SERC uses the Online Recording System, which you can access through the “Submit Data” button above. A help guide can be found here.
You will be asked to sign up to submit your records. By having your own account, you get to maintain full control of the data that you submit to SERC, so if you want to delete or change a record, you can. You also get to interact with your data and view your own records on an online map.
Through the ORS, you also get to see where your submission is in the data pipeline, a traffic light system is used to highlight whether your record requires verification or has been approved and passed through to go live on the main database. Your records are then ready to assist in providing up to date data to ecologists, consultancies and developers.
Looking at, and taking an interest in the nature that surrounds us can be a fun and healthy experience. However, knowing what you’re observing isn’t always easy. It can take years of practice and effort to start to understand even a small subset of what we see. Traditionally, we’ve relied very heavily on brilliant individuals and groups such as those found on our specialist recording groups page, or members of the public that go to places like Somerset Wildlife Trust reserves and say what they see around them. Luckily, we now have the technology to help better facilitate recording at a wide range of skill levels. Also, helping our community enjoy taking a closer look at our wildlife.
Our county can also benefit from these new tools. By using them, you can help to fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge and data. We now live in a world of modelling. Data can help predict where we should not only find interesting things but what we should care for. Unfortunately, if people only say what is found at a few places the models are less convincing. This is where we can all help, this is citizen science! The Somerset Wildlife Trust has launched a new initiative called Team Wilder. Over the coming months and years, SERC will be working closely with SWT on Team Wilder. Projects that will help facilitate the recording and citizen science that will be a big part of this initiative.
No matter your skill level, head to our “Help, Tell Us What You See” page to find out more information on the options available for species recording.