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Author: Caitlyn Gillespie

AKN Flyer

The AKN Steering Committee put together a flyer that introduces the AKN and provides some recent case studies about how partnership are harnessing the power of the AKN for data management and decision support. Download the AKN Flyer here

AKN Glossary

Users access levels

The AKN allows for multiple levels of access to enter, manage, and share data. AKN users are assigned a User Role associated with each AKN Project they have permission to access. Current User Roles include:

  • Biologist: An AKN user assigned as a Biologist in an AKN Project can enter and proof data. Biologists can also review, edit, or correct previously entered data in any dataset housed within the AKN Project.
  • Project Leader: In addition to all Biologist User Role capacities, AKN users assigned as a Project Leader in an AKN Project can assign Sampling Protocol Definitions to an AKN Project, manage the Sampling Units (areas, points, transects, etc), manage data, get full exports of the AKN Project data from the system, and manage the User Roles (Biologist or Project Leader) of other AKN users on the AKN Project. Project Leaders can also set the desired data sharing levels for data, which determines how the data will appear in the various tools in AKN.

Data Management Terms

  • AKN Project: Fundamental unit of organization for observation data within the AKN. Projects contain information about how (Sampling Protocols), who (Researchers and Users), where (Sampling Units), when (Sampling Events), and what (Sampling Event Observations) data are collected. For DoD, each installation has its own project.
  • Sampling Unit: Field location where research or a survey is conducted and samples (observations) are collected. Sampling units are arranged hierarchically within AKN Projects (e.g. point count points nested within a transect). Sampling Units contain a location name and geometry that describes where it sits on the earth.  All point, polygon and other geographic data are described in WGS-84 Latitude-Longitude (EPSG:4326) geographical coordinate system.
  • Researcher: A person’s name stored in the AKN assigned to a Project(s) by the respective Project Leader(s) and is identified with collecting observations. A Researcher does not have an AKN user account and therefore cannot enter or proof data, but an individual who is registered either as a Biologist or Project Leader can enter data on behalf of the Researcher under the researcher’s name.
  • Sampling Protocol: Defines how the data were collected and how they are stored. This includes extended field names, domains, and any rules built into the data structure.
  • Sampling Event: Represents the survey itself with a unique combination of location, date and time, person/people, and the protocol employed.
  • Sampling Observation:  Observations made at a sampling event; these observations will differ depending on the specific AKN protocol being used, but will contain some core fields such as species and count.

Sampling Protocol Types

  • Area Search: An observer records all the birds detected (often with other behavior characteristics) within a specific boundary in a recorded period of time. Area search protocols include start and end times, the species observed, and can also include a count, detection cues, or breeding behaviors.  Area search protocols are flexible and can be adapted to a wide variety of surveys, and are often used to enter comprehensive species checklists.  Unless specified, the protocol is assumed to be an exhaustive survey of all species.
  • Point Count: An observer records all the birds detected (often including other behavior characteristics) from a series of known, fixed locations, surveying each location for a set period of time. Point count protocols include the duration of the survey, how the time is binned, and often include distance (binned or exact), detection cues, or breeding behavior. Unless specified, the protocol is assumed to be an exhaustive survey of all species and that each animal is counted once.
  • Linear Transect: An observer moves along a path recording all the birds detected (often with other behavior characteristics) along the way in a recorded period of time. Linear Transects are done either on foot or in a vehicle (airplane, boat, etc). Unless specified, the protocol is assumed to be an exhaustive search of all species.
  • Secretive Marshbird: Secretive Marshbird protocols follow the Conway National Protocol Framework for surveying species at points using a predefined playback sequence
  • Site Conditions:  Site Condition protocols are used in conjunction with another protocol type (Point Count, Area Search, etc) for recording covariate characteristics about the landscape at or around a sampling location at a give date and time. Site condition fields apply to the entire sampling event, not just a single observation or record and can include fields such as weather conditions, vegetation cover, and disturbance.  Site conditions protocols can be applied to multiple projects if desired.

Data Sharing Levels: Each observation available in the AKN is tagged with a data sharing level as determined and set by the data owner (project leader).The AKN provides multiple data sharing levels (full details can be found on the Data Sharing Level page.

Core fields: Fields that are automatically associated with a protocol, either in the event or observation table. Some core fields are required (i.e., set by the AKN) and others are not and can be suppressed so they do not show up on the user interface. Example core fields that are required are species and count.

Extended fields: Custom fields that are specific to your database. Extended fields may apply to a site condition protocol or an observation protocol. Once created, extended fields can be used in multiple protocols within the same protocol type (e.g. area search, point count). Extended fields are included in the project warehouse and will be part of the data downloaded through the Project Leader application, but will not be included in the AKN tools such as the Data Downloader or the Analyst.

Project data: Project data includes all the data as you entered it into you project.  This includes all extended fields, the original distance bins, etc that are included in the protocol you use.

Warehouse data: Warehouse data has been formatted to fit a standard format that allows for data collected with different protocols to be analyzed together.  Warehouse includes all core fields (e.g., species, count, time) and some “smoothed” fields.  For example, distance bins are replaced with averages of the range of the bin to make the data comparable with protocols that record exact distance. Extended fields are not included in warehouse data.

Data Sharing Levels

It is the intention of the AKN that data be shared whenever possible, while carefully considering the tradeoffs between widespread distribution of datasets, the need to ensure data quality and validity, the privacy rights of land owners, and the intentions of the Data Owner(s). AKN, therefore, offers the following data access levels and sharing options that specify which level of access is granted by Data Owners. These are applicable to each and every record in the network individually, so that different records may have different sharing levels.

The AKN encourages its partners to anticipate that most data collected will eventually become part of the public domain. We encourage Data Owners to share data 10 years old or older without restrictions (Level 5). However, the AKN ensures that their data and tools are secure and that access is controlled based on Data Owner intent.

The following are the Avian Knowledge Network’s Data Sharing Types:

  • Raw

    Data initially input into the AKN that has not been reviewed for accuracy. This data cannot be used in any analysis and is not available in the AKN Data Warehouse for download or the Data Catalog.  Data are waiting either Biologist or Project Leader approval to be elevated to CLEAN.  Only the contributing institution has access to data at this level.

  • Clean

    Data input into the AKN was reviewed for accuracy and accepted as valid. The data will be copied into the AKN Data Warehouse for download by those affiliated with the project via the Data Downloader. The data are also available for use by the AKN Analyst Tool. The data are waiting Project Leader approval for elevation to higher sharing levels. Only project members have access to data at this level.

  • Approved

    Data are available for use by the contributing institution (those associated with a project at the Analyst, Biologist, and Project Leader roles).  Data are copied into the AKN Data Warehouse for download by those affiliated with the project.

  • Restricted

    Information about the project associated with the records is made available in the Data Catalog. However, information about restricted records is not shared with the Data Catalog or any other AKN tools. Only the contributing institution has access to data at this level

Data published under one of the four Data Sharing Levels below are stored in the AKN’s primary data warehouses.

  • Level 1 – Metadata Only

    Metadata about Level 1 records are made available in the Data Catalog, including contact information, locations, survey methods, species surveyed. However, records are not used in any other AKN tools. Only project members have access to data at this level.

  • Level 2 – Summarize Only

    Level 2 inherits all Level 1 rules, plus allows the use of data as part of publically available visualizations and summaries without survey effort and specific count details.

  • Level 3 – Share with Permission

    Level 3 inherits all Level 2 rules, plus parties seeking access to full observation data and metadata detail can request permission for access from the data owner, usually within the context of a data sharing agreement between the two parties. *Level 4 is similar to Level 3 and is not applicable for most AKN users.

  • Level 5  – Share Openly

    Full public accessibility. Level 5 allows full observation data and metadata detail to anyone for use without the need for explicit permission from the data owner.

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Chris White

Chris has held various positions with Bird Conservancy of the Rockies since 2006.  Initially hired as a data entry technician, Chris led the first Integrated Monitoring in Bird Conservation Regions (IMBCR) field crew in 2008.  He served as the IMBCR program coordinator for several years, before becoming the Director of Operations, overseeing the various monitoring and field data collection projects at Bird Conservancy. Chris currently sits on the National Avian Knowledge Network Steering Committee, the National Ecological Observatory Network Bird Technical Working Group, and the Northern Great Plains Joint Venture Technical Committee.

AKN Data Sharing Guidelines

Data and Analysis Tool Sharing Guidelines

The Avian Knowledge Network (AKN) is comprised of people, data, and technology working together to improve bird conservation, management, and research across organizational boundaries and spatial scales. The sharing of data is the core function of the Avian Knowledge Network partnership. The AKN continues to develop and refine procedures and tools that facilitate data sharing, including tools for metadata documentation and data entry, upload, verification, summary, backup, discovery, and download.

Contributing data to AKN improves data use and longevity by preserving datasets and their metadata and increasing access to and use of data. This document outlines AKN policies and terms for data sharing.

The AKN acknowledges that ecological data are highly valuable and must be properly preserved for the purposes originally intended, but also for other purposes that were not necessarily anticipated by the data collector. A guiding principle of this policy is that the investments in time, money, and intellect that are committed to collection and curation of a dataset entitle a “Data Owner” to the fundamental benefits of the work. This policy recognizes the Data Owner(s) as the investigator(s) and institution(s) responsible for data collection and compilation. The AKN is committed to ensuring that data sharing and access are done openly and collaboratively, with the provision that Data Owner(s) ultimately have the discretion to approve or disapprove use of their data.

DATA SHARING

It is the intention of the AKN that data be shared whenever possible, while carefully considering the tradeoffs between widespread distribution of datasets, the need to ensure data quality and validity, the privacy rights of land owners, and the intentions of the Data Owner(s). AKN therefore offers the following data access levels and sharing options that specify which level of access is granted by Data Owners:

RESTRICTED data have been fully reviewed, however the observations are not shared at all. Note that AKN projects always share project names, descriptions, and contact information. No detailed metadata, data summaries, nor observation information are shared outside of the project.

METADATA ONLY level shares the project description and contact, survey locations, survey methods, and the species surveyed.

SUMMARIZE ONLY level inherits all METADATA ONLY rules, plus allows use of data as part of publically available visualizations and summaries without survey effort and specific count details.

SHARE WITH PERMISSION level inherits all SUMMARIZE ONLY rules, plus allow use of full observation data and metadata detail to anyone that has a data sharing agreement with the data owner.

SHARE OPENLY level allows full observation data and metadata detail to anyone for use without the need for explicit permission from the data owner.

The AKN encourages its partners to anticipate that most data collected will eventually become part of the public domain. We encourage Data Owners to share data 10 years old or older without restrictions (Level 5). However, the AKN ensures that their data and tools are secure and that access is controlled based on Data Owner intent.

METADATA

Metadata are a critical component of data preservation. Metadata provide complete documentation of methods, location, and effort used in collecting the data. Metadata also document specific definitions for data fields and dictionaries for each field’s domain. Data sharing levels are also documented as part of a dataset’s metadata. Metadata are needed to ensure the data can be properly understood and their quality and potential usefulness assessed. Data for which there are no associated metadata have limited utility.

DATA USE AND TERMS

The AKN encourages and facilitates the ethical and courteous use of data among collaborators. All cooperators who contribute to and/or access data from the Avian Knowledge Network are required to agree to these data sharing terms and policies.

The use of data, and the publication of results derived directly from those data, are the primary responsibility and privilege of the Data Owner. This privilege is extended to third parties as a contribution by the Data Owner. Data Owners should always be acknowledged in publications and reports.

Requests for the use of data should be made in writing (via letter or email). The written request should have clearly defined objectives, and should explicitly spell out the terms, conditions, and parameters of the data requested and how they will be used. Data Owners may set individual terms and conditions for allowable use of their data (e.g., acknowledgement, co‐authorship in publications) that may be specified in a Data Sharing Agreement. A suggested general guideline is that, when 20% or more of the data for a publication or report come from one Data Owner, that Owner should be given the opportunity for authorship on the publication or report.

Avian Knowledge Network reserves the right to modify, revise, or supplement this policy, as it deems appropriate. Document developed by L. Salas, J. Alexander, G. Ballard, and C.J. Ralph.

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Sam Veloz

As the Director of Ecoinformatics and Climate Solutions at Point Blue, Sam leads a team that uses our science to help decision makers and natural resource managers prepare for future environmental changes. His group specializes in the development of models and tools that enable climate-smart decision making. We work in ecosystems ranging from upland and tidal marsh ecosystems in the San Francisco Estuary, to coastal forests and grasslands of the Pacific Northwest, to the deserts of the southwest United States and in the Ross Sea in Antarctica. Sam also represents Point Blue on the Avian Knowledge Network Steering Committee.

Sam’s personal research focuses on studies of spatial patterns of species occurrence and abundance across the landscape. Most of his work explores, through modeling, how species will respond in space to changing climate and other environmental change. By understanding how species respond to changing environmental conditions and incorporating novel methods for dealing with future uncertainty into our analyses, we can better inform conservation decision making.

Sam came to Point Blue in 2010 after working as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he studied how plant species responded to global warming following the last deglaciation as a proxy for how species will respond to future climate change. He received his PhD from UC Davis in ecology in 2008 where he studied how urbanization in Australia led to behavioral changes in megabats and the coincidental emergence of fatal zoonotic diseases in humans. He received his bachelors degree in environmental studies from UC Santa Cruz in 1997.

Russ Novell

Russ Norvell is the Avian Conservation Program Coordinator for the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources stationed in Salt Lake City Utah, where he works to catalyze research, management, and conservation for non-game birds, from hummingbirds to condors, statewide, and helps guide Utah’s 2015 Wildlife Action Plan implementation and 2025 revision. Regionally, Russ is involved the Integrated Monitoring of Bird Conservation Regions program, the Western Working Group of Partners in Flight, several species-specific working groups, and serves as Utah’s representative to the Pacific Flyway Council’s Nongame Technical Committee and is the current liaison for the Flyway to the National AKN Steering Committee.

Prior to leading Utah’s bird conservation work, Russ worked in the field for 25 years as a biologist for the state, NGOs, consultants, federal agencies, and has done academic research into the bird communities of western riparian and shrub-steppe systems.

David Hanni

David Hanni is the Bird Conservation Coordinator for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and member of the Avian Knowledge Network Steering Committee. David graduated from Colorado State University and is currently involved with the coordination and management of large datasets. David is particularly interested in how to coordinate data collection efforts to ensure that the information can be used at multiple spatial scales to inform conservation decision making. David is also an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys spending time outdoors taking photographs of birds.

Jennie Duberstein

Jennie Duberstein coordinates the Sonoran Joint Venture, an international partnership for bird and habitat conservation in the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. She is a wildlife biologist and conservation social scientist who has spent her professional career working to build partnerships for bird and habitat conservation across the United States and northwest Mexico. Jennie has directed environmental education programs, developed community-based conservation projects in the U.S.-Mexico border region, developed and taught courses and workshops on bird identification, ecotourism, and bird monitoring, and has studied species including Double-crested Cormorant and wading birds in Sonora and Yellow-billed Cuckoos in Arizona. She has also worked with young birders for many years, directing field courses, summer camps, and conferences, and generally helping to connect young birders with opportunities and each other. Jennie received her B.S. in Wildlife Biology from Virginia Tech and her M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment.

Ruth Boettcher

Ruth has served as the VA Dept. of Wildlife Resources’ coastal nongame biologist since 2001. She is based on the Eastern Shore of VA and her area of responsibility includes the lower Delmarva Peninsula and adjacent seaward marshes and barrier islands as well the waters, shorelines, islands and major tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. Her work focuses primarily on all aspects of nongame waterbird (i.e., shorebirds, seabirds and long-legged wading birds) conservation, research, monitoring and management. Ruth became involved with the AKN by way of the Atlantic Flyway Council which provided funds under three separate contracts to: (1) create a colonial waterbird (CWB) extension in which to enter, store and analyze historical, recent and future CWB data; (2) upload all records in the USGS CWB database into the CWB extension; (3) develop analytical and visualization tools for the extension; and (4) develop and offer training tools and webinars for data users and contributors.

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