Adding Survey Data to Project
1. Log in to the NABat Partner Portal to access your NABat project. First-time users will need to Create an Account.
2. Click the My NABat tab from the primary menu and select the desired project.
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3. Click the Upload Survey Data button and select the relevant survey type.
4. Review the pop-up instruction menu that appears (instructions vary by survey type). Select the appropriate metadata upload option to launch the Bulk Upload tool.
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Note: Uploading via the Full Metadata option is recommended for most users. Options for uploading location site metadata separately from count or call metadata may be useful when sites are established but survey data is forthcoming.
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5. Always Download Template prior to entering project data to ensure you are using the most up-to-date template version and review required and optional data fields, acceptable categorical values, and formatting.
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The template's first row displays data field headers recognized by the NABat database. The second row outlines required fields and lists formatting requirements and/or accepted categorical values. The third row provides brief descriptions of data fields.
6. Organize survey data according to the Bulk Upload template and save it under the CSV UTF-8 format.
7. Choose a file to upload via the Select File button.
8. The selected file will automatically load in a Document Preview window. Review the preview window and resolve any highlighted formatting errors in the original CSV. Once corrections are made, reselect the file for upload.
Note: Common errors include unaccepted categorical values, shifted data (due to commas in the data field entries) and incorrect column headers (ensure the first column header reads | GRTS Cell Id. It is critical that the "|" symbol be retained in this header.
9. Upload data via the Submit button.
10. The Document Preview only proofs a subset of data and certain common errors may only be recognized after the document is processed. Ensure the full upload is error-free in the project's Bulk Upload Status tab. Errors negate the entire row of data and must be resolved for the data to be processed and stored.
11. If errors are present, download the error report by clicking the blue hyperlink in the Errors Found column. Errors may be resolved by correcting and reuploading the original CSV or by correcting and uploading the error report.
Note: The NABat database automatically replaces duplicate filenames with the most recent upload. If changes are made to the original CSV and the filename is not changed, uploading the corrected file will overwrite the previous upload. ​​​​​
Attaching Mobile Transect to Survey
Click here for guidance on downloading a mobile transect route from a GPS-enabled acoustic detector.
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Users who use a GPS unit to record a mobile transect survey route can upload that route as a KML or GeoJSON file. Most GPS units produce data in the GPX file type, we recommend using one of the many free online conversion tools available.
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1. Log in to the NABat Partner Portal to access your NABat project. First-time users will need to Create an Account.
2. Click the My NABat tab from the primary menu and select the desired project.
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3. Click the Surveys tab and navigate to the map.
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4. Select the KML | GeoJSON button in the upper right corner of the map to select the desired route file.
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5. After uploading your route, a dialogue box will appear. Click Edit and name the transect route.
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6. Newly uploaded routes are not automatically connected to a survey event, therefore, the user must link using the following approaches:
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If uploading mobile survey metadata via the Bulk Upload Tool, simply enter the route’s name (exactly matching) into the Site Name column of the bulk upload CSV file before uploading. If working in the reverse order (i.e., survey metadata uploaded prior to transect route upload) the user should simply click Reprocess to update metadata CSV file in the Bulk Uploads tab.
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Alternatively, mobile survey metadata can be manually drawn in the Surveys tab map. Select the Mark a New Transect button on the upper left of the map. Click to start drawing line, use each additional click to continue drawing line and create a new point. When transect is complete, click final point to complete the line. Select the Edit button in the pop-up window to name your transect and define the associated Survey Type as Transect Route. Select Save. As mentioned in bullet above, confirm that the saved route Name matches the Site Name reported in uploaded survey event metadata.
Matching Acoustic Files Survey
NABat does not require users upload acoustic files associated with stationary and mobile acoustic surveys. Project-specific objectives or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services requirements (e.g., Florida Bonneted Bat consultation-related projects) may necessitate uploading these files. If you plan to upload acoustic files and link them to your survey event(s), follow the steps below:
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1. Upload acoustic files to your project by selecting your project of interest and clicking the Upload Audio Recordings button in the upper right of your selected project's header section.
2. File names for uploaded acoustic files must precisely match the acoustic file names listed within the corresponding metadata .csv. To check success of your acoustic file uploads, select the Acoustic Data tab in your project and examine the Matched/Missing Acoustic Files columns. If there are any missing acoustic files, complete the following:
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In the Surveys tab, scroll down and select the survey event(s) that contain missing acoustic files.
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Select the Echolocation Measurements dropdown and scroll down to the Audio Recording table.
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Check the Unmatched Only box.
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Correct and upload any missing or errored individual files.
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Note: Noise and NoID auto-ID's are not accounted for in the Matched/Missing Acoustic Files counts.
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Note: To prevent nonessential database expansion, we recommended that users (apart from rare project-specific exceptions) avoid uploading acoustic files auto-ID'ed as NOISE.