Validation of records

Making sure the maps are correct – the validation process

 

For the Atlas to be THE definitive records of the breeding and wintering birds of Britain and Ireland during 2007-11 we need to be 100% certain that all submitted records are correct. Already several million bird records have been submitted and inevitably, the odd error can creep in. See, for example, the recent Crested Tit map from Bird of the Day which shows two records a considerable distance outside the “normal” range. Rather than misidentification, it is likely that these are due to an error quoting a grid reference, or simply ticking the wrong species online.

In December 2008 we launched a “validation module” of the Bird Atlas website which enables Atlas Regional Organisers to view all the records submitted in their region and query oddities. We expect that the majority of these will be errors in submitting the data (e.g. selected the wrong species, transposed grid references, count typos) but there may be some questions about species identification. 

If your Regional Organiser queries one of your records a message to this effect will appear on your Data Home. Please take a look at the queried record(s) and decide if there is an error or if the record should stand. Each queried record is labelled according to whether it was the identification (ID), number (No.), breeding status (BS), grid reference (GR) or colony nest count (Nt) that alerted the organiser to a possible error. You then have the option to delete or edit the record if you agree with the error, or email the organiser to clarify the record. Bear in mind that many new observers have risen to the challenge of the Atlas, and your RO may simply want to clarify your record, so replying to confirm your familiarity with the species may be enough.