Create a survey and set defaults

  • Updated

You can create a survey in Ecobot Manager, to set it up for yourself or your team before field work, or in Ecobot Collector, straight from the field. This article shows you how to do both, and how to set survey defaults so every new sampling point starts with your top-of-form information.

Create a survey in Manager

If you manage projects, you can set surveys up in Manager for your field staff before they head out. Enter the basic survey information, upload the site boundary and any known points, and assign the survey to the person collecting the data. When they open Collector, the survey is ready to go.

  1. On the Surveys page, select Add survey.
  2. Choose the survey type and regional form, then select Start.
  3. Fill in the survey information. Only Project/Site is required.
  4. Under Owner, choose who the survey is for in Survey owner. It's set to you. To set up a survey for a teammate, choose their name.
  5. Select Add survey.

The Surveys page in Ecobot Manager, with the Add survey button highlighted

The Add survey dialog in Ecobot Manager, with the survey type list and the Start button highlighted

The new survey form in Ecobot Manager, with the required Project/Site field highlighted

The bottom of the new survey form in Ecobot Manager, with the Survey owner list and the Add survey button highlighted

The survey is created in its owner's account. It shows under their name in Manager and on their devices in Collector. You can transfer it to someone else later from the Surveys page. See Transfer and merge surveys.

Whatever you fill in becomes the survey's defaults, so every point you create starts with it.

Start with points from a CSV

If you already have point names and coordinates, from a client or another survey, you can create the points when you create the survey. On the new survey form, under CSV Upload, select Browse and choose your CSV. Before the survey is created, Manager shows a preview of the points to confirm.

The CSV needs a column for the point name, the latitude and the longitude, in decimal degrees:

Sampling Point Name Lat Long
A1 35.56561052 -82.52799978
A2 35.56982736 -82.52873649
A3 35.67293847 -82.57281938

You can only upload points this way when you create a survey. For more, see Upload a CSV.

Add the survey boundary

To give your team the site boundary, open the survey, check it out, and select Import survey boundary on the Overview tab. Your team can then see the boundary in Collector out in the field. You can import a zipped shapefile, KML or KMZ, GeoJSON, Esri JSON, or a zipped file geodatabase.

To see a survey you created in Manager on your phone, check it in and sync Collector before you head into the field. Syncing needs Wi-Fi or cellular data. See How syncing works: check-in, checkout, and sync.

Set survey defaults

Survey defaults are the top-of-form information that every new sampling point in the survey starts with, whether you create it in Manager or Collector. Enter as much or as little as you like.

  1. Open the survey in Manager and check it out.
  2. On the Overview tab, find Survey Information and select Set defaults.
  3. Fill in the fields you want every new point to start with.
  4. Select Set defaults.

The Survey Information card on a survey's Overview tab in Ecobot Manager, with Set defaults highlighted

The Survey defaults form in Ecobot Manager, with the Set defaults button highlighted

Defaults only fill in points created after you set them. To change points that already exist, such as after field work, use Bulk edit points. To fill in county, state, subregion and other location details from each point's coordinates, use Fetch location data, which works on many points at once.

Create a survey in Collector

  1. In your survey list, tap Add Survey at the bottom right.
  2. Choose the Type: Wetlands, Streams or Other Field Data. Then tap Continue.
  3. Check the Survey. For wetlands, Collector suggests the USACE region from your current location. If you're setting the survey up somewhere else, tap it and choose the right region. Then tap Continue.
  4. Enter the Project/Site, the only required field, and tap Continue.

The Add Survey screen in Ecobot Collector, with the type list (Wetlands, Streams, Other Field Data) highlightedThe Add Survey screen in Ecobot Collector, with the Survey field and the note that the USACE region is suggested from your current location highlightedThe Add Survey form in Ecobot Collector, with the required Project/Site field highlighted

Anything you enter here carries over to every sampling point you create in the survey. You can enter just the project or site name now and fill in the rest later, on many points at once, with Bulk edit points and Fetch location data. The fields are:

  • Internal ID: for your own use, such as survey management or accounting. It isn't printed on the USACE form.
  • Applicant/Owner, Investigator(s) and City/County: free-text fields.
  • State: choose from the list.
  • Datum: set to WGS84 unless you change it.

Before you go out, download the base map for the area around your survey boundary. You can then see the map and boundary in the field even with spotty service, or with your phone in airplane mode to save battery. Downloading needs Wi-Fi or cellular data, so do it before you leave. See field prep best practices.

When you've saved the survey, select it in your survey list to start collecting. Don't use emoji in survey or point names.