Sharing data and reporting

In this section:

Introduction
Butterfly Conservation data flow
Reports, research and decision-making tools based on data
When and how to share data with the UK recording schemes
Sharing data with others
NBN Atlas
Local Environmental Records Centres
Local Reporting
iRecord Simple Download Analyser
QGIS
Summary
Resources

Introduction

We believe in the principle of “record once, use many times”. Verified records within the Butterflies for the New Millennium (BNM) and National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS) are used for a multitude of purposes, for example they have contributed to the butterfly and moth Red Lists, and fed into the State of Nature reports.

Butterfly Conservation encourage you to share local datasets with Local Environmental Record Centres and Natural History Societies. If you manage the local database on behalf of Butterfly Conservation, we will help facilitate this.

Locally you may produce reports from the local database to inform and inspire local recorders. In this section we cover some of the general principles of data flow and sharing for Butterfly Conservation datasets and what this means for you. We cover some local reporting tools that you might find useful.

Butterfly Conservation data flow

All of Butterfly Conservations schemes, with the exception of the Big Butterfly Count, are linked to iRecord to help simplify dataflow and provide instant access for County Recorders and your Verification Assistants to validate and verify the records in one system.

The records in iRecord are also accessible to the recorders themselves, and, via download, to Local Environmental Record Centres. The dataflow diagram below shows the simplified process.

The process of data flow via iRecord for butterfly and moth UK scheme data. Illustration content is produced with a CC BY 4.0 licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), with the exception of the icons which are copyright Microsoft and the organisational logos.

Reports, research and decision-making tools based on data

The UK datasets of butterfly and moth records are used by Butterfly Conservation staff, partners and licensed data users to inform our understanding of the distribution, status, ecology and conservation of Lepidoptera.

Butterfly Conservation produces “State of” reports regularly drawing on the evidence base, for example, The State of Britain’s Moths 2021 and The State of the UK’s Butterflies 2022.

Distribution and trends are also analysed in Atlas style publications such as Atlas of Britain and Ireland’s Larger Moths and Butterflies for the New Millennium Distribution maps 2015-2019.

Many Scientific papers are based upon the UK recording scheme data. And records have also informed innovative tools for targeting activity to avoid harm (Oak Processionary Moth tool-kit) or improve data (DECIDE tool).

UK recording scheme data are also vital for understanding the status of Lepidoptera in formal assessments: Butterfly Red List, Moth Red List, State of Nature.

Butterfly conservation has produced a Traits database, using the evidence base from the UK schemes, which can inform new insights into Lepidoptera behaviour and distributions.

When and how to share data with the UK recording schemes?

You keep the data flow going between the local datasets and the national databases. Data sharing to the UK Recording Schemes should happen annually, by 31st March each year. This ensures that Butterfly Conservation and our partners are using the most recent data for action, scientific research and advocacy activities. See the key dates document.

Please share your county dataset via the @email inbox.

Depending on your local database choice, there are different preferred methods for data provision. Please find your corresponding guidance in the resources below.

Sharing data with others

Butterfly Conservation shares data with third parties in three ways:

Summarised data where the individual records or recorders can’t be reverse engineered. For example, high-level maps or statements such as, “over 300 records of Meadow Brown were identified in this reserve last year”. This includes online public datasets derived from the UK database, published on the NBN Atlas with non-commercial licence.
Extracts from the database of records (with minimum required attributes) are provided under a one-off licence to parties with shared aims e.g. researchers. This is carried out with our data request form and agreement. The terms include not publishing or sharing the raw data.
Data sharing agreements with longer term partners, for example a Memorandum of Understanding with an associated data exchange with a National Agency.

Examples of third-parties that Butterfly Conservation may share data with are Local Environmental Record Centres and Natural History Societies.

If you have the Butterfly Conservation volunteer role County Recorder (database management), you are managing your database as a Butterfly Conservation volunteer. If you do not have this volunteer role in Assemble, you are managing the database on behalf of another organisation, or independently, and you contribute copies of your local dataset to the UK recording schemes via data exchange.

Butterfly Conservation database managers

If you have the Butterfly Conservation volunteer role County Recorder (database management), you are managing your database as a Butterfly Conservation volunteer. If you receive a one-off request for data, we will soon be setting up a generic online form that will collect the relevant details and present the terms and conditions of use to the data user. We will provide more details when this is ready. Meanwhile, please get in touch for a copy of the ‘paper’ version.

For regular data exchanges with LERCs or similar groups locally, Butterfly Conservation can help facilitate local data sharing and we are working on making a more consistent approach to support you. Please contact us via @email if you need support.

Local data requests sent to Butterfly Conservation, may be referred to the relevant County Recorder as appropriate. Commercial requests, e.g. from ecologists for their desk studies, will be directed to the local data search providing service, which is usually a Local Environmental Records Centre.

Database managers for other organisations/independently

If you do not have this volunteer role in Assemble, you are managing the database on behalf of another organisation, or independently, and you contribute copies of your local dataset to the UK recording schemes via data exchange. County Recorders who manage the local database on behalf of another organisation may have different approaches to data sharing with third parties to Butterfly Conservation. Please ensure that any Butterfly Conservation data you look after within your local database is not shared contrary to our Data Policy, GDPR or permissions on particular records. Please let us know if you are not sure and we will look into this with you.

We will also set up a data sharing agreement with you so that we formalise the exchange of records for verification and your local database, noting any restrictions or considerations for onward use.

NBN Atlas

Butterfly Conservation shares a derived dataset of the Butterflies for the New Millennium (BNM) and National Moth Recording Scheme (NMRS) databases with the NBN Atlas, enabling data access to researchers and conservation partners such as Natural England, Natural Resources Wales, Nature Scot and Northern Ireland Environment Agency. This derived dataset is publicly accessible and shared under a non-commercial use license (CC BY-NC), as per Butterfly Conservations Data Policy. Thank you for your support in making this happen and showcasing these important distributional data to a wide audience.

We also contribute to a Scottish butterfly distribution dataset from the Butterflies for the New Millennium (BNM) project hosted on the NBN Atlas.

The NBN Atlas can support API maps on your website. Please get in touch with us if you would like to explore this.

Local Environmental Records Centres

Butterfly Conservation is keen to help facilitate data sharing between Local Environmental Records Centres and County Recorders. Please contact @email to request our support. Where County Recorders share data locally, for example, with their Local Environmental Record Centre (LERC), the data can be used in the planning process and to understand species’ status at the local level to help with Local Nature Recovery.

Local reporting

Many County Recorders produce annual reports based on the local database to show overall patterns in recording in the area, to inform, thank and encourage local recorders. This kind of data sharing is summary data.

If you manage the local database on behalf of Butterfly Conservation, we’re really interested to know what your reporting traditions are locally, please get in touch.

Tools that may help with reporting include QGIS and the iRecord simple download analyser (see more below).

iRecord simple download analyser

The iRecord simple download analyser provides a way of analysing and summarising records using Microsoft Excel’s Pivot Table functionality. This tool can help with reporting. You can create a list of species in taxonomic order with the total quantity count for each species, generate a report to show species distribution by ten km square and/or species record counts by 10k square, and also generate species record counts by time/date period.

QGIS

QGIS is an open-source Geographical Information System package. It is the GIS software that Butterfly Conservation staff use and we have a dedicated GIS Officer who can also support you in your role. Please use the @email inbox.

We have a number of GIS training documents and videos prepared specifically for County Recorders and other Butterfly Conservation volunteers who use GIS as part of their role. Contact Karen on @email for access.

Because of its spatial querying functions QGIS is a powerful tool for any kind of mapping or spatial reporting of records. This could be useful for your verification process or reporting.

Reporting example: if you have records with mixed site names and grid references you can ‘consolidate’ these to their overlapping 1km or 2km grid square in QGIS so you can report on numbers per grid square rather than site name. Or if you prefer a name, each grid square could be given an associated site name, or you could use one of the freely available open licence boundary files such as parish or ward.

Summary

County Recorders are required to share their verified local datasets with Butterfly Conservations UK Recording Schemes on an annual basis and by 31st March each year. This ensures that BC and our conservation partners are using the most recent data upon which to base their conservation action and other work and facilitates dataflow.

Sharing data with third parties is limited due to personal data and database rights, but there are different options for making sure that people who need information about butterflies and moths get the required level of detail and our data-ecosystem is supported and maintained.