This tutorial provides instructions on how to upload water quality data using a spreadsheet in CSV format. These instructions assume:
- That you are an approved member of the project. See Joining a Project
- The the project already exists on Datashed. See Creating a New Project if it does not exist.
- That all of the sample points have been created. See Create a Sample Point if the sample points do not exist.
- The data has been properly prepared. See Preparing Water Data for Upload.
1. Log in.
2. Find and select the Project that you wish to upload data. See Finding Projects page for guidance.
3. Click on the "Data" tab and a drop-down menu will appear.
4. Select "Upload CSV Data"
5. A new web page to Import Water Quality Data will appear. You must either click on the Browse button to find the csv data file to be uploaded or you can drag and drop the file from your folder into the Browse box. Once the file has uploaded and the title of the files appears, you can then click on the blue "Submit CSV" button.
6. A new Map CSV Data screen will appear to "map" the fields and there should be a message at the top of the screen that says "Your CSV file has successfully been uploaded. Please proceed with mapping your CSV data."
*Note: If you received the message "Your CSV file has successfully been uploaded. Please proceed with mapping your CSV data." BUT the Map CSV Data screen does not appear. Then some sort of error occurred which prevented Datashed from completing this process. At least a portion of the time this appears to be due to "empty headers". To fix this, open your csv file and delete several empty columns next to your last column of data and several empty rows beneath your last row of data. Be careful to not delete actual rows of data. Save the csv file and begin the import process again. If you continue to experience this problem contact Datashed support.
7. The purpose of the Map CSV screen is for the user to map (or match) the names of the various water quality data parameter types (ex: pH, alkalinity, iron, etc) contained within the columns of your spreadsheet (shown in the Top Row in Blue) with the field name used by Datashed (shown in the Bottom Row). Basically, you are telling Datashed which column of data is your Sample point, Date, pH, iron, etc. Before you begin to complete the mapping process, please check to make sure that Datashed has successfully imported all of the columns from your spreadsheet. It is much easier to check that the data is there than to try to fix it later. If it has not correctly imported all of the columns, use the web browser back arrows to go back and repeat the process.
8. Datashed is programmed to try to automatically map the data and will try to "guess" and auto-select the correct parameters based on key words. Carefully, look at your heading (Top Row) and then what Datashed selected in the bottom row. While the names may be slightly different, it is important that you make sure that Datashed has selected the correct field. It is pretty good, but it definitely makes mistakes. Pay extra attention to the difference between total and dissolved metals, method of flow vs flow. To move across the screen you will need to use your arrow keys or you can use the scroll bar at the bottom of the page; however, you often cannot see the scroll bar if you are importing more than a few rows of data.
While mapping the data types, you will also need to distinguish whether each particular column of data was measured in the field or the lab (Middle Row). Simply click either the Lab or Field box. Datashed will often auto-select this, but this is much more difficult for Datashed to do correctly and it tends to default to selecting Lab, so it is important to verify each box is correct. For some parameters such as pH and alkalinity you might have both a field and a lab measurement, so it is important to tell Datashed which is which.
9. Datashed will also automatically select the sample point (far left column), as long as they exactly match the sample point names stored in Datashed. Those highlighted in green were auto-selected. Anything highlighted in pink indicates there is a problem and will need corrected. It is a good practice to quickly look down the list to make sure Datashed made a correct match and is very quick if the sample set is not large.
10. Once the mapping is complete, click on the Submit button. Datashed is programmed to help identify potential errors. If Datashed detects any definitive errors, it will not allow you to proceed until you have fixed them. Datashed may also question your values, if they are "out of typical range". For some potential errors, Datashed will allow you to proceed, but you should check to make sure the values are correct before doing so. If the data upload is successful without errors, you should be taken back to the projects home page (ie project details page) and you should see a message at the top of the screen that says "Your CSV data has been saved successfully! Thank you for your data submission!"