Help
The system provides the means to record, store, search and summarise important data
of various types (e.g. document, photos, video, files) relating to sites, traditional
knowledge, ecological communities and any other thing of interest. A mapping interface
allows coordinates (e.g. site locations) to be stored, displayed and managed in
the system. References to people, flora and fauna species that do not relate to
a particular location can also be recorded and have information attached to them.
All content within the system (e.g. photos, videos, audio, sites) can be added and
related to one another, producing a valuable and structured resource for management.
The system is accessible only to individuals that have been registered and assigned
a user name and password. Each set of data entered into the system requires permissions
to be set that control which other groups of users are able to view and edit the
information. User are able to enter data collected from the field manually or in
bulk by using a set of import tools and procedures.
The Reports module within the system allows users to generate meaningful summaries
of the system content. These outputs may then be used to generate various types
of outputs that include
- GIS datasets that would be incorporated into other databases and computer systems
- Charts and tables that may be used in project reports
- Lists of rock art sites that are scheduled to be revisited
- Work programs for field workers
- Login to the system using an authorised username and password. Alternatively contact
the system administrator to gain access via a temporary or guest password.
- Click on the [Browse] tab at the top of the page. This will show a list of forms
or categories currently contained within the system.
- Click on the Sites icon to see a list of all recorded sites. They are presented
in list on the left of screen and shown on the map display as red points.
- Zooom in and out of the map by using the + and - buttons at the top left of the
map display.
- Scroll over any marker on the map to get the name of any site
- Click on one of the sites presented on the map or select one from the list. This
will take you to a page that summaries all the information describing the site
- At the base of this page you will see a list of photos, videos and maintenance forms
that have been recorded and related to the selected site. Click on any of these
items to view their details. Above this list see some icons that are used to filter
this list according to type.
- Go back to the [Browse] page and navigate through some of the other types of data
held within the system.
These tutorials provide brief instructions on the steps to complete different tasks
within the system. The most suitable tutorials are referred to throughout the other
help text on this page.
Users are required to authenticate prior to accessing the system, after which access
to content is based around their assigned user group. All users within a particular
user group can access content entered into the system (as defined by the person
making the entry).
Each approved user maintains a user profile, containing their contact details and
their system role and user groups. The user can edit their profile and change their
password by using the [Profile] link in the top menu.
Browse
The Browse page presents a summary of form types currently contained within the
system. This page also shows the number of entries recorded for each type of form.
The user can use the shortcut links to add new entries of the different form types.
Search
The Search box is always available in the top-right of the screen. This tool is
used to find particular items within the system. The user can find all records containing
a reference to the search words. This search tool will allow users to quickly find
information in the system that they are entitled to see. By using the permissions
set when users entering the information, only results that the user has permission
to view will be returned. An advanced search can be accessed by clicking the [Search]
button without any text in the search box.
For more instructions about how to search and filter information in the system,
you should follow the "Search and filter"
tutorial.
Working with the map
The map provides tools for zooming and panning the map and for selecting features
from the map. It allows the user to see other entries that are nearby and obtain
more information about those entries.
For more instructions about how to find your way around the map and for working
with the map, you should follow these tutorials
Viewing/adding/editing content
All content in the system is managed as form entries. The form asks for a series
of questions to be answered. Once completed this form is entered by clicking the
[Submit] button. At this point, the user will then be asked to define any other
user groups that have permission to view and/or edit the entry. It is important
to note that each form type contains a different set of questions. See the
forms section below for details.
For more instructions on adding/editing, you should follow these tutorials:
The security and protection of sensitive information is central to the design of
this system. Each user with access to the system is assigned a role, which determines
whether the user has the authority to add, edit and/or delete information or simply
just to view information.
Each user will also be given a profile, which defines the user groups that the user
belongs to. For example, user groups may exist for each gender, clan and family.
When a user is granted access to the system, they will be included as members of
the appropriate groups. When a user with authority to add/edit items in the system
creates an item, they must define which other users have permission to view the
item created.
To access the system, a user must login using a password. They will then be able
to access a page showing all the items they have created. When navigating or searching
through the system, the user will only be returned results to which they have permission
(as defined by the users who created the item). In addition to these permissions,
all entries (e.g. files, documents, photographs, videos) may be encrypted before
being uploaded to the server. This ensures that, in the case that a user wrongfully
obtains access to the files uploaded, they will be unable to read the files. The
only way to access decrypted files is via TS (which requires user login and appropriate
permissions).
The Reports module is where the information within the system will be summarised
into a variety of formats. Reports or data summaries can be used to extract specific
pieces of information from the database, such as listing which assets need to be
inspected in the coming months. System administrators will be able to create additional
reports. The reports can summarise any information entered into the system and can
produce results in tabular, graphical or map/GIS dataset form. New reports can be
designed and implemented by system administrators at the request of users.
The details of all reports that are currently available can be downloaded or printed from here.
For more instructions about how to run reports, you should follow the
"Run a report" tutorial.
The [Settings] module is only available to system administrators. This module is
used primarily for the management of user accounts. The settings section also reveals
any entries that are awaiting approval by an administrator.
|
Term
|
Definition
|
|
Forms
|
Forms comprise a set of questions that are used to capture details of photographs,
videos, documents or any other useful set of information. For example a ‘Photograph”
form may be designed to prompt the user to enter a caption for the photograph, the
photographers name and the people that are shown in the photo.
|
|
Entries
|
Entries are instances of completed forms. For example a user may fill out and submit
10 photographs, 2 videos and 3 documents and 1 site management schedules. This would
equate to 16 entries.
|
|
Relates
|
Entries can be related to one another in different ways. A photograph entry may
be directly linked or related to an entry describing the location and characteristics
of a site. Alternatively a photograph form may be designed to contain a question
that specifically asks for related sites. In this case the response to the question
on the photo entry creates the relationship to the site.
|
|
Features
|
In some instances entries may contain a geographic reference that defines the location
and extent of the item being described. For example a Cultural Site form may prompt
the user to enter GPS coordinates. This location can be referred to as a feature
when it is represented on a map.
|
|
User group
|
User groups are lists of registered users. Administrators can define system wide
User groups. Standard users can create their own custom user groups that may be
used to define families, clans, friends or siblings. Each user can be assigned to
one or more user groups. Each user will be able to nominate user groups that can
read and edit each feature or data entry form that they have added. If required,
these user groups will not be given access to content (as defined by the user) unless
it is approved by an administrator.
|
|
User
|
Users are people that have an authorised login to use the system. Users will be
able to register their details in order to get an authorised account. These registrants
will not be able to access the system until an administrator approves the registration
There are 4 types of users that will have access to the system.
- Read-only users can view content other users have granted them access to
- Standard users can add and edit content they have added. They may also be able to
edit content users have granted them access to.
- Power users can do the above things, as well as administering user registrations
and approvals.
- Administrators can do the above things, as well as creating reports and designing
new forms. They can also fix any problem entries.
|
|
Geometries
|
Points, lines and polygons are different geometries that can be drawn on the map
to represent different types of entries in the landscape. Points may be used to
represent cultural sites and a polygon may be used to represent a management unit
or region. All geometries are made up of one or coordinate pairs, usually stored
in longitude and latitude (as obtained from a GPS).
|
|
Encryption
|
Data uploaded into the system can be encrypted (if desired) to avoid unauthorised
users from accessing information directly from the server, which is useful if hosting
the database on a local machine or intranet (as opposed to remotely via the internet).
|
The structure/description of all forms can be downloaded
or printed from here.
Server
- Microsoft Windows OS (XP +) running IIS 6+
- SQL Server 2005 +
- Network connectivity to client machines
- Storage capacity to suit.
- Offsite Backup facilities
Client
- Any computer (mac or PC) connected to the server via a LAN/Internet etc..
- IE & + or Firefox Web browser.
- Flash plugin for video streaming
File formats that can be added to forms
The following formats are supported for uploading files into the system.
- Images (JPG, BMP, TIF, PNG, GIF)
- Videos (FLV, MP4 (H.264 Codec))
- Documents (PDF, DOC)
- Other Files (PPT, XLS)
- Audio (MP3, WAV)