FAQ & help
BeachExplorer support and Frequently Asked Questions
Old observations – can they be reported? Yes please! We happily accept also older observations! The finding date may be estimated, but the locality should be correct.
Copyright – what may be used? Pictures used in BeachExplorer underlie different CreativeCommons licenses and may usually be used non-commercially. In a corner of every picture the source informations are deposited behind a button. All texts an user pictures are licensed under CreativeCommons CC 3.0
Data protection – what is warranted? All users can define in their personal profile which data may be seen by others. The display of all records of a user is blocked to avoid the display of individual movement profiles. All formalities are listed in our Terms of business (accessible at bottom of every page).
Missing species – what to do? If a requested species can not be found using the „search“ function (top right) we are thankful for a notification mail (top right).
Revision of a report – for how long is it possible? Every report can be corrected during a period of 30 days. There is a button „Process record“ and a small pencil symbol. After 30 days the report is transferred to the GBIF portal and is no longer „retrievable“ without effort.
Profile deletion– how is it possible? Every user profile offers a deletion button at the bottom. It deletes all personal data. The records and pictures remain in the system with the remark „anonymous“.
Points – when and how many? A point value is defined for every species and for every area (see explanatory page). The points are granted per person and day and species and area (-> quadrant).
Quadrants – what are they? We divided the whole project area into quadrants which are named after a village or island situated inside this square. Every quadrant measures 5 x 5 geografical seconds which is equivalent to about 5,5 kms in east-west-direction and 9,25 kms in north-south- direction.
Registration – is it necessary? Scientific observation data are only valuable if the observer is known and can be asked for details if necessary. Please register once to make your data usable. Our terms of business guarantee strict privacy.
Technical problems – how to report them? In case of technical failures (like a blocked function or distorted display) please give us exact technical data of the device you used (model, program version etc). Screen shots can also be helpful.
Unknown observation – what to do? The determination tool offers a button „report mystery find“ at top right. All beach finds which are reported here with corresponding picture are stored transiently in a verification forum. They will be handled by experts as thoroughly as possible.
Data-download – what is possible? Alle users can download their observation data as csv-file from the page “My data” using a button at the end of the page.
In csv-files the data are separated by commas and can be opened with LibreOffice or Excel. Users who want to use other user’s data for nonprofitable reasons may write a request to info@beachexplorer.org
