Hi Angela,

Thanks for taking the time to post for help. If it's easier I can talk you through using Swift over the phone (0161 342 3123). I will try and answer your questions here too though for the benefit of other people that might have the same hurdles to getting started but havn't reached out.

Greater Manchester Local Record Centre always had a website, gmwildlife.org.uk (it goes by gmlrc.org these days). That website couldn't really do biological recording though. There was a simple form but no way for people to register and login or report upon records they'd submitted.

To enhance the website we built a database and coded a bunch of new features that would together create a more complete biological recording app. Enhancments included: security and user accounts, a records spreadsheet import tool, an updatable species dictionary, fully featured MapApp, basic record query tools and the ability to attach photos, videos and sound clips to records. This additional stuff was developed under the name 'Swift' to differentiate it from the website. Indeed Cheshire Record Centre also run a copy of Swift under their recording website. We chose the name Swift because the development ethos was very much to build something fast to load and interact with but also fast to learn, clearly we fell short on the fast to learn bit

To get into Swift go to gmwildlife.org.uk (or gmlrc.org, it's the same place) and click on the user icon in the top right corner of the page. You'll be asked for a username and password. Once logged in clicking on the user icon again will display options such as 'My Files' (used to create files you can enter records into) and 'View Records' (used to query and download your records).

At the moment users can only query and download their own records. With the exception of GMEU Ecologists, Local Authority Conservation Staff (e.g. Salford Rangers), Lancs Wildlife Trust, Cheshire Wildlife Trust and a few nominated GMBRG 'admins'. We have discussed creating the feature you ask about i.e. allowing people to view a map containing everybody's records. Whilst technically this is easy to do there are some privacy and sensitive speces concerns we need to bottom out before we enable this. I'm intending to work with Steve and Ian to define what we can and can't do in this space. We wouldn't want people to withhold important nesting sites for instance due to fear of the precise location being disclosed.

The Ecology Unit advise Local Planning Authorities on 10 to 15 planning applications everyday as well as being responsible for selecting and reviewing locally significant Sites of Biological Importance. The Ecology Unit also have a central role in the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and implementation of the up and coming Biodiversity Net Gain system. The data recorders like yourself submit is really important to inform this work as well as allowing us to see trends over time. Thanks for sharing your observations with GMBRG and GMEU. There are approximately 300 active users of Swift in Greater Manchester submitting an average of 17,000 observations each month. From the moment these observations are submitted they are available to inform local decision making. Thank you isn't a strong enough set of words to acknowledge the combined effort of volunteers across Greater Manchester.





-- Edited by GM Local Record Centre on Tuesday 5th of April 2022 10:00:52 AMBest wishes,Paul @ GMLRC

-- Edited by GM Local Record Centre on Tuesday 5th of April 2022 10:03:49 AM