What is it?
On the Water Rangers data platform, all data is organized into datasets within an organization. If you're managing volunteers or using equipment beyond our standard testkits, we encourage you to create your own organization and dataset. This gives you access to volunteer management tools and lets you customize your observation form to match the equipment you're using. For individuals collecting data with Water Rangers equipment, we've set up regional catch-all datasets you can join and start contributing to right away.
Read more about our data structure here.
Why is it important?
When your data is linked to an organization, a dataset, a training protocol, and real users, it carries much more weight through this metadata. This is the background information that accompanies your data, such as when and where a sample was collected, what equipment was used, and who collected it. It tells anyone looking at the data how it was collected, by whom, and why, which makes it useful in a much wider range of contexts.
Who is responsible in your organization?
Anyone can request to create a new organization. Once your request is approved (which takes up to 2 business days), you'll be able to create a dataset and start sharing data.
How do you do it?
If you're a data contributor looking to join an organization and a dataset
Before you can share data, you'll need to be part of an organization and assigned to a dataset. When you create your account, you'll be prompted to select an organization to join. If you can't find the one you're looking for, reach out to your contact there. They may have set the organization to private, in which case an administrator will need to invite you directly. Once you've been accepted or invited, you're ready to start sharing data.
If you already have an account and want to join a different dataset, you can do that from your Dashboard. Look for the "Request to join another dataset" option in the light blue bar at the top, select the dataset you'd like to join, and a dataset administrator will review and accept your request.
Learn more about how to get certified for the dataset you're contributing to.
If you’re a dataset administrator
When you create a new account, you'll be asked whether you'd like to create a new organization. You'll fill in some basic information, including your location, why you're testing, and your contact details. Water Rangers will review and approve your request within 2 business days. If we have any questions, we'll reach out.
If you'd like volunteers to find and join your organization, make sure it's marked as joinable. You'll get an email notification whenever someone requests to join. If you don't recognize a request, don't accept it. You can always invite people to your dataset at any time through the “Manage data contributors” page.
If you created an account without requesting an organization, no worries. You can always head to our organization's page to create one.
Learn more about adding dataset members, creating a certification process, and customizing your observation form.