Data Uploading Guide

The GCDD supports single and batch uploading of coral disease information within specified datasets.

Getting Started

In order to upload new data, login to your account and click on "Manage Datasets” on the right-hand menu. Select "Create new dataset”. Complete the form with the information about your dataset. You can edit this information at any time by clicking "edit” next to the dataset name on the "Manage Datasets” page. To add data to this file, click on the name of the dataset.

Uploading Your Data to the GCDD

Option 1: Using a .csv file You can upload data in a .csv (Comma Separated Value ) file, which allows you to upload large amounts of data. To upload successfully, data must conform to the values and format specified by the GCDD; otherwise it will fail to upload. See the Field List table below for an overview of the required variables and their formats. The values for Transect Type, Country ISO, Coral Genus, Coral Species, and Disease must be one of those listed here.

Click here to download the GCDD CSV Upload Template

Click here to download a sample .csv file, containing two sample transects and three disease records.

To upload a .csv file:

• Click on "Upload CSV file of transects”
• Click on "Choose file”, select the file you wish to upload, and click "Open”
• Click on "Submit” to upload the file

If there are parts of your dataset that do not conform to the required format, the file will not be uploaded, and an error report will be generated that lists the problematic cases. Once you have corrected your data file, simply re-upload it by repeating the steps above.

NOTE: To aid data management, we recommend uploading separate .csv files as separate datasets.

Option 2: Using the web interface
Uploading data using the web interface allows you to add single transects to a dataset.

To add a new transect:

• Click on "Add a new transect”
• Complete the fields using the Field List table below as a guide
• Click on "Create new transect” when you are finished
• The information about the transect can be edited at any time by clicking "Edit” next to the transect name

Once you have created a transect, you can add disease counts to it.

To add a new disease count to a transect:

• Click on the transect name
• Click on "Add a new disease count”
• Complete the fields using the Field List table below as a guide
• Click on "Create species disease count” when you are finished

Field List

Element name	Attribute of...	Description	Example Value
Transect Name	Transect	The name of the transect	"Coastal data 2"
GPS Start Point	Transect	The GPS coordinates at the start of the transect, these should be in the format: "latitude, longitude"	"-1.8458,154.742"
GPS End Point	Transect	The GPS coordinates at the end of the transect, these should be in the format: "latitude, longitude". If you do not have the GPS End Point, simply enter the GPS Start Point in this field	"-1.8458,154.742"
Transect Type	Transect	The type of transect, This MUST be one of THESE VALUES	"Line intercept transects"
Country ISO	Transect	The 2 character ISO 3166-1 Alpha-2 code of the country that the survey was conducted in, This MUST be one of THESE VALUES	"GB"
Length	Transect	The length of the transect in Meters	5
Width	Transect	The width of the transect in Meters	5
Depth	Transect	The depth of the transect in Meters	5
Date	Transect	The date the sample was taken at in UK Date Format DD/MM/YYYY	25/02/2010
Temperature at Depth	Transect	The temperature at the depth (Centigrade)	5
Coral Coverage (%)	Transect	The percentage of the transect which is actually coral	50
Bleached Coral (%)	Transect	The percentage of the coral that is bleached	50
Coral Predation (%)	Transect	The percentage of the coral which appears to have suffered predation	15
Notes	Disease Count	Any notes you wish to add to the Disease Count	"Veniam eligendi..."
Coral Genus	Disease Count	This is the coral genus of the disease count, This MUST be one of THESE VALUES.	"Acanthastrea"
Coral Species	Disease Count	This is the coral species of the disease count, This MUST be one of THESE VALUES However, if you are unsure of the species, you make enter the genus only and leave this field blank	"Acanthophyllia"
Disease	Disease Count	The code of the disease that is being counted, This MUST be one of THESE VALUES	"BBD"
Count	Disease Count	The count of the diseases on the species	5

Converting UTM to Decimal Latitude/Longitude

If you need to convert UTM coordinates to decimal latitude and longitude, we recommend using the conversion Excel file developed by Steven Dutch (University of Wisconsin). Click here to go to his website, where you can find both the Excel file, as well as instructions for using it.