How ENTOMONE works #
ENTOMONE is an entomologist's private database. The program collects records, photos, maps, sites, notes and data later needed for scientific work, collections, publication or iNaturalist.
The idea behind ENTOMONE started as a tool for recording data from expeditions. The goal was to organise data, document observations and make later publication easier.
A dataset is a data collection #
You create a dataset. The dataset is your data collection. It can be a local area, your country, a trip, a foreign expedition or a specific collection to work through.
You can switch between datasets. This lets you keep different topics separate and avoid mixing data from several trips or several collections.
A dataset lets you take control of a whole data collection. Data can later be searched through the taxon tree, geographically, by date, by observer, by host plant, by notes and by other fields.
A record is an observation #
A dataset collects records. A record is an observation or a working entry. It can have a photo, it can be without a photo, it can be a note, or it can be a rearing record.
A record can contain:
- date,
- GPS,
- locality,
- observer,
- species,
- photos,
- specimen count,
- sex,
- host plant,
- notes,
- a link to a site,
- iNaturalist data.
Not every record has to be complete right away. In the field, saving data quickly matters most. Species identification and details can be completed after you get back.
A site organises field work #
A site is a layer above records. You create a site on the map, set a radius, and this groups records from that area.
This is very useful in practice. If an entomologist works in a clearing, a valley, by a river or in a forest complex, they do not have to search manually afterwards for all records from that area. Records with GPS are assigned to the site automatically.
A site has its own page and its own gallery. The site page shows photos of the site itself, plus insect photos from the records that belong to that site.
Photos and the map are part of the data #
A photo in ENTOMONE is not just an attachment. A photo is part of the documentation. It can carry date, GPS and other EXIF data.
The map helps you set a point, correct a location and name the locality. The program can suggest a locality name based on the location, and you can correct it manually.
Cloud and privacy #
A unique feature of ENTOMONE is the connection to your own cloud, meaning Google Drive.
You connect your ENTOMONE profile to your Google account. Your photos are stored in the cloud, while ENTOMONE works as the database and the system that organises records.
This gives a big advantage. You remain the owner of your photos, and the program does not have to store thousands of accounts and terabytes of photos on its own server.
iNaturalist #
ENTOMONE is connected to iNaturalist, but iNaturalist is not the only taxonomy source. The user's local dictionary remains the first working layer, iNaturalist provides the mapping needed for observation publication, and Catalogue of Life Extended Release / GBIF COL XR can fill in the name and tree when iNat does not contain a taxon or still uses an older classification.
You can publish selected records to iNaturalist directly from ENTOMONE. You can manage them, edit them, sync them and check their status.
iNaturalist is very good as an observation service, but it does not replace a private database. ENTOMONE is used to catalogue your own field and collection data, and iNaturalist is one of the publication channels.
If a taxon does not exist in iNaturalist, the record can still be described locally using CoL XR or an expert layer, but it will not be ready to publish to iNaturalist until that taxon exists in iNat.