How to think about work in ENTOMONE #
ENTOMONE is a workspace for entomological data. You create a record, keep it inside a Database, connect it with a site, photos and dictionaries, and later search it, map it, export it or publish it to iNaturalist.
The simplest workflow is: choose the active Database, add a record or note, complete the taxon name and location, check photos, and only then treat the record as ready for further use.
A record does not have to be complete immediately. In the field, the important thing is to preserve information quickly. Names, sites, plants, notes and publishing can be cleaned up later at a desk.
Database as the work context #
A Database defines the main work context: records, sites, media and permissions are viewed through it. Before adding data, check that the correct Database is active.
The default Database can open automatically after login, while the active Database can be changed during the session. This affects record lists, site choices and export operations.
A Database can be shared through invitations and roles. The owner manages access, an editor works with shared data, and a viewer has read-only access. User profile visibility is a separate setting and does not change these permissions.
The technical word Dataset may still appear in CSV export fields or compatibility notes. In the application interface and menu, the user-facing name is Database.
Field work: save first, organize later #
The Field Notebook is for quickly saving an observation, photo, note or breeding record. In practice, it should let you preserve information in a few taps without opening the full form.
A photo can provide date and GPS from EXIF. If the photo has no position, you can use phone GPS or set the point on the map later. A quick record can always be edited normally.
In the field, it is better to save a short incomplete record than to lose information. Record status helps distinguish work-in-progress entries from records ready for publication or export.
A record is a single data entry #
A record describes one piece of information: a field observation, a collection specimen, a breeding entry, a literature record or another unit of work. It can contain a taxon name, date, site, photo, specimen count, plant and notes.
A complete record should make biological and technical sense: it is clear what it is, where and when it was made, who added it and which media or sources are connected with it.
Quantity can be stored as exact, estimated, many or unknown. Custom fields adapt the record card to an individual workflow without changing the meaning of the core data.
Copying records, adding series and editing later are normal workflows. The important point is to clean the data up before treating a working entry as ready.
When one visit at the same place produces many different species observations without photos, use Add multiple records. Set the shared date and location once, then add species in separate fields or paste a text list - each non-empty line becomes an independent record.
To add one or many photos, or records from a CSV file, open Upload and choose Photos or CSV. In Photos mode, each image starts as a separate draft record; Ctrl-select cards of the same specimen and combine them into one record with several photos before saving the set.
Photos and media #
A photo is evidence and a source of metadata. It may contain capture date and GPS coordinates. ENTOMONE stores a working version, thumbnail and relation to the record.
The safest format is JPG/JPEG. On phones, it is best to take the photo directly from the form or choose the original from Google Drive, because some Android galleries remove GPS from the file passed to the browser.
Record editing can correct photo rotation and crop without replacing the original. The Media library supports file reuse, while Orphaned media is for carefully reviewing files with no active relation.
A photo does not have to mean a final identification. It can first preserve the observation, while the correct name and comment are added later.
Sites and visits #
A site describes a field-work location. It has a GPS point, accuracy radius and name, so records from that area can be organized without retyping the location each time.
A site visit is a specific day of work at that site. It is especially important for breeding records, where the publication date may mean the day material was collected, not the emergence date.
Automatic site matching is a helper, not a substitute for review. After import or quick saving, it is worth checking that the record was assigned to the right place.
Map, GPS and accuracy #
GPS can come from a photo, the phone or a manually chosen map point. Location accuracy is part of the record, so it is better to keep a realistic radius than pretend the point is more precise.
The map is for checking, filtering and correction. If the point is approximate, use a wider radius instead of moving it artificially to an exact location.
Map layers, Areas and UTM help with spatial analysis, but they do not change the owner of a record or the Database to which it belongs.
Areas describe extent, not permissions #
An Area is a polygon used to filter and analyse records by coordinates. It is not a Database, a site or an access-control mechanism.
Boundaries can be drawn, copied from the Area Repository or fetched from sources such as OSM and OpenPlanetData. Review the preview before saving and confirm that the correct unit and boundary were selected.
Several of your own Areas can be combined into a new independent Area. The operation does not change or remove the source Areas.
Dictionaries keep repeated data consistent #
Dictionaries reduce naming chaos. They cover taxa, plants, collection methods, sites and other values reused in many records.
A taxon name should be searched first and added only when missing. The private user dictionary supports working names, while iNaturalist mapping connects them with external publishing.
A dictionary is not just a text list. It is the layer that later makes filtering, exporting, publishing and data consistency possible.
Alerts keep track of tasks and dates #
An Alert is a private reminder. It can be general or linked to a record, species, site or breeding; it has a due date, status, optional attention text, location and media.
The calendar and list present Alerts by date and status. An Alert can be marked as finished and later reactivated with a new future date.
An Alert is not an observation record. It schedules identification work, a visit, breeding activity or another task, while scientific data stays in records and related modules.
Breeding preserves development history #
The Breeding module is private to the user and independent of the active Database. Each breeding has its own number, status, starting details and event journal.
The journal stores dates, development stages, notes and media. A breeding can be linked to its source record and to records of specimens obtained later.
Keep the collection date, subsequent event dates and record creation date separate. This keeps the biological history clear even after many weeks.
Cloud connection: Google Drive #
Google Drive is connected or disconnected on the separate Cloud connections page. Google handles authorization on its own page.
A connected Google Drive can be the active repository or remain in standby mode. Standby means that the connection is ready but inactive.
Connecting, reconnecting or disconnecting does not switch repositories, move files or delete cloud data. Changing the active repository is a separate controlled stage with migration and verification.
iNaturalist is publishing, not the working archive #
iNaturalist features are optional and disabled by default. To display them, open the User panel, select “Enable iNaturalist features” in Settings, and save the account settings.
iNaturalist is used to publish selected records from the signed-in user account. ENTOMONE remains the place where data, photos, locations, dates and names are prepared and checked.
A record ready for publishing should have a photo, date, GPS, a taxon linked to iNaturalist and an active account connection. Single and batch publishing should always be a conscious user action.
After publishing, ENTOMONE stores the iNaturalist observation identifier. Later corrections can update the observation, but iNaturalist identification history and community rules remain on the iNat side.
Import, export and data exchange #
Database export creates a ZIP package for the selected Database, saves it to Google Drive and temporarily provides a private download. Exporting selected or filtered records creates a CSV file for a smaller scope.
The CSV importer first presents a preview, data sources and the target Database. Site and plant matches require review; importing adds records and is not an unconditional overwrite of existing data.
After importing, it is useful to run Duplicate check. The Label Generator prepares printing in ENTOMONE, while a separate CSV export moves selected records to EntomoLabels.
A user export is not a complete account backup. The private SQLite backup and its offline Viewer have a broader scope and are handled by a separate process.
Online report and offline Viewer #
The user data report brings private records, taxa, media, sites, custom fields and Breeding data into one view. Tabs can be searched, filtered, exported to CSV and printed to PDF or paper.
After a successful backup, ENTOMONE can refresh a self-contained ENTOMONE-Viewer.html file on private Google Drive. Once downloaded, it can be opened locally without signing in or using the internet.
The Viewer is a readable snapshot from the time of backup, not an active database for editing. New changes appear only after the next successful backup.
Search and filtering #
Search narrows the working context, not only finds one record. A filter may mean a name, site, note, plant, date, Database or another context.
If a list looks incomplete, first check the active Database, active filters and rows-per-page setting. These are the most common reasons why a record is not visible.
After an import or batch entry, run Duplicate check. The system identifies matching groups and recommends a record to keep, but moving a copy to trash remains a conscious user decision.
A note describes data; an Alert schedules work #
A note can be a quick field entry, a species comment or information needed for later data work.
When you need a due date, completion status or recurring reminder, use an Alert. This keeps observation descriptions separate from the task list.
Voice and AI #
Dictating notes, content recognition and AI assistance are future directions. For current work, the priority is still to save data in a structured and reviewable way.
AI may later help with transcription, cleanup or analysis, but it should not replace the record author decision, taxon identification or source-data review.