Levels of Data Access

NatureCounts host many datasets, representing in excess of 100 millions of occurrence records, with a primary focus on Canadian bird monitoring. Many of those datasets are from project lead by Birds Canada and/or its partners. While we thrive to make our data as openly available as possible, we also need to recognize the need of our partners and funders.

NatureCounts uses the following data access levels, adopted from the Avian Knowledge Network, and sharing options that define how each dataset can be used. Those levels are set individually for each dataset, in consultation with the various partners and data custodian involved.

• Level 0 - All data are stored in the primary data warehouse. Backups of the warehouse are made using persistent data archive techniques. Data managers use all data backup options consistent with the goal of no data loss (backups with periodic data integrity testing). The warehouse serves as the primary archive of all data, and no applications connect directly to the warehouse. Instead, data from the warehouse are ported to separate data views created specifically to optimize the performance of an application that connects to it. At level 0, the metadata information from the BMDR is NOT displayed on this web site.
• Level 1 - All of option 0, with the exception that metadata information from the BMDR is presented on the web site. The actual data are not available, and they are not used in data summaries or visualizations.
• Level 2 - All of option 1 with the following addition: data can be used in certain publicly available, predefined visualizations (i.e. maps and graphs), but direct access to the data is not possible.
• Level 3 - Data are used in publicly available, predefined visualizations (i.e. maps and graphs). Additionally, the complete BMDE data set is available upon request from the original data custodian through this portal.
• Level 4 - Data can be used in publicly available, predefined visualizations (i.e. maps and graphs), and the complete BMDE data set is available upon request from the original data custodian. Additionally, data is made available to existing bioinformatic efforts (GBIF and ORNIS). These bioinformatic efforts only provide the data “marked-up” to Darwin Core. This means that only locations where positive observations and the number reported are available.
• Level 5 - Data are used in publicly available, predefined visualizations (i.e. maps and graphs), and are available to existing bioinformatic efforts. Additionally, the complete BMDE data set is available for download directly through this portal.