Create a study and add data
Movebank users create studies in which they store and manage data. They control access to studies and data through each study's Permissions settings. To get started, register for a free account on Movebank and create a study.
What data can be stored
Within a study you can store a wide range of data collected through animal tracking and bio-logging studies and monitoring programs:
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Location data: Animal locations estimated using GPS, Argos Doppler, radio and acoustic telemetry, geolocation, natural markings and bird rings.
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Other sensor data: Data from other animal-borne sensors including accelerometers, barometers, heart rate monitors, gyroscopes, magnetometers, orientation/IMU measurements, thermometers, and other common sensor measurements such as battery voltage.
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Reference data: Movebank supports information about tags, animals and deployments that are needed to understand and manage location and other sensor data.
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Additional files: Movebank supports storage of additional files that are not imported to the database but which relate to the study, such as images, analysis scripts or project-specific capture tables.
How to add data
To organize location data, other sensor data and reference data on Movebank, you upload or transfer data, and then import it by harmonizing data attributes and values to Movebank's data model and attribute dictionary. There are a variety of ways to do this:
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Live data feeds: Set up automated feeds to import data from currently-deployed tags from over 25 tag manufacturers.
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Import files in supported standard formats: Import files in known formats used by specific manufacturers and data providers.
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Import custom tabular text files: Import files in tabular text format by mapping each column to a Movebank data attribute.
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Add reference data: Add details about tags, animals and deployments by importing a tabular text file or using the Deployment Manager.
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Update existing data records: Update existing data records with new values or additional attributes.
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Upload file attachments: Upload additional files to store and share in the study.
Resources
- Managing Argos data
- Managing geolocator data
- Uploading very large data files
- Defining deployments and outliers
- Quality control of uploaded data
- Help with data uploads
- Best practices for archiving studies on Movebank
For more guidance, see our recommended steps to prepare and add data to Movebank, or contact support@movebank.org for assistance.
Create a study and add data
Create and manage live data feeds