San Diego Management & Monitoring Program


Help Page - Instructions for Users

The SDMMP website gives users the ability to search for information in the Management and Monitoring Strategic Plan (MSP), upload and view project information and data, download relevant documents and reports, create and view online maps, and view the latest information on events and relevant news. Use the step-by-step instructions below to help navigate through each section. Use the table of contents, on the right, to jump directly to a desired section.



Projects

Find out about Projects throughout the region

SDMMP’s partners are performing a number of projects throughout the region to promote native habitats and species, monitor the impact of changes in the landscape, and restore natural ecosystems to the preserve system.

The project list is easily accessible from the homepage by clicking View Projects. Users can narrow the list of projects displayed by using the filter options. Project details, protocols, maps, personal, and data is found within each project’s metadata.

A project is defined as a management or monitoring activity that uses a single protocol or method to collect data, analyze data, or physically alter the landscape.

See below for an explanation on project groups.

Use the filter options to find Projects

  1. Use the first two dropdown menus to choose an MSP species or vegetation community.
  2. Use the Categories dropdown to find projects about a similar topic.
  3. Use the Preserves dropdown to find projects that are associated with a specific preserve.
  4. Set one or several filters and click Submit.

Project Groups

Many management and monitoring activities contain several components or tasks that each use different protocols but are unified by a common goal or objective. Because a project is defined as an activity using a single protocol, each of these tasks are added as a separate project. But these projects can be grouped together to indicate that they were done as a single effort.

A Project Group is identified with a light grey bar that contains the group title and a description that applies to all the individual projects listed below. The individual project titles are listed in blue and contain a description that is unique to that component.

Find details, documents, and data for Projects

  1. Click on the Project title from the Project list page.
  2. Use the diagram below to understand each field in the project’s metadata.

Registered users are able to create a new project or edit information on projects, where they have permission.

In order to add or edit project information, each user must register for a unique account. Only users given permission to a specific project are able to edit information.

Get started on a new project

  1. Create an account by clicking on the Log in button on the top navigation bar.

  2. Click the User account icon to view user-specific information.

  3. In the Controls panel, click Projects then click Add new projects.

  4. Fill in the project name and any other optional fields.
  5. Click Insert.
Note that the project is not publicly available at this point. It must be officially submitted and receive an internal SDMMP review. (See the section, “Submitting a project” for submittal information.)

Open a project’s metadata editor

  1. Once a project is created, the project owner will see it listed in the manage projects section.
  2. In the Controls panel, click Projects then click Manage Projects.

  3. Click on the Manage project metadata icon, located to the right of the project name.

Edit a project’s metadata

  1. The top section of a project’s metadata includes: Project name, Project type, Project Category, Description, Protocol/methods, Sampling techniques list, Map data URL, Notes, Start dates, End dates, Report dates, Current stage, whether a final report is available. The edit these fields, click the Edit Project Metadata.

    • Fill out the necessary fields. Once the fields are complete, click Update.
  2. The second section includes information regarding the project’s location. The Project Spatial Boundary is only intended to show a general outline of the project location. This should not include specific sample sites or plots.
    • You can either draw a boundary by hand, upload a KML, or select a preserve from a list (coming soon).
    • To draw a boundary by hand, select Draw Boundary. Follow the instructions in the subsequent screen.

    • To upload a KML, click Browse KML. Navigate to the correct file and click Open. Then click Attach KML.
    Note that you must click Attach KML after opening the file or it will not be added to the project.
  3. Related MSP Actions. The next section contains a tool to link the project to the associated MSP Actions.
    • Click Manage Actions.
    • Use the filters at the top to search through the MSP actions.
    • When you have located the correct action, click Add to project.
    Note This search tool does not contain information on the objective or goal. It is suggested that you first identify the correct action through the portal tracker search: https://sdmmp.com/tracker.php.
  4. The next section contains a place to upload documents associated with the project. These can be any type of file. If you are including a spatial layer file, you should zip all the contents together and upload as a single zip file.
    • Click Browse files.
    • Navigate to the correct file.
    • Click Open.
    • Then Click Attach documents (or Attach data files or Attach Photos).
    Note Documents, data, and photos contain their own set of metadata. Once the file is uploaded, click on the name of the file to open the file’s metadata. For documents, this will include adding a title, authors, abstract, and year.

    Project documents: Documents include PDF reports, contracts, scopes of work, etc. These documents will be searchable through the SDMMP library.

    Project data files: Data includes field sheets, GIS files, raw data tables, etc. The data files are not accessible through the SDMMP library. Users can only download data files through the project page.

    Project photos: Photos appear on the top of the project page. They can contain any aspect of the project that you want to show. Photos are not accessible through the SDMMP library.

  5. Project Personnel. Enter information about the personnel conducting this project. To enter a name, click in the blank space next to the desired role. Begin typing the person’s name. It will automatically begin searching for the correct name. Select the name from the drop down list.

    Note You must enter at least 3 letters to begin searching. In general, 3-4 letters is best. If the person is not listed, click Add new Personnel to add them to the database.

    Note You must click Update personnel once all the names have been added in order to update the list.

  6. Next enter the target species, vegetation communities, and threats. These are all dropdown lists. Choose from the list provided. Be sure to click the update button once all the items are added.

  7. The final item allows you to list this project within a project group (also called umbrella project). Choose an umbrella project from the dropdown list. Be sure to click Update umbrella projects once it is selected.

Submitting a project

  1. When all the relevant metadata fields are filled in and verified by the project creator, the user may select Submit Project, located at the very bottom of the Edit Metadata page.
  2. Project information will not be publicly available until the project has been submitted and reviewed.
  3. Once the Submit Project button is clicked, the SDMMP data steward will be notified to review the project.
  4. When the project is approved by the SDMMP data steward the project metadata will be available on the public site and will not be open for further editing. (See the section, “Re-opening a project for edits” for information on making changes after a project has been submitted.)

Adding users to a project

  1. Log in and view the Manage Projects page.
  2. When a user is the owner of a project, the manage users icon will be present. Click on the icon to add users and update user permissions.

  3. Under users, click the down arrow to view a list of registered users. Select the desired user from the list.
  4. Change the yes/no boxes under Owner, Edit metadata, and Edit data to add permissions for the new user. View the list below for a description of each type of permission.

  5. Once the permissions are set, click Add or Update.

Owner: Any user listed as an owner may add new users and change the permissions of any user.

Edit metadata: Users with Edit Metadata permission may change or add any metadata field.

Edit data: Users with Edit Data permission may change or add project data.

Re-opening a project for edits

Projects that are available to the public cannot be edited without re-opening the project. Once a project is re-opened for edits, it is not available on the public site until it is re-submitted and reviewed.

  1. For a submitted project, click on the Edit Metadata icon on the Manage Projects page.

  2. A message will appear informing the user that this project cannot be edited without requesting permission to re-open the project.

  3. Click on the words, data steward.
  4. This link will open an email addressed to the SDMMP data steward. Be sure to include in the email, your username and the exact title of the project that needs to be opened.
  5. Once sent, the data steward will correspond with the user with further information.

Library

Search for documents in the Library

The SDMMP Library contains reports, articles, meeting presentations, and workshop/conference proceedings.

Each document is accompanied by file metadata. The metadata describes citation information (e.g. title, author, and date), keywords, tags for species, vegetation communities, and threats, and file notes.

Use the search and filter options

Use the search and filter options

  1. Use the top navigation bar, choose Resources, then Library.
  2. Use the filters to choose an author, publisher, year, or article type.
  3. Use the search to type keywords.
  4. Keywords could include species names, vegetation communities, threats, or preserves.
  5. Click on Submit to view the results.

Understanding your search results

  1. Quickly scan for the most recent documents by using the year, highlighted in green.
  2. Identify the document type, listed in a blue box.
  3. Read the document abstract. If you wish to view more than what appears, click read more.
  4. Click on the article title to view the document’s full metadata.

Download a document

  1. Once in the document metadata view, click the document name, listed under Download Document.

Upload a document to the Library

Only approved partners are able to upload documents to the library directly. Contact SDMMP if you would like to request permission.
  1. Create an account by clicking on the Log in button on the top navigation bar.

  2. On the top navigation bar, select Resources, then Library.
  3. Click the button, +Add new article.
  4. Select an article type. The metadata fields associated with the article type will be displayed below.
  5. Fill in all the relevant information. Click the info button next to each field for more information.
  6. The required fields include Article name and restriction level. High priority fields include author, abstract/summary, year, keywords, and a file upload.
  7. Once the fields are complete, Click Insert.

Map Viewer

Environmental Datasets Map Viewer

SDMMP provides stakeholders with access to spatial information through an ArcGIS online map viewer.

A map viewer is a software program, accessed from a webpage, which displays a specific set of spatial layers and allows users to access tools to investigate the layers interactively. Because the map viewer simply displays spatial information, multiple viewers can be used to display different combinations of same layers. A spatial layer is a collection of related objects (or features) that can be viewed through either an online or desktop viewer. Note that this viewer does not contain MSP 2014-2016 Priorities.

  1. Use the top navigation bar, choose Resources, then GIS map viewer.
  2. Use the diagram below to understand the various tools available.

A: Zoom in and out, home extent, and current location Use the plus sign to zoom in and the minus sign to zoom out. Click the home button to return to the original extent (full SD County). Use the target button to show your current location. Use this in the field, to view your current location in relation to the layers on the map.

B: Basemap search bar Type in a search keyword and press enter. This will search general geographic information that is included in the basemap. This will not search individual layers on the map.

C: Data and Metadata Downloads Use the two links to download the original shapefile, raster, or metadata layers. These can be used in a desktop mapping application.

D: Full page map Use this link to view the map in a full screen.

E: Legend Buttons E-H will cause a side panel to display on the right. The first button will display the legend. This will simply show a list of the visible layers (layers that are turned on) and the description for the symbology of the layers. Use F to turn layers on and off.

F: Layer List Buttons E-H will cause a side panel to display on the right. The second will display a list of all the layers available. Check the box next to the layer to turn a layer on or off. Click on the 3 dots to the right of the layer name for more options. Layers can move up or down the list which will change the order the layers are drawn on the map. Layers can be more or less transparent. Users can also open the layer’s attribute table or description.

G: Print Buttons E-H will cause a side panel to display on the right. The third button will open a panel with options to print the map as a PDF or JPG. The map will print as it is seen in the display area. Zoom in or out, turn layers on or off, change order and transparencies until the view is correct on the screen. Then use the print function to save the map you created. Use the options to choose the file type and resolution. Click Print and wait for the loading bar to complete. Click on the map name to download the file.

H: Draw Buttons E-H will cause a side panel to display on the right. The fourth will display the draw option. Users can draw on the map with points, lines, and polygons. It is important to set the color of the drawings before marking on the map area. The color cannot be changed once the shape is drawn. Users can also choose to have the units of the shape automatically calculated and displayed on the map. All this information will be displayed on the printed map as well.

I: Basemap options Users can change the basemap to any of ERSI’s pre-designed maps. Click on the button in the bottom left corner, and choose from the maps that are displayed.

J: Ruler Users can get the XY coordinate of a point, measure the length of a line, or the area of a polygon with this tool. Set the desired units and click on the map area to start measuring. Double click at the end of measurement area for the results.

K: Query This search tool will search the map layers. This is different than the search in the top left corner which will only search general geographic locations. Use this query to search for species in the MOM database, or for preserves by either preserve name or owner.

  1. Click the icon for the query. Choose the layer you want to search.
  2. Select from the drop down list for the relevant information
  3. Choose the spatial filter- choose to show results either in the full extent of the map or only in the area that is currently being viewed. This can be used to limit search results to a particular preserve or MU.
  4. Click execute.

L: Attribute table View the information as a table. Click the small up arrow at the bottom of the map and choose the desired layer from the tabs at the top. Use the options button at the top for more control over the columns that are displayed. Use the button “Filter by Map Extent” to limit the list to objects that are currently in view. Turn this feature off if you are looking for all the layer’s objects.

M: Map display area The main screen area displays the map layers. Click and drag the mouse to pan around the map. Or click on a feature to view a pop-up. The pop-up will display the attribute information for the item that was selected. At the top of the pop-up dialog box, it may say, “1 of X”. This means multiple objects were selected. Use the left or right arrows to scroll through the multiple objects.


Announcements

View Recent Announcements

Many SDMMP partners contribute to the announcements section.

Use this section to discover links to videos or news articles, job postings, calls for proposals, or the results to recently completed projects.

View the most recent announcements on the homepage.

Simply scroll to the bottom of the homepage.

Click on the announcement title for more information.

Announcements may contains links or documents to download.


Calendar

Find upcoming events

  1. On the homepage, click View Monthly Calendar.
  2. Click on the event title in the calendar view or from the quick list of upcoming events on the right.
  3. Use the forward and backward arrows to scroll through different months.
  4. Calendar pages will provide the event address, topics, and agendas where available.
  5. For past events, the calendar page will provide power point presentations where available.

Grants

Find Information about Grant Opportunities

Various groups throughout the region offer opportunities for managers and researchers to apply for grant funding.

This section includes information about all the known grants. Many will not be currently receiving applications.

  1. In the top navigation bar, select Resources, then Grants.
  2. Scroll down to view the full list of grants.
  3. Grants that are currently accepting proposals are indicated by the text, “-Open Now”.
  4. Click on the name of the grant for more information.
  5. Information typically includes the Request for Proposals (RFP), samples of past grantees, and links to contact or submission information.
  6. Contact SDMMP to request a grant be added or updated.

About

Learn about SDMMP

The About section provides more information on the mission and vision of SDMMP.

This section contains the SDMMP Mission and Vision statements, a description of SDMMP tasks and goals, a list of SDMMP partners, and contact information for each SDMMP team member.

  1. Use the top navigation bar. Choose About, then Mission & vision.

Report Errors

Reporting Errors

If you noticed an error or would like to report an issue with the website’s functionality. Please be sure to take a screenshot of the page with the error. Email the website steward the screenshot, a description of the task you were attempting to perform, and a summary of the issue. We encourage and appreciate all feedback from our users.