Select/Create a New Species List in the Partner Portal
Users must provide a complete list of all species considered during acoustic identification via autoclassification software, and when applicable, manual identification.
1. Log into the NABat Partner Portal. First-time users will need to create an account.
2. Once logged in, select the My NABat tab from the navigation bar and select your project of interest, or click the +New project button and complete the steps in the Project Wizard to create a new project.
3. Navigate to the Plan tab within your selected project and then to the Acoustic Species Lists tool.
4. The first table displayed in the Acoustic Species Lists tool - the Species Lists by NABat Grid Cell table displays a suggested list of species for each grid cell (listed by GRTS ID) selected for survey in your project. This table will remain blank if grid cells have not yet been selected for survey.
5. If you elect to use the SAWG GRTS 1.0 list for acoustic data processing for the associated grid cell listed in the table by GRTS ID, use the list name "SAWG GRTS 1.0" in the Name of Species List for Auto ID and/or Name of Species List for Manual ID fields in your stationary or mobile acoustic data upload templates.
5. If you elect to create a new customized species list for your project, select the Customize button from any grid cell listed in the Species List by NABat Grid Cell table. A new editor window will pop up. Here you can name your new list - name must be unique, can't already exist in database - provide a description, and select what species to include. To finalize, click Save New List button. Your newly created list will now automatically be favorited and appear in the All Species List table.
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Note: species lists used for auto Id and manual Id may differ within a given project based on what species were considered by each process. Multiple NABat Species Lists may be saved within and used by a single project.
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4. Users are required to include Name of Species List for Auto Id, and when applicable, the Name of Species List for Manual Id in acoustic data upload templates in order to successfully submit stationary or mobile acoustic data to a project. Template entries must exactly match the newly created or existing NABat species list name.
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Additional instruction on how to create species list(s) in your project customized to selections made in your auto-Id software can be found below.
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Processing Acoustic Data Using Multiple Software Suites
While duplicate audio files are not normally accepted by the NABat database, database logic includes an exception to any duplicate audio file uploads with two distinct Auto Id Software values. Users who to intend to process acoustic data in multiple software suites will need to attribute and process data in each software separately. Once multiple outputs are produced, the metadata CSVs may be uploaded to a project.
NOTE: ​DO NOT upload metadata CSVs with the same name, as the first file uploaded will be overwritten by the second file.​​
Count Data Prep
Users with winter internal roost count, non-winter internal roost count or emergence count data must simply ensure data is formatted correctly for upload to the NABat Partner Portal. Please refer to the resources below for guidance before continuing to the Upload Data section. Find descriptions of the metadata fields on the third line of the bulk upload template available here.
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Prior to preparing count data, it is crucial that users communicate with their collaborators (incl. state and federal agencies) to ensure uploaded data will not be duplicated across multiple NABat projects.
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Colony sites may be sensitive locations. Users who want to share their data without revealing sensitive coordinates should adjust their Data Use & Sharing settings accordingly, but may also use the NABat Grid Cell Finder when preparing data for upload.​​​​​​​​​
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Capture Data Prep
Users with bat capture data must simply ensure data is formatted correctly for upload to the NABat Partner Portal. Find descriptions of the metadata fields on the third line of the bulk upload template available here.
Reference Calls
Bat reference calls are acoustic recordings of bat echolocations, social calls, etc. where the identity of the recorded species is established through reliable identification methods, e.g., genetics, capture, etc.
Despite the NABat database representing over 130 million bat acoustic records (and counting), there is still a pressing need for verified, curated reference recordings. These bat reference calls are needed to help improve the utility and reliability of acoustic monitoring as a tool for studying bats and essential for advancing our understanding of how species and populations are fairing across North America.