Georeferencing‎ > ‎
This work flow replaces the one used earlier for projects downloaded and distributed after the release of BioGeomancer in which Features Projects could be created from projects, records could be deleted from projects, records could be re-georeferenced directly within the workbench, and localities could be edited within the workbench. This all occurred at 17:00 PDT 26 Oct 2007. If you wonder whether your project should use the steps below, look in the macros of your Access database and see if there is a macro called "Check Features". If there is, use the old georeferencing steps. Otherwise continue with the steps below.
Prerequisite: Learn the Longitude and Latitude song.
1) WORK CENTER: Claim region to georeference via email to John and Heather.
2) JOHN or HEATHER: Download specimens from ORNIS using "ORNIS georeferencing result set" structure.
3) JOHN or HEATHER: Load file from step2 into a copy of the "newornisgeoreftemplate.mdb" database, named for the Georeferencing center and the contents (e.g., UMMZ-Michigan-Gogebic.mdb). This file contains queries, macros, import specifications, and export specifications for processing data for input into BioGeomancer.
4) JOHN or HEATHER: Compare localities in the file from step 3 to MaNIS, HerpNET, Mexican Bird Atlas, and Carla's research georeferences. Set georeferences for those that already exist from these other projects.
5) JOHN or HEATHER: Send Access database ready for processing to the work center that claimed the region.
6) WORK CENTER: Open the Access database sent by John or Heather in the previous step and run the 'Prepare Output File For BioGeomancer' macro. This will export a file called 'OutputForBioGeomancer.txt' to the default Access data directory (see footnote about default database folders).
7) WORK CENTER: Log in to BioGeomancer and upload the file from step 6 as a new project with a name reflecting the contents. Example: 'ORNIS Michigan Localities'. BioGeomancer will begin georeferencing these records right away. You can do other things while BioGeomancer is georeferencing your project. You can even log out and it will continue. You should not, however, try to use BioGeomancer for more than one project at a time. You can safely use a second BioGeomancer window to do single record georeferencing without logging in.
8) WORK CENTER: When BioGeomancer is done uploading the file from step 7 (the progress bar will disappear and your new project will appear on the list of projects), edit the records until no record has more than one georeference and all of the georeferences are correct. NOTE: Records that already have coordinates in the descriptions are not to be georeferenced for ORNIS. These records can be used for reference, or they can be deleted (on by one) from the project. Projects created after 1 Feb 2008 will no longer include these records in the OutputForBioGeomancer.txt file.
There are lots of things you can do with BioGeomancer. To learn about these, look at the BioGeomancer Help Pages, which are accessible from the top of the BioGeomancer Workbench.
9) WORK CENTER: Download the file for the georeferences completed in step 8 to a file named 'GeoreferencesFromBioGeomancer.txt' in the default Access data directory (see footnote about default database folders).
10) WORK CENTER: Run the 'Import Finished BioGeomancer Georefs' macro in the Access database for the region corresponding to the file from step 9. This macro puts the georeferences into the 'UniqueLocsTable' where all of the georeferencing information for this region is stored. Running this macro will open the 'UniqueLocsTable' and the 'Incomplete Georefs' query to show you all of the records for the region, and all of the records that still have incomplete georeferences, respectively.
At this point you can run any of the macros 'Edit Incomplete Georefs', 'Edit Georefs for a Particular Place', or 'View All Localities' to help you finish the remaining georeferences. You can make changes in any of these views and they will all be saved in the same UniqueLocsTable.
If you can't finish the georeferences right away, you can come back to the Access database and run any of these macros to continue. The 'Edit Incomplete Georefs' view will diminish in the number of records as you complete them. When this view shows no more records, your georeferencing is completed or this Access database file.
11) WORK CENTER: When all georeferences for the file are finished, run the macro 'Final Step - Add DeterminedByPerson and Date' macro, which will allow you to set the DeterminedByPerson and DeterminedDate for all newly georeferenced records at once. Provide the full name of the georeferencer followed by the institution acronym in parentheses. Example: John Wieczorek (MVZ).
12) WORK CENTER: Zip up the finished georeference file and send it to John and Heather, who will check that it arrived intact, check that the data are complete, and archive the file for later bulk processing when all of the georeferencing is done.
*FOOTNOTE:
Access versions previous to 2007 and later than 97: The default Access data directory can be discovered, and changed, by looking at the Tools/Options menu under the "General" tab in a text box labeled "Default database folder:". In the newest version of Access I'm not sure where you can find and change this setting, so you may need to look in Help for "default database folder". This setting applies to the Access program as a whole, not for the individual databases you've loaded with Access. This means that the default database folder will remain the same between Access databases that you open. So, the best way to deal with this is to set the default database directory to '.' (just a period, no quotes), which tells Access to put files in the current directory and look in the current directory for files. That way, you can have lots of different database files, each in its own folder, and when you run the macros for any of them they will look inside the same folder from which the access database is run.
Access 2007: In this version the "Access Database folder" can be found on the external data tab, export section in the bottom right, click on "More" and the first option is the Access Database.