Region, site and observation locality #
ENTOMONE uses three distinct geographic concepts. They may refer to the same part of a map, but they serve different purposes and do not replace one another.
| Term | Map representation | Scope | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Region | polygon or multipolygon | independent of the dataset | filters accessible records by their coordinates |
| Site | point and radius or polygon | belongs to a dataset | groups records connected with a fieldwork location |
| Observation locality | does not create separate geometry | belongs to one record | describes in words where the observation was made |
Region #
A Region is the top-level geographic working layer. Its boundary is a polygon or multipolygon drawn on the map or imported from a file or external source. Examples include a national park, nature reserve, forest, country or a custom study area.
A Region is stored in the user's Region Library and remains available when the dataset changes. One Region can be active. The active Region filters records the user is already allowed to access by checking whether each record's coordinate point lies within its boundary. A record without coordinates is not included. A Region does not grant access to records or change dataset permissions.
A Region answers: which accessible records lie within this boundary?
Site #
A Site organises fieldwork in the active dataset. It has a name and a GPS point from which elevation above sea level is read automatically. Its boundary is defined by a radius or an exact polygon drawn in the site editor. It may also have an optional code, description, visits and media.
Elevation a.s.l. is filled automatically from the GPS point coordinates. The user can override that value and save their own site elevation.
The radius is the simple default. When a Site has a saved polygon, the polygon replaces the radius for GPS record matching. Records can be linked to a Site, while visits describe successive dates of work at the same location.
A Site answers: which known fieldwork location is this record connected with?
Observation locality #
An observation locality is text stored with one record, for example Pilica Forest, near Inowlodz. It can be entered manually or suggested from the map through OpenStreetMap reverse geocoding.
The locality does not create an object in a Library, has no boundary or radius, and does not group records. Changing the text on one record does not change other records. Its nearest Darwin Core term is dwc:locality; ENTOMONE does not yet have a Darwin Core exporter. The text may be sent to iNaturalist as place_guess.
An observation locality answers: how should the place stored with this particular record be described in words?
Example #
You work in the Poland dataset and activate the Pilica Forest Region. ENTOMONE shows accessible records whose coordinates lie within that polygon. One of those records may be linked to the Inowlodz - forest edge Site, defined by a point and a 500 m radius or its own polygon. Its observation locality field may contain the text Inowlodz, Pilica valley.
The Region filters the working result, the Site organises field records, and the observation locality describes one record.