Sites¶

A site is a reusable geographic monitoring location. Visits record what happened there on particular dates.

Create or reuse?¶

Reuse an existing site when the coordinates refer to the same ecological monitoring location. Create a new site when the station, reef zone, or spatial unit is scientifically distinct.

Before creating a site:

1. Search by the common and formal names.
2. Compare coordinates and nearby map markers.
3. Check the description and existing visits.
4. Confirm your coordinate reference and sign convention.

Good site metadata¶

Include details that do not change from visit to visit:

• accepted site name and aliases
• latitude and longitude
• reef or habitat zone
• access or orientation notes
• permanent station or transect identifiers

Put date-specific conditions—temperature, visibility, disturbance, observers—in the site visit or measurements instead.