FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I am new to this site, where do I start?

You are in the right spot! Read about the project by clicking on the About tab at the top of the screen, and then the Research tab. When you understand a bit more of what we are doing and trying to accomplish, it is time to move on to looking at photos: select the Classify tab, then at the top of the list of species you will see a button ** Tutorial**. Review the tutorial and then commence with reviewing photos and selecting the species you see. Additional assistance is provided in the Field Guide, which shows as a tab on the extreme right edge of the Classify screen. Note the tutorial or field guide can be reviewed at any time without losing your place in the classification, but be careful if you jump to external links or otherwise leave the subject you are working on before you hit “Done” or “Talk and Done” – you could lose any work you have done, and your data will not be recorded if you exit the page any other way.

What if I make a mistake when tagging a photo?

Tags will appear on the bottom left-hand side of the image, and you can click the "x" on each tag to remove it. Once you move past that image by clicking “Done” or “Talk and Done”, you cannot go back to fix it, but do not worry! Every photo is tagged multiple times to ensure the accuracy of identification. It is unlikely more than one person makes the same mistake on any one subject.

Why is there not an 'I do not know' button or 'Unidentifiable Animal' button?

With several volunteers seeing each image, it is most useful if each person makes their best guess all the time, even if it is uncertain if any one individual is correct. Even though most people would find it challenging, comparing the multiple volunteer responses will improve our research. The more volunteers coincide in the same answer, it is likely they are correct, and if not, then that is a measure of the uncertainty of the subject.

What if there are more than one species in the picture?

Believe in your power of observation, and you can tag, identify multiple species before clicking the "Done" or "Talk and Done" button to move forward.

What if I observe an animal that is not listed on the provided list?

Please use the “Done and Talk” button and leave a comment with the hashtag “#newspecies”.

Why ANGER cameras?

All pictures have the words ANGER01 in the right bottom corner, referring to the given identification of the camera that is being used. We are not in any agreement or contract to promote Browning cameras or any of their products. These are just the cameras that we decided to purchase.

Where are your cameras located?

We are not sharing specific locations of our cameras due to the risk of theft. All of our cameras are located throughout pastures at Martin Ranch, San Angelo AgriLife Research Ranch in Menard TX. A map can be found on the [About] page.

What if I am having technical difficulties or have questions?

Any questions or comments can be posted under the ‘Talk’ tab found near the top right of the page. We are always happy to hear from you, and assist you with anything regarding this project.

If you believe the issue affects more than one subject and the quality of data being collected, alert a team member by placing a “Mention” in your comment, such as @admins. (See the comment Help under the “?” top right of any comment block for a full list of “mention” options).