Hi EMSA Community,
Version 1.0.12+1
New Features
Floristics in-field determinations - The new protocol allows in-field specimen determination with side-by-side plot details and a plot-filtered voucher picker. Species are validated against the Australian National Species List (NSL), with a fallback option for unmatched taxa.
Camera trapping - Added autofill from previous surveys/points. Existing surveys and points can now be reused, even offline.
Navigation - Site and transect pickers are now alphabetically sorted and can be filtered by the current project.
Fixes
Session and sync - Fixed Monitor sign-ins dropping out and replaced error pages with a "Log in again" prompt for expired sessions. Resolved concurrent save data loss, restored failed sync queue backups, and fixed background protocol updates applying during active collections. Prevented simultaneous data dumps.
Floristics and vouchers - Fixed duplicate names, stale search results, and misapplied synonyms in species dropdowns. Resolved Plant Tissue Voucher sync errors, generic form fallbacks, and exact-match barcode sorting. Fixed determination field selection and prevented record corruption on mixed-species determinations.
Maps and GPS - Differentiated "Waiting for GPS" from "Permission Denied" to prevent unwarranted location prompts. Fixed map crashes from panning or shapeless boundaries, and added auto-retry for failed offline map tile downloads.
Plots and protocols - Resolved concurrent plot selection conflicts and unblocking "server unavailable" alerts. Fixed off-plot transect date overwrites, quadrat wiping, and enabled saving Recruitment/Survivorship revisits with missing locations. Corrected "Change Visit" visibility and prevented fauna-only protocol unlocking. Addressed display issues in workflow summaries, Soil sub-pits, and Metagenomics fields. Fixed barcode scanner errors and generation failures on large boundaries. Clearing the last observation no longer deletes the record.
Improvements
Performance - Implemented resumable species-list downloads, faster syncing, and quicker bulk observation submission. Prevented stale records on rapid consecutive data refreshes.
Validation and UI - Plant Tag IDs are now validated for project-wide uniqueness (including unsubmitted entries) with clearer hints. "Herbarium Determinations" renamed to "Post Field Collection Determinations." Determination forms feature clearer labels, responsive grid layouts, a Yes/No certainty toggle, auto-filled species from vouchers, and a free-text "Specimen Stored At" field.
Usability - Added enlarged icons to photo thumbnails. Transect Start/End buttons now hide after use, returning only when details change. Hidden protocols no longer appear on initial project load. Added clearer warnings for unsupported browsers/devices, plus various minor polish updates.
WildObs camera trapping project
The WildObs image platform is being integrated with EMSA, providing an automated process for analysing camera trap images, verifying species identifications, and producing occurrence records.
We are currently seeking RDPs interested in testing the platform using their EMSA camera trap images. Feedback from users will help refine the system ahead of its broader release.
If you are using the EMSA camera trapping module and would like to participate in testing, please contact ltmp@dcceew.gov.au.
WildObs in TERN news
WildObs is making camera-trap data easier to share, combine and reuse. This recent TERN news article discusses the first WildObs dataset now available through TERN EcoPlots. WildObs is creating new opportunities to connect wildlife observations with nationally standardised environmental monitoring data.