office).
6. Use a second hard drive to create regular backups of the primary hard drive:
7. Copy all information/data from the primary hard drive onto the backup hard drive.
8. Check the transferred files have all copied over and no corruption has occurred, and review backup logs for any errors or issues.
9. Safely eject both hard drives from the computer.
10. Label the backup hard drive (e.g. backup and date of most recent transfer, location, survey etc.)
11. Keep the backup hard drive in a separate location to the first hard drive to avoid losing all data from unforeseen events, like fire, flood or theft.
12. Keep a detailed records of data transfers and backups (like date of transfer, where the data is stored), and any incidents related to data storage.