Events are the fundamental components of data collection in EarthRanger Mobile.
These are the specific incidents or observations recorded during patrols or monitoring activities.
Why Collecting Events is Important
Gather Data: Events provide valuable data that helps in monitoring wildlife, assessing environmental conditions, and identifying threats.
Enable Informed Decisions: The collected data supports informed decision-making for conservation strategies and resource allocation.
Track Incidents: Recording Events ensures that all incidents are documented, which aids in follow-up actions and long-term monitoring.
There are 3 ways to create an Event from the EarthRanger Mobile app:
From the Events View page via Add Event button
When you open the Events View, you will see an Add Event blue overlay button.
This button will allow you to create a new Event at the device's current location.
2. From the Map View via Add Event button
When you open the app the Map View includes an Add Event blue overlay button.
This button will allow you to create a new Event at the device's current location.
3. From the Map View via Long-press
Long-pressing a location on the map allows you to create a new Event at that chosen location.
Merge Event Categories
By default, when creating a new Event,you will first be shown a list of Event Categories.
Selecting a Category will show you a grid view of the associated Event Types.
By enabling Merge Event Categories under Settings, when creating a new Event,you will instead immediately see a grid of all available Event Types (skipping the Event Category selection step).
Event Categories
EarthRanger Mobile allows users to create Event Categories based on their specific conservation objectives and operational needs.
Users can create new Event Categories, modify existing ones, or adjust category settings to align with evolving requirements.
Each Event Category can then include specific event types relevant to the site's conservation goals.
When an Event Category is empty you will be presented with a card informing you that there are no event types available in that category:
Event Types
The color of the icon will display according to the default priority for the Event type:
Grey (Lowest Priority)
Amber
Green
Red (Highest Priority)
Search Event
You can open a Search Bar that filters results in the list based on your search text inputs.
Modifying the Event Location
In addition to GPS-based location tracking, EarthRanger Mobile also enables you to manually enter location data when creating Events.
You can tap on the map edit options to drag the map to the place you want.
If you are online, the location will show as a preview of the map that you can edit by tapping it.
Note: The Event location can be edited manually (by updating the coordinates)
If you are offline, the location latitude and longitude will appear as gray-color fields, these can still be manually edited.
Event Form
When creating Events with personalized report schema, the selection of the fields is an important step to ensure complete and accurate data is recorded.
The Event Fields that make up the schema are determined based on the information that needs to be gathered.
Fields are very customizable and can be set up as required.
Data types available for use in Event Fields:
Text: A single line of text that represents a specific piece of information or data within the field.
Number: A numerical value that can be used to represent a count, measurement, or any other quantitative data associated with the field.
Date: A field that allows for the representation of a specific date, typically including the day, month, and year.
Paragraph: A multi-line text field that can be used to provide longer, more detailed information or descriptions within the schema.
Choice List: A single item can be selected from a list of pre-defined options.
Multiple Selection: Select one or more items from a list of pre-defined options.
Collection: Allows you to group multiple data points that are related to a specific Event, observation, or area of interest. This functionality is crucial for effective data collection, analysis, and reporting in the field.
Default Actions: Attachments
You can add notes via the EarthRanger Mobile app to every Event by default.
You can open your camera to take a photo and attach this directly to the Event by default.
You can add images found on your device and attach them to the Event by default.
Save Event
Drafts allow you to start documenting an event immediately, even if you don’t have all the information at hand.
This ensures important details are not forgotten.
Submit Event
When ready, you can submit your Event by tapping on the Submit button in the upper right of the app bar.
You can discard the Event by tapping on the Cancel button on the app bar.
If you have unsaved data in the Event you will also be prompted on whether you want to discard the data or save as draft.
View Events on the Map
Any Events created by the login user will be visible as an overlay on the Map View.
When an Event is submitted or saved, the custom static Event Icons display over the Map View.
The icon display color matches the priority of its event type.
Note: Only the events of geometry type Point will display. The events of type Polygon will not display over the map.
When tapping on the Event icon in the map, the Event will open.
If the Event has already been submitted, the event will open in read-only mode.
