In defence of iRecord

Since I feel like I end up writing this over and over I think it's better to put it in one place (maybe I already did it and forgot!)

Why we should all be using iRecord all the time for everything

1. The record is a record

Sounds obvious, right? You’d be surprised how many people give you some information which doesn’t constitute a record. iRecord won’t let you do that – you’ll have to make a properly constituted record (as a minimum date, location, species, recorder). And you don’t have to try to read iRecord’s handwriting then enter that into some kind of database.

 

2. One record for everyone

Anybody can make a copy of this record for their own use but one record is one thing. It shouldn’t, ideally, be one record on my PC and one record on the CMR’s and one record on the next CMR’s and so on. A record from an SWT reserve be accessed by SWT. A local records centre can automatically access your records too. A record can be accessed by a recording scheme (which is why so many recording schemes choose iRecord as their preferred method).

 

3. All info about a record can be held with that one record

In the old days – let’s say spreadsheet rather than the even older days of actual cards – a spreadsheet record might be queried. Then there’s correspondence where the recorder has to find voucher photos or provide additional info. Instead of that all being on one person’s personal email it’s with the record. That’s where it should be. Anyone querying the record forever going forward can look in this one location. Perfect.

 

4. A record is easily verified

A spreadsheet record will be assumed to be true if it’s reasonable. But it might be rubbish! I know because my CMR has corrected mistakes of mine which were within reasonable bounds. No spreadsheet method would ever have caught this. Instead accompanying photos allowed the error to be corrected easily in situ and all the data on that correction was with the original record. Including my own daft mistakes, sadly - a small price to pay.

 

5. Auto flagging of records

iRecord is perfectly capable of auto-flagging questionable records IF the recording scheme is not obtuse about sharing records. In fact, properly set up and accumulating verified records over time it will inevitably be the best way of doing this – no manual intervention required.

 

6. Recording lists of records is as easy as pie

Many people aren’t aware that you don’t have to type in a whole name to get a record in iRecord. If you type, for instance “sc she” in the species box it will offer you Scalloped Shell. If you type “l b b y u” it will offer you … the right species. And your OS gridref won’t end up in the North Sea because you’ll spot any error immediately when it shows it on the map.

 

7. “I don’t have time for this …”

If, as I do, you record across a wide range of taxonomic groups you will be very relieved that most recording schemes choose iRecord as their preferred method. Because instead of, come 1^st of January, figuring out 100 different ways to submit records to 100 different schemes you don’t have to do anything. All your records are already submitted. Hurray! They’ll also have been verified and downloaded by the scheme if they’re on top of it – which it’s much easier to be when you deal with records in real time and not on 1^st January (or March, or whenever they finally get to you). What’s more they won’t be trying to deal with records in 100 different formats from 100 different recorders which, I know from experience, is  a massive pain in the rear. I’ve downloaded all verified iRecord records in one minute followed by spending a month chasing handwritten records with incomplete info supplied.