TECHNICAL QUESTIONS
What web browsers does the CED support?
The CED v2.1 currently supports the most resent versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. Internet
Explorer and Apple Safari may work but have
not been fully tested. A warning to Internet Explorer users of version 9 and older; some severe graphic
distortions or erros will occur when using older
version of Internet Explorer. We recommend updating to the newest version or switching to a different
browser such as Google Chrome.
How do I register?
If another user is logged into the site on the computer you are attempting to register from, log them
out. New users cannot register if another user
is logged in on the same computer. To access the registration page select the 'REGISTER for the CED”
button on the CED’s Home Page.
Enter your information, and click “Submit”. The CED will send an email to the address you provided
within several minutes, containing a link that will
allow you to activate your account. Once your account has been activated (by following the link in the
email), please login and complete your profile
by entering in all the fields. If you are unsure of who your Approving Official is, you can contact the CED Team
for assistance. Note: If you do not see an email please check in your ‘junk’ or ‘spam’ folder. Ensure to
select that the sender (CED) is not spam.
Can I test the site without an “Office/Name of Agency or Organization” or "Approving
Official"?
Yes. You can register for a test account by going through the traditional registration process. When
completing your account select the appropriate
“Agency/Conservation Partner”. If no offices or approving officials exist the “Office/Name of Agency or
Organization” will default to ‘DEMONSTRATION USER ACCESS ONLY’
and the “Approving Official” will default to ‘Lief Wiechman’ (CED Team Lead). If other offices and
approving officials are available under your
“Agency/Conservation Partner” you can still select the ‘Demonstration User’ from the list of available
options.
What do I do if my “Office/Name of Agency or Organization” or "Approving Official"
isn't available?
Contact the CED Team via email to report the issue with a
subject heading, “NO OFFICE” or “NO APPROVING OFFICIAL”
respectively, and someone from the CED Team will contact you to discuss options (such as obtaining
access as a Demonstration User) or to obtain contact information
for the Approving Official for your office or agency/group. Once an office or approving official is
added, you will be able to complete your registration. After your
Approving Official has approved you (they will receive an email from the CED prompting them to do so),
you will have access to begin entering projects or plan
information into the CED.
What is the difference between ‘Single-Record Entry’ and the ‘Batch Upload’? How do
I determine what’s best for me?
Single-record entry and the batch upload template are the two approaches to populate the CED. The
single-record entry method guides the user, step-by-step, using the CED
user interface. Users can enter 1 record at a time. The Batch Upload approach utilizes a geodatabase
template that allows for easier migration of data from existing datasets.
The template is populated with all of the required fields, and is then submitted to the CED Team. The
CED Team then loads the information into the CED matching the fields in
the template with the fields in the CED. A user then uses the CED’s user interface to navigate through
and review all of the records submitted.
We suggest that if you have less than 100 records to enter, that the single-records entry is the
approach for you. If you have more than 100, using the Batch Upload
approach may save you time. The more records you have (i.e. 1,000) the more time it can save you. Using
the Batch Upload template will require some GIS skills and an
understanding of geodatabases. The single-record entry approach requires almost no GIS skills, aside
from uploading shapefiles and digitizing spatial information
(if applicable).
Can I change the name of my project or plan? If so, how?
Yes. To change the name of your conservation effort, navigate to Step 3 of the Enter
Data page. The box at the top that says Effort Name may be edited to change the name of
your project or plan. Click Save and Exit or Save and Submit for
Approval to save your changes.
Does my effort save automatically?
No. If you exit the CED, you MUST select Save and Exit or Save and Submit for
Approval in order to save your progress. Note, if you select Save and Submit for
Approval, the CED will send an email notifying your Approving Official that the record/entry is
awaiting their review. If you are not completed with your entry, we suggest selecting Save and
Exit.
Can I delete a CED effort?
Yes. When entering a project or plan, navigate to Step 1. You will see a small check box
in the upper right corner that says Mark This Effort for Deletion. To delete a project
or plan, check this box and then select Save and Exit or Save and Submit for
Approval. An email will be sent to your Approving Official requesting this effort be
deleted. This will simply mark the effort for deletion. It will remain in our system and will remain
subject to FOIA. However, it will not be visible on any queries, maps, or reports. If you are an
Approving Official and wish to permanently delete an effort from the CED system select
Approve with the Mark This Effort for Deletion checkbox selected. This
will send an email to the CED Administration and the CED Team will delete the effort from the CED. As an
Approving Official, if you wish to leave the deleted effort in the CED system select Save and
Exit to save the changes without requesting permanent deletion of the effort.
How can I tell if my existing geo-spatial database is a candidate for ‘Batch
Upload’?
The CED has the ability to query from and upload existing datasets in batch format. While more efficient
than single record data entry there are still steps that need to be taken. Contact the CED Team via
email (conservationefforts@fws.gov) to discuss feasibility
and next steps to conduct a batch upload.
Does the CED collect information about efforts on public and private lands?
Yes, the CED v2.1 is currently designed to collect spatially-explicit information (shapefiles, treatment
boundaries) for certain activity types (refer to user manual or quick start guide) on all lands and
jurisdictions. However, the CED Team understands that data providers may not want to or be authorized to
share that level of detail or explicit locations of efforts conducted on private lands. Therefore,
Private Lands Reporting Units can be used to obscure personally identifiable information (see next
question). By using these Units, the CED can summarize the contribution to sagebrush conservation
without explicitly identifying where the effort was implemented.
How is private land owner information protected?
In cases where Personally Identifiable Information (PII) needs to be obscured, the CED asks that NO PII
tied to an effort is provided. The CED does not request names, phone numbers, or contact information
from private land owners, and the CED Team suggests that information such as ranch names or other
identifying details not be provided. To obscure the spatial location of efforts on private lands, we ask
that efforts be reported by ‘Private Lands Reporting Unit’, which is a polygon large enough to obscure
private land owner location, while being small enough to be biologically meaningful. Those units are
being developed in coordination with state and federal partners and will be available in the Spring of
2019. If you would like to provide information tied to efforts on private lands prior to Spring 2019,
please contact the CED Team to discuss options.
What is a(n) Project, Effort, and Treatment and how do they differ? How should
it be represented spatially?
In the CED, the terms project, effort, and treatment are used in a general sense. The CED defines a
project, effort, or treatment as – the area on the ground where the treatment or action has been
implemented – and reporting to the CED is at the treatment level only. Because some management agencies
group treatments into 'projects' we use this term loosely to indicate a collection of treatments.
However, the acreage of treatments is the critical piece of information. Do NOT report acreage of
anything except actual area treated. The CED’s Interactive Map intersects spatial information with
various resource layers of interest for summary and for inclusion in reports. Entering spatial
information that is larger than the actual treated area will result in inflated totals, so it is
important to provide accurate information about treatment acres and not larger project areas.