I am a graduate student that uses your database for sea turtle encounters for my thesis. I have a few questions that I am hoping you can answer for me. If I were to submit an image/encounter of a turtle that I have re-sighted previously and recorded on your website, will I get notified of it? From what I have been told, re-sighted sea turtle encounters will only notify me if another user submits a report of that same turtle (whether it is at the same or different location). In addition to this, how long does it typically take for a reported encounter to get approved? Lastly, I have had issues with looking up my submitted turtle reference numbers after they have been submitted. After my submission is complete, IOT gives me an encounter reference number that I am allowed to look up in the database. I have tried searching this reference number (for example, 7394b8ac-bb61-4a1b-92a5-8e07d528c0fa), and the website states that no matching number could be found. Is there a way to fix this?
We tried to contact you via email about your account on IoT on March 19th. Are you able to login?
Here are some answers to your questions.
If I were to submit an image/encounter of a turtle that I have re-sighted previously and recorded on your website, will I get notified of it?
You should receive an email if you list yourself as the submitter and/or photographer.
In addition to this, how long does it typically take for a reported encounter to get approved?
IoT is a self-service platform. Researchers log in to curate their own data. There is not likely to be anyone setting IDs or approving Encounters until you are able to log in and do that.
After my submission is complete, IOT gives me an encounter reference number that I am allowed to look up in the database.
The platform is not configured for public lookup of encounters currently. However, you can search for and find your data after login.
Please see our email thread to help us get your existing account back in working order.
Yes, my IOT account has been working and I got it resolved! I have been able to submit some of my encounters for the 2021 year. However, I do have a question about your statement that IoT is a self-service platform. Can you please define what this process means in more detail? I am just trying to grasp how your database works so I can see how I can best utilize it for my research.
