Main Features

NBN Data Model
Recorder is a collect/collate system. Developed to conform to the NBN Data Model, it allows individuals to collect their observations and pass them on to collation points without the use of sophisticated computer networks or other advanced technology. The NBN data model shows how biological data can be managed within relational databases. Whilst we naturally hope that Recorder will be very widely used, we appreciate that many people will already have invested in alternative packages. Our approach is therefore to make the standards on which Recorder is based available to people developing other software, in the hope that they will build some of these standardsinto their own products. In particular, we hope that they will adapt their systems to use the NBN exchange format.

Users, Security and Networking
Each copy of Recorder is given a unique identifier, which forms part of all record keys. This allows information to be moved from one copy to another without conflict or over-writing. A user must be registered in a particular copy to use it and must enter their user-name and password when logging on. All records are stamped with the identifier of the user who added or last changed them. The appearance and behaviour of the application can be configured according to the requirements of the individual user. Configuration settings are saved on a per user basis, so multiple users of the same copy can each have their own preference settings. Five levels of user access are supported, from 'System Manager' (who can create other users) to 'Read Only'. The application supports multiple concurrent use in network environments. Recorder 6 uses SQL Server technology, allowing unlimited database size and number of concurent users.

Interface
The main application employs a Multi-Document Interface - in other words, it is like a word processor or spreadsheet that allows the user to have a number of documents open at one time within the main application window and to switch between them. The principal windows employ a Windows Explorer-like interface, with a list of available items displayed on the left and details of the currently selected item displayed on the right. Hierarchical tree-views are used extensively to visualise taxonomic hierarchies or the relationships between sites and sub-sites, for example. Commands are available via a dynamic menu system, configurable toolbars and right-click menus. Extensive use is made of drag-and-drop, but alternative mechanisms are available via cut-and-paste or keyboard short cuts.

Recording Card
Many species observations are initially documented via electronic 'recording cards', which have been purposely designed to resemble the manual cards already familiar to many recorders. These computerised recording cards include a section in which the basic information (date, place, observer's name) can be entered, together with a list of the species that were observed. 'Tick lists' permit rapid data entry and make the system as user-friendly as possible.

Rucksack
The 'rucksack' is a useful innovation that allows users to compile and store lists of items they use or encounter on a regular basis. This makes entering and recording data quicker, as users do not have to spend time looking up the items they need from the huge main tables. The lists, which might include names of species, locations, observers etc, can be loaded or amended at any time.

System Supplied Data - Dictionaries and Term Lists
A very important new feature of Recorder is the inclusion of 'system supplied data' in the form of species, habitat and administration dictionaries. This data helps to co-ordinate recording and improves the standards of data entry by providing essential reference information.

Mapping
Recorder comes complete with outline maps of Britain and Ireland (as well as some administrative area boundaries), over which observations, sampling stations and site visits can be displayed or printed. The maps can be imported in a variety of common raster and vector formats, including BMP, TIF, SHP, MIF and DXF; observations can also be exported in Dmap format. Locations can be associated with digitised boundaries, either drawn using the mouse or imported. Digital maps are used to help with accurately locating observations: if the point that is clicked is within a digitised boundary associated with a location, then both a co-ordinate and the location name are supplied. This allows users to precisely locate their observations at the same time as associating them with large geographical areas such as 'sites'.

Reports
Recorder's in-built reporting facilities are designed to be quick and easy to use. Reports are generated using a Report Wizard, which leads the user through the process of building a query in a series of simple steps. The layout of reports can be configured according to the user's requirements and the report can then be printed, mapped or saved in a variety of file formats. Examples of the type of questions for which reports can be generated might include:
What taxa and or biotopes occur at a given place? or What occurrences of given taxa or biotopes are available?