Data quality

5 Quality Checkpoints
  1. AUTOMATED CHECK of select data fields to make sure data are within range
  2. QUALITY CHECK by a fellow Vital Signs participant prior to publishing
  3. PEER REVIEW by a fellow Vital Signs participant before publishing
  4. EXPERT REVIEW of species IDs by VS Species Experts
  5. COMMUNITY REVIEW of published data by the Vital Signs community through comments and ID support.



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Quality data is here!

This site is overflowing with incredible species observations! Help us build a library of the best observations that highlights the participants who are doing extraordinary work in the field and online. See the best field notes, photo evidence, sketches, and more (!) that we've collected so far: BEST ON VS


Our Collective Responsibility

It's our shared responsibility to help move our entire community of novices and experts alike towards publishing the best species observations and habitat data possible. You can help:

Publish your best work

  • Check out Best on VS to see what quality looks & sounds like
  • Make careful observations in the field
  • Have your work quality checked and peer reviewed
  • Choose one thing to do better next time you go out

Check someone's work before they publish

Review published observations

  • Leave comments that recognize great data
  • Leave comments that offer tips for improving data quality
  • Agree with a species ID, or suggest a different one
  • Flag observations that have suspect coordinates

Share your expertise

  • Be Species Expert for one you're great at identifying
  • Share a lesson plan that improves quality
  • Post a project on how you ID species, take photos, or build evidence
  • Make some noise when something seems amiss!