OHWM Photo Log vs. Ecobot Photo Log

  • Updated

The term "Photo Log" appears in a few places within the Ecobot platform - find clarity on the differences here.

"Photo Log" in different forms

  • Type 1 - Ecobot's Photo Log: Throughout the Ecobot platform, photos can be taken in Ecobot Collector, and uploaded into both Ecobot Collector and Ecobot Manager. Ecobot's Photo Log - a PDF report of Photos with metadata - is available in Ecobot Manager for all survey types.
  • Type 2 - OHWM Photo Log Section: In Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) surveys, the last section/step is titled "Photo Log". This was named "Photo Log" by the creators of this survey (the EPA and USACE). This Photo Log is a section of the OHWM form only, and is not automatically linked to Ecobot's Photo Log.

Connection between Ecobot's Photo Log and the OHWM Photo Log

There is no connection between Ecobot's Photo Log and the OHWM section called Photo Log. These two happen to have the same name, but they are not automatically linked.

Background: Ecobot's Photo Log was created as a companion document to other surveys. 

For example, a field like "Photo 1" in the OHWM Photo Log section does not connect to the first photo taken using Ecobot's photo tool. That is only a section within the OHWM survey.

Example

Let's look at a sample scenario where a field scientist is conducting a OHWM survey and wants to use Ecobot's Photo Log and the Photo Log section of the OHWM form.

  1. Dante is going into the field to conduct a OHWM survey.
  2. In Ecobot, he creates a survey in Streams > OHWM, and names it "Caltrey OHWM Assessment"
  3. Dante creates his first point and collects OHWM data in each step:
    1. General Info
    2. Step 1
    3. Step 2
    4. Step 3
    5. Step 4
    6. Step 5

Now Dante arrives at the last step - Photos. He wants to take photos using Ecobot's photo tools, and also fill out this section. What's the best way to do this when they aren't connected automatically?

How to use Ecobot's Photo Functionality & Log for the OHWM Photo Log:

  1. Ecobot's Photo Capture (in Collector - the mobile app*)
    1. Within each point, use the camera icon in the upper left to capture a photo.
    2. Photo Title: Use an easy to remember structure such as "Point Name" - #
      1. Dante is in point A1, and just took his first photo, so he's using the title: A1-01
    3. Description: Briefly describe the photo. Dante's first photo was looking north from his point, so he described it as "site facing north".
      *If you want to do this step in Ecobot Manager, upload the photos into Manager instead of capturing them live in Collector. You can follow the same steps to name them, then continue to the next section.
  2. OHWM Photos Section (can be done in either Ecobot Collector or Ecobot Manager)
    1. In the last section of the OHWM, click Photos
    2. For "Photo Log Attached?", select "Yes" because will be creating and a photo log in Ecobot Manager later that you can attach when the OHWM is submitted.
    3. In the "List photographs..." section, input the photos you took with Ecobot's camera capture tool into the fields. Below is an example of Dante's first few photos on point A1.
      1. Photo#: A1-01
        1. Description: site facing north
      2. Photo #A1-02
        1. Description: site facing east
    4. Repeat these steps on each point while in the field. You may have multiple OHWM points with the photos sections populated, and corresponding photos in Ecobot's photo tool that you have named corresponding titles and descriptions.
      1. To reiterate - the Photo Log in OHWM and Ecobot's Photo Log will not automatically name either set of photos for you. If you choose to use Ecobot's Photo Log for the OHWM Photo section, you must name the photos in each place separately and manage their matching yourself.
    5. Once you're done in the field, sync the photos in the photos tab of the survey and check in the survey.
  3. Ecobot Photo Log (in Ecobot Manager - browser based, Chrome recommended)
    1. Open your OHWM survey in Manager, and check it out. 
    2. OHWM Form
      1. Perform QA on each point by clicking on the point name to edit, if desired.
      2. Download a PDF of the OHWM for submission. The Photos section should be filled out with the titles and descriptions that you manually entered in (to match the titles and descriptions that you manually entered into each photo in Ecobot's photo tool).
    3. Photo Log
      1. Go to the Photos section of your survey (on the far left).
      2. Create a Photo Log using the instructions found here, and download the PDF.
      3. Now you have a PDF Photo Log to attach to the OHWM form PDF that was downloaded in the last step. The titles on the photos should match the titles on the form. If they don't, edit the OHWM survey and/or photos as needed and recreate the PDF.

FAQ

Will taking Photos in Ecobot automatically create a log for me in the OHWM's Photos section.

No. Ecobot's Photo Log is available in all surveys, and is designed to be a companion asset to attach to any survey. The only automatic link between a survey and a photo taken in Ecobot is the Associated point, which will populate automatically if a photo is taken while within a point in Ecobot Collector.

Can I use Ecobot's Photo Log for the OHWM Photo section's Photo Log?

Yes. Ecobot's Photo Log works great for the requested Log in OHWM, as it works great as a photo log to accompany any survey in Ecobot. Please use the steps above for one example of using Ecobot's Photo log for the OHWM log in particular..