Filling out metadata forms

You must fill out a metadata form for the following circumstances:

• Each time you take out a GPS unit
• Each time you want to archive spatial or non-spatial data

It may seem like a pain to fill out a metadata form each time you take out a GPS unit, especially if you are collecting the same type of information over and over.  However, it is important to do so, since each time you use the GPS unit, you collect new GPS filenames.  Each of these filenames must be associated with a metadata form. 

In order to speed up this process, you can use the prepopulate tool.  Once you've fill out your first metadata form, it will appear in the database of all metadata.  You can choose to browse the non-spatial, the research site, or research project metadata, or use the prepopulate tool for any of them.  Locate your metadata form, click the prepopulate tool, and nearly everything you previously entered will fill in.  Simply enter the new GPS filenames or any other information that may have changed, and click submit.

Note: Another alternative is that you can also collect all your GPS data for one type of data, and then fill out a single metadata form with all the GPS filenames.  However, keep in mind that you won't receive any of the GPS data until we receive a metadata form.