v. 202210
Wildlife Computers Data Portal &
Tag Agent User Guide
This user guide will give you all the essential information
needed for interacting with the Wildlife Computers Data
Portal and programming tags with the Tag Agent.
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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged, and only for the information of the intended recipient
and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Creating a Portal Account and Linking your Argos Account ..................................................................................... 3
Tag Agent ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
Connecting to a Tag ................................................................................................................................................................. 5
Save Settings to PDF ................................................................................................................................................................. 7
Disconnecting from a Tag ...................................................................................................................................................... 7
Tag Agent in Offline Mode ..................................................................................................................................................... 7
Wildlife Computers Data Portal ............................................................................................................................................ 8
My Tags ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 9
My Data – Navigating the Portal Interface .................................................................................................................... 11
View Data ................................................................................................................................................................................... 12
Data Sharing ............................................................................................................................................................................. 19
Data Alerts ................................................................................................................................................................................. 20
Upload Data .............................................................................................................................................................................. 21
Live KMZ ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
Live Maps ................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
My Motes ................................................................................................................................................................................... 25
Troubleshooting ..................................................................................................................................................................... 26
Contacting Wildlife Computers ......................................................................................................................................... 27
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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged, and only for the information of the intended recipient
and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
Introduction
When it comes to research, the proof is in the data. Data are the lifeblood of what we do with our tags.
To make it easier to gather, study, and manage data, Wildlife Computers developed simplified
software.
Tag Agent is a software program used to interact with any Wildlife Computers UT-based tags
including SPOT and Pop-up tags. Tag Agent allows users to perform administrative tag tasks like
changing states or selecting settings.
The Wildlife Computers Data Portal (the Portal) is a custom website and online repository for storing
and managing scientific data from Wildlife Computers tags.
The Portal and Tag Agent are quite different; however, they are linked through a common username
and password. This guide explains the functionality of each in more detail.
Creating a Portal Account and Linking your Argos Account
This section will step you through creating a new Wildlife Computers Data Portal account and linking
your Argos username and password to that account. To fully understand the functionality of the
Portal, please read the rest of the user guide.
Creating a New Portal Account
1. Navigate to wildlifecomputers.com, mouse-over the Portal tab, and select either My Tags or
My Data from the dropdown list.
2. Click Create Account and complete the form. Passwords must contain at least one non-
alphanumeric character.
3. Shortly after hitting the Create button, you should receive a message on screen stating your
account has been created.
4. Log in using your email address and password used above.
Linking Your Argos Username and Password to Your Portal Account
1. To register your Argos account, click on the My Data tab, then click on the Link Argos Account
button at the top of the page.
2. Click on Add Account button and fill in your Argos username and password for your Argos
program and click Add.
3. Your Portal account is now registered and linked to seamlessly download and display data
from deployed Wildlife Computers tags received via Argos.
4. Once a tag is transmitting and data are received, each individual tag will be identified by its
serial number and PTT Argos ID number as a separate row in the Portal.
5. To access the data, click on the My Data tab at the top, click the check-box on the left-hand
side of the row, and then click the blue Download button.
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
Tag Agent
Tag Agent is software enabling researchers to administer tag settings directly into tags using a
computer and USB connection.
SPLASH10, TDR10 or TDR-Mk9 tags are not supported in Tag Agent. Users of these tag types
must download the appropriate HOST to configure these tags. To do so, navigate to
wildlifecomputers.com
Downloading Tag Agent Software
To download Tag Agent, navigate to wildlifecomputers.com
. In the top right corner, click on the Portal
tab and select Tag Agent from the dropdown list. Alternatively, on the homepage, click on the Tag
Agent Download button. Once downloaded, click the setup file to install Tag Agent. A shortcut will
appear on your desktop and by default the program will be saved in the location C:\....Start
Menu\Programs\Wildlife Computers.
USB Communications Cable Driver
If the computer has not previously configured a Wildlife Computers tag using a USB communications
cable, then the USB communications driver must be installed. The driver is available at
wildlifecomputers.com/support/downloads/
under Miscellaneous, or directly from the USB driver’s
download link on the Tag Agent Download window as shown in the screenshot below. You will need
to select either the 64-bit or 32-bit driver according to which version of Windows you are using.
Once the download of Tag Agent is complete and the USB driver installed, open the program. A
request for your user credentials will be displayed. If you have already registered through the Wildlife
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
Computers Data Portal, then enter the same credentials and hit save. If you have not created a Portal
account, then follow the steps to create a new Portal account in the
Creating a Portal Account and
Linking your Argos Account section above.
Tag Agent software will open and be displayed on your computer as below. The Internet connection
status is displayed at the bottom of the Tag Agent home screen.
Connecting to a Tag
Plug the USB communications cable into the computer and connect it to the tag, carefully observing
the orientation of the connector pins. The home page will display with Tag Status as Interactive in the
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
lower left with tag information and sensor readings visible. If tag status remains Disconnected, swipe
the magnet supplied near the communication port on the tag to view the interactive screen.
If the tag is new, or has previously been programmed by another user, a pop-up box will appear
asking if you wish to take ownership of the tag. Becoming a tag administrator gives you the authority
to select and save new settings.
If tag settings have been updated through the Portal using My Tags, a pop-up box will appear on
opening Tag Agent advising that changes have been made and the tag’s settings need to be updated.
The Administer Tag tab allows you to modify the settings of the connected tag. Click the Send
Changes button on the left of the screen to activate these changes.
The Download WCH tab shows a summary of data on the tag and gives you the option of
downloading the archive and set-up info onto your local machine.
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
Save Settings to PDF
To save a copy of your settings in a separate file, click on Save to PDF in the top right of the Administer
Tag section of Tag Agent. This will save a PDF to the computer. Send changes to the tag prior to saving
the settings.
Disconnecting from a Tag
To disconnect from a tag, use the Disconnect Tag button on the top right navigation bar. Do not
simply unplug the USB communications cable. There are three disconnect options (exception is mrPATs
which have Auto-Start and Stop):
1. Auto-Start puts the tag in standby. A tag in Auto-Start mode can be activated by sea water
submersion or by magnet swipe protocol.
2. Start mode activates the tag. In Start, the tag will deploy and transmit. If it is a pop-up tag,
data collection is running and the tag begins monitoring for its set release condition.
3. Stop mode puts the tag into deep shutdown for storage. The tag will remain unresponsive
unless connected to Tag Agent.
Once disconnected, a magnet swipe sequence can be used to change the state of the tag between
Auto-Start and Start modes. This function varies per tag type, so refer to the tag specific user guides
for additional details. Tags in Stop mode need to be connected to Tag Agent through the USB cable to
awaken the tag.
Tag Agent in Offline Mode
Before programming can be done offline, Tag Agent must be downloaded and opened with valid
credentials entered while connected to the Internet. Credentials are your Wildlife Computers Data
Portal login username and password.
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
As long as the software has been opened once and credentials entered, programming offline is
possible. To program settings, select Administer Tag from Tag Agent’s top navigation bar, configure
the tag, and click Send Changes. A dialog box will confirm when settings are loaded into the tag.
The next time an Internet connection is established, and Tag Agent software is open, the historical
record will be updated in Tag Portal.
Online templates are not accessible when working offline. To program a group of tags with the same
settings when working without an Internet connection, you need to create a local template. A file of
the selected tag settings will be saved onto your local machine. Local templates can be created and
applied in the Template Manager. While in the Administer Tag view, expose the Template Manager
with the icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
Wildlife Computers Data Portal
The Wildlife Computers Data Portal (the Portal) enables users to explore and manage key scientific
data more easily. Unlike other telemetry data repositories that hold archives for a limited period, the
Portal maintains data indefinitely.
The Portal is a secure, cloud-based program that enables researchers to:
1. Conveniently configure tag settings online—My Tags.
2. Reliably access, manage, store, and share data online—My Data.
3. Retrieve data from unattended ground-based receiving stations—My Motes.
To access the Portal, navigate to wildlifecomputers.com
. In the top right corner, mouse-over the Portal
tab and select either My Tags or My Data from the dropdown list. Alternatively, in the center of the
homepage click on either the Manage Tags or Manage Data buttons to access the Portal sign-in
screen.
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
First time users need to create an account by clicking the Create Account tab and entering their details
(see Creating a Portal Account and Linking your Argos Account
).
Upon signing in, the Portal will either display the My Tags or My Data landing page depending on
which option you selected. At any time, you can toggle between landing pages by simply clicking the
required tab on the top navigation bar.
My Tags
My Tags is the interface that allows users to remotely select their tag settings. Settings are chosen
online without the need for the physical tag. This enables project coordinators to review and select
settings for their associates in the field. A record is kept of all proposed and chosen parameters, and
the Portal automatically pairs the selected settings with corresponding incoming data.
Entering the My Tags interface will reveal a list of tags over which you have administrative powers.
Only tags that have been administered in the Wildlife Computers Data Portal via Tag Agent will
appear in the My Tags list. SPLASH10 tags administered via Mk10 Host software will not appear
in My Tags. However, Argos data from SPLASH10 tags will still flow into My Data once Argos
credentials are linked.
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
For each tag, a line item is created displaying the fields Administrators, Tag Type, Serial Number, PTT
ID and Tagware version. The Name field is a custom identifier. Giving a friendly name to your tags can
make it easier to search the tag list using the Filter.
Any tag administrator can remotely prepare a configuration setting to be loaded into a tag and
propose the changes. When the Propose Changes button is clicked, a red signal flag will appear on the
right-hand side of that row to alert users that a tag setting change has been proposed but is still not
physically administered to the tag. Whoever is in possession of the tag must insert the USB
communications cable into the communications port to update the new settings using Tag Agent.
Tag Settings
Clicking on the blue serial
number link allows you to view
and change that tag’s settings.
The data collection and
transmission options available
vary by tag type. The example
below shows a SPOT6 tag.
Once you have chosen your
settings, click the Propose
Changes tab on the bottom left.
This will save these settings to the
cloud and initiate the red flag
discussed above. The next time
the tag is connected to Tag Agent through the USB communications cable, a pop-up box will alert you
to load the newly selected settings into the tag.
Templates
Templates can be created to apply the same settings to multiple tags. Select the quadruple line icon in
the upper right corner of the screen to reveal the Template Manager. You have the option of creating
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
an online template or a local template file of the current settings selected. Local templates are used
when no Internet connection is available.
Configuration History
The tag configuration history can be accessed by the arrow button on the
left-hand sidebar menu below the Wildlife Computers logo. Clicking the
arrow will expand the tag Config History, and once viewed, clicking on the
arrow again will hide the History. Previous tag settings can be viewed by
clicking on each date listed.
The blue checkmark indicates the proposed settings were applied to the tag.
Hovering over the check will reveal who proposed the configuration and
when it was applied.
If there is no checkmark next to a date, the configuration was proposed but never loaded into the tag.
My Data – Navigating the Portal Interface
My Data is the interface that allows users to remotely access, store, and manage their tag data. To
receive data through the Portal, your Argos program username and password must be linked to your
account. This allows the Portal to pull and decode data from Argos (see
Linking your Argos username
and password to your Portal account) automatically and seamlessly.
Each Argos program can only be registered on a single Portal account. If several researchers
share an Argos program, then one of them must be the Argos program owner and share data
with the other users. Refer to the Data Sharing section for more information.
In the Data Portal a help tree includes common search fields. Including View Data, Data Sharing, Data
Alerts, Upload Data, Live KMZ, Live Maps, and Tag Reports.
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
View Data
Entering the My Data interface will display a list of deployments as follows. Circled features are
explained below.
For each deployment, a line item is created displaying the fields Prog#, PTT ID, Serial#, Decoded As,
First Uplink Date, Last Uplink Date, First Data Date and Last Data Date as default. You can add or hide
fields by clicking on the gear icon (symbol) on the top right-hand side under Help. You can also create
custom labels at any time by clicking the Labels button > Manage Categories > Add Category. You can
also filter any field alphabetically, numerically, or by date by toggling on the up/down arrows next to
each respective field.
To view a single deployment or several, click the empty box/boxes to the left of the table. When one
or multiple deployments are selected, downloading and data processing buttons relative to those
deployments will become active at the top of the screen.
If PTT IDs are reused, sometimes a single line will contain data from more than one deployment. You
can split a row of tag data into two rows by clicking on the Advanced button > Split Row and entering
the date/time at which to split the record.
NOTE: The date/time you enter to split the record will be the start of the second deployment. All
data preceding, but not including, the date/time that split the record will remain in the previous
deployment row.
Clicking on any number or deployments will display the tag(s) summary and map views in the lower
pane. The Summary tab provides a quick look at some key deployment information.
The Map tab plots the last location of each deployment that is selected. Clicking on one of the fuchsia-
colored dots exposes the entire track from that deployment color-coded by time. The filter feature can
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
be used to display only locations of certain quality, and the animation tool at the bottom allows you to
watch a video of the movements.
To adjust the size of the lower pane to view more or less deployments or to see a full view of the map,
pull up and down on the 3-dot slider below the data table.
Deployments with new data less than 24-hours old are identified by a flashing green circle next to the
date under the Last Uplink Date column.
Additional deployments can be displayed using the Previous and Next buttons on the top right.
The options in the blue header bar are by default set to view your deployments. To view a
collaborator’s data, you need to access the drop-down menu of the owner section and change
from My Deployments to the collaborators account name to view their data (see Data Sharing).
Tag Decode Settings
The Portal does its best to match incoming data with the correct tag type by reviewing the types of
messages that have been received. If the wrench is green, grey, or red you can manually change the
decoding by clicking on the wrench. The below dialogue box is displayed and you can manually
choose a tag type from the dropdown menu and upload a setup file generated from one of Wildlife
Computers Host programs (See Importing Settings into the Wildlife Computers Data Portal
).
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Another way to set the decode settings is to
select the deployment of interest, click on the
Advanced menu button and choose Decode
Settings.
Blue Wrench: Decode settings obtained from Tag Portal/Tag Agent
Green Wrench: Decode settings obtained from configuration file
Grey Wrench: Decode settings determined from received data or manually
selected
Red Wrench: Decode settings are unknown.
Downloading Decoded and Processed Data
Selecting a single row in the Portal enables the downloading and location processing tabs along the
top of the screen.
Argos locations, depth, and temperature are automatically decoded by the Portal, whereas data from
tags that include Fastloc-GPS and/or Light-based Geolocation sensors require additional processing.
Selecting the blue Download button will download all the decoded data and any default runs of
Fastloc-GPS and/or Light-based Geolocation if they have been processed.
When the Download button is selected, a pop-up will appear prompting you to choose a filename and
location to save the file. Save the output in your folder of choice. You can download data from
multiple tags at once if you have selected several tags in My Data.
Labels
Labels can optionally be set to help with searching and sorting data. Labels are organized by
categories, such as sex and weight in the example below. To create a custom category, click the Labels
tab > Manage Categories > Add Category. Type in the name of the new label category and click
Create.
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and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
You can add values to a category by hovering over the category name. For example, for Sex, you may
want three values, Unknown, Male, and Female. Once a new value has been entered, it will be
available in the dropdown menu for the next deployment.
A label or category can be deleted at any time using the red trash cans.
Assigning Metadata
Metadata are data that supplement an individual deployment. Under Deploy ID, a friendly name can
be assigned. The Clock Corrections and Deployment Dates/Locations fields are used for location
processing. Setting a valid start/end location for your deployment will improve the location
processing performance but is not required (see the Location Processing User Guide
for more
information). The Comments box is an optional text field.
Fastloc® GPS and Light-based Geolocation Tag Data Processing
The Portal provides two services for post processing tag location data (for Fastloc and light-based
geolocation tags)
1) Fastloc Processor—a tool for calculating locations from Fastloc-GPS snapshots, satellite
ephemerides, and seed locations.
2) GPE3—a statistical model for estimating animal movements as time-discrete gridded
probability surfaces using primarily observations of twilight, sea-surface temperatures,
and swimming depth.
The following is an overview of how to navigate the Fastloc and GPE3 processing pages. Please
consult the Location Processing User Guide for further information and tips on scheduling
processing runs.
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Fastloc Data Processing
To process Fastloc data, select the deployment row of interest and click on the Location Processing
button. You can only process one deployment at a time. If you have two of more rows clicked, the
Location Processing button will not be displayed.
Next, click Create New Process and select one of the following:
• Manual (One-Time)
• On New Snapshot (Automatic)
• Timed (Automatic) processing and the time interval
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If you would like automatic processing the preferred option is to choose Timed processing with a time
interval of 12- or 24-hours, as processing on a new snapshot can cause bottlenecks in processing if
many snapshots arrive consecutively.
Known Dates/Locations are listed on the right side of the Model Parameters tab. Before initiating a
run, double check that the start and end locations are correct, and add any other known locations
using the Metadata button on the Portal home screen. The Fastloc processor automatically includes
Argos locations (if available), so there is no need to add these in the Known Locations section.
Click the Start Fastloc-GPS tab on the far right to initiate processing.
When Manual (One-Time) processing is selected, you will receive an email when your Fastloc
data completes processing and is available for download. The automatic processing runs don’t
generate email notifications.
Once complete, the processed run(s) will be sequentially numbered and logged as a line item under
the Location Processing tab. The default process line is highlighted yellow. If there is more than one
process you can switch your default processes by clicking the green pin in the action labels column. To
download the processed locations, click the blue download arrow and save the outputs in a folder of
your choice.
In the example below, runs 1, 2, and 3 have been deleted, 4 is the default highlighted in yellow, and 5
is in progress as the status column has it listed as New. As its status is New, there is a pause icon in the
actions column which will pause the process if required. Once the status changes to Completed, the
pause icon will be replaced by a blue download arrow.
GPE3 Data Processing
For tags that collect light observations, geolocation calculations can be achieved using the GPE3
processor. Select the row of interest, and then select the Location Processing button and Create New
Process.
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This will expose several tabs. Following is basic information for navigating the page.
Consult the Location Processing User Guide for specific instructions and tips on processing
GPE3 data.
• Animal Speed is a required field. Assuming a normal distribution of typical sustained
swimming speeds over a one-hour period, choose a speed parameter representing
roughly one standard deviation above the average sustained movement rate for the
animal.
• Selecting the Marine Domain will prevent "on land" locations (currently only the Marine
Domain is available).
• GPE3 uses Sea-Surface Temperature (SST) observations made by the tag and compares
them with a reference SST data product to help make inferences about the animal's
location.
• Known Dates/Locations (entered as Metadata) can be selectively excluded by clicking on
the green check marks.
• The Twilight Observations tab will display a table-list view of all of the twilights observed
including individual light readings. You can selectively exclude any observation.
• The SST Observations tab will display a table-list view of all of the SST observations. You
can selectively exclude any observation.
• The Argos Observations tab or Fastloc-GPS Observations tab will display Locations derived
from Argos or Fastloc-GPS that can be included as part of the GPE3 modeling process.
• Clicking the Start GPE3 button on the right will start a processing run.
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Viewing and Downloading Location Processing Results and Setting Default Runs
When a deployment row is selected, clicking the Location Processing button reveals all the processing
runs for that specific deployment.
Each run has action icons on the right-hand side:
• The blue arrow downloads a processing run.
• The green pushpin allows you to select a run as the default for a deployment.
• The red trash will delete the run.
• The default run is highlighted in yellow. Setting a run as a default has several knock-on effects:
o If you download the deployment data from the Data Portal home view, the default
processing run will be included in your download.
o If you use web services to fetch data from the Data Portal, the default processing run
will be included in the fetch.
o When you view the map tab in the Deployment view, the locations from the default
Fastloc GPS runs will be included.
Data Sharing
Program owners can choose to share data with colleagues by adding them as collaborators. Both
parties MUST have a Portal account to collaborate. Click the Data Sharing tab down the left side of the
Portal to open the collaborator page. On the right side of the screen, enter the email address of the
person with whom you wish to share. An email will be sent inviting that person to collaborate.
When you are ready to share data, set up a New Rule. Choose which collaborator the rule applies to
and specify which Argos Program Number(s), PTT Number(s) or Label Category(s) you will be sharing.
At least one of the three conditions listed must be set. If multiple conditions are specified, the Portal
will only share data that meets all conditions selected.
Once a rule is established, data will appear in both your Portal account and your collaborator's Portal
account. Collaborators are limited on what they can and cannot do with data owned by another
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person. They cannot add labels, set decode settings, or split rows. They can only view, download, and
run location processing for the data you allow them to access.
Completed GPE3, Fastloc location processes, or runs initiated by the data owner and set as the
default will appear to the collaborators within their Portal upon download.
The options in the blue header bar are by default set to view your deployments. To view a
collaborator’s data, you need to access the drop-down menu of the owner section and change
from My Deployments to the collaborators account name in order to view their data.
Another option for labs that share a single Argos program is to set up an Argos Guest account. This
will enable simultaneous access to Argos programs via unique Argos usernames and passwords for
each user. Contact Argos or Wildlife Computers for further information.
Data Alerts
Data Alerts can be set up to email researchers when tags begin transmitting. On the Data Portal home
page, select Data Alerts from the left sidebar menu.
Click New Alert. Select the PTT ID number(s) and specify the destination email address and alert start
and stop times. When complete, click Save.
If you will be out in the field with limited Internet when receiving alert emails, choose the low-
bandwidth option which limits the size of the email.
Individual alerts can be paused or reactivated at any time by toggling the pause or play button at the
end of each alert row.
Alerts can be cancelled at any time by selecting the trash icon at the end of each alert row.
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Alerts can be set in batches by selecting multiple PTT ID numbers separated by commas.
When batch alerts are set, an individual ID alert can be cancelled using the Cancel link in the email that
arrives from the Wildlife Computers Portal.
Upload Data
Using the Upload Data tab on the left side of the Portal, data files from other sources (Argos, Wildlife
Computers .wch, Mote, Argos Goniometer) can be uploaded into the Portal for convenient access and
storage. The maximum file size allowed for upload is 1 GB.
• Argos files that are associated with the same PTT id should be zipped together and uploaded
as a single zip file. Files from the Argos website (.CSV, .PRV, DS, or .TXT) must be raw, un-
decoded files.
• Argos Goniometer files must be uploaded one at a time, and the file name must be the PTT
Decimal. For example, 123456.csv.
• Wildlife Computers .wch files must be uploaded individually. If it is zipped, it must be the only
file in the .zip file.
Important: Only Argos files with the following date formats will be processed: dd-MM-yyyy or
yyyy/MM/dd
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Live KMZ
A live KMZ file can be created that will update automatically when new data comes in. The
deployments and the items to be shown by default can be specified. To access, click the Live KMZ tab.
The frequency at which KMZ files are generated is also configurable. They are linked to our servers so
can be downloaded once and left to refresh automatically.
Live Maps
Live Maps allows you to create custom live maps
of single or multiple overlayed tracks that can be
easily embedded in a website. This map is
intended for display purposes only, and not for
use in scientific publications.
Live Maps can only be created by original data owners using information from their own Portal.
Live Maps cannot be created using shared data from other accounts or by collaborators.
Create a Live Map by clicking on New Map and giving it a name. Specify which deployments you want
shown on the map by choosing Program Numbers, PTT Ids, Serial Numbers, Metadata conditions. You
must specify at least one condition—you don’t need to choose criteria for each—and if multiple
conditions are specified, a deployment must match all of them in order to be included on the map.
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Choose to display Track Lines, Location Points, or both. Keep in mind that maps with a high number of
locations will take a long time to load if points are displayed. Data owners can add multiple Argos
projects into the Live Map. Instead of adding individual ID numbers, select Conditions, press and hold
the ctrl key (Windows) and select multiple projects. You can remove projects by holding the ctrl key
and deselecting individual ID numbers.
Next, choose the field that will be the title of each deployment on the map, and which metadata you
want displayed when a single deployment is selected. See the graphic below. If you wish to filter the
location to eliminate outliers for display purposes, you can choose which types of locations to include.
You can filter by Argos location classes Mote locations, and Fastloc and Conventional GPS locations.
GPE3 results are not available via Live Maps. Additional filters include Fastloc residuals and an animal
speed filter. You can choose to create maps for the full deployment or for a number of recent days.
If deployment start and end dates have been entered in the Metadata > Known Dates/Locations field
in the My Data section, those locations will be displayed on the map and used to start the animal
speed filter. A residual filter setting of 30 will ensure only low residual Fastloc fixes will display in the
map.
After defining the map, click
Save. The pop-up box will
provide code that can be
copied and immediately
embedded in your website, as
well as a direct link that can be
emailed. You can edit the map
at any time (change
deployment criteria, etc.) and
the link will automatically be
updated. When the webpage is
refreshed, all new data will
automatically be displayed.
Importing Settings into the Wildlife Computers Data Portal
Users of SPLASH10, TDR10 and TDR-Mk9 tags should take full advantage of the Portal by manually
uploading data from these tags directly to their account and have all the functionality of the Portal
working for them.
To do so, disconnect from the HOST software using either Deploy or Standby mode. The software will
automatically save a copy of the tag configuration as a .wch file and also a report file.
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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged, and only for the information of the intended recipient
and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
Once your tag has transmitted or been recovered and uploaded to the Wildlife Computers Portal, the
.wch file settings should be imported into the Portal to provide it with the correct tag setup
information. It will then also add the bin limits to the histogram output .CSV files.
• Saved Reports (.rpt) files from the HOST software can be imported into the Portal to provide
the tag setup information. These files are not transposable to a .wch file and are specific to the
serial number. They are less ideal to decode tag setup, but if you do not have the .wch file, this
is the next best thing.
These files are typically saved in the default file locations specified in the Host programs. The setup
backup file will be in the Backup folder and the report file will be in the Report folder. See the
MK10Host and MK9Host user manuals for more information.
To import the .wch file into the Portal, click on the ID number and then click on the colored wrench in
the Decoded As column. That will bring up a Decode Settings box that will enable you to add the
correct .wch file for that tag serial number. Be sure to hit save when you have navigated and selected
the correct file.
Tag Reports
This header is only relevant for users who deployed an obsolete sPAT version that did not transmit
data directly into researcher accounts. Upon selection, if no report appears, you can disregard this
section. If reports do appear you can download the legacy sPAT deployment report that was
generated by Wildlife Computers.
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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged, and only for the information of the intended recipient
and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
My Motes
My Motes is the interface that allows users to receive
data in near real-time from any Argos tag within
range of a Wildlife Computers Mote. A Mote is a
Wildlife Computers designed, ground-based Argos
receiving station.
In remote sites where Wi-Fi is not available, data can
be saved to a USB memory stick for subsequent
uploading into the Portal. A 3G mobile phone link is
also available.
Unlike an Argos satellite, a Mote cannot calculate
Doppler locations. However, they can relay Fastloc-
GPS and tag sensor data for what is essentially 100%
satellite coverage of the local area.
Clients with Motes may monitor data and Mote
performance via the My Motes interface.
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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged, and only for the information of the intended recipient
and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
Troubleshooting
Problem
Explanation
Action
Trouble logging in to the
Wildlife Computers Portal.
You have not yet set up a Portal
account.
Set up a Portal account by entering your email
address and a password.
There was an error with your
email/password combination.
Please try again.
Make sure you enter the correct email and
password combination you signed up with.
Passwords are case sensitive; email addresses are
not.
Server error, please try again
message. Some modems,
particularly home office
networks have their own
security built-in.
Check in your modem security settings that our
website is not blocked. You can also add our
website to the trusted sites list. If the modem has
a keyword blocker, disable it, and you should get
instant access.
I am a collaborator on a
project but cannot view
data from the person who
shared it with me.
You may not have activated the
collaboration request.
Check your emails; you need to click the Accept
Collaboration Request link in the email to
activate it. Once accepted, the invitee will get an
email response saying that you have accepted
the collaboration request.
In My Data, the owner drop-
down menu may still be
showing My Deployments.
Click the down arrow next to My Deployments to
show a list of collaborators. Click on the
collaborator of interest and the data will show.
You can only see partial data.
The owner of the data may have only given you
access to limited PTT IDs or data sets. In order to
view more data, you may need the owner to
change the sharing rules to give you more
privileges.
You cannot manipulate any
data.
Collaborators are limited on their options. They
cannot add labels, set decode settings, or split
rows; they can only view and download the data
and run location processing for the tags the data
owner allows them to access.
An Argos program can
only be registered on a
single Portal account?
An Argos program username
and password can only be
associated with one Portal
account.
If several researchers share an Argos program,
then one of them must be the Argos program
owner and share data with the others as
collaborators.
Several researchers
sharing the same Argos
program need to have full
read, write and edit
functionality of data, not
just be a collaborator.
The Argos program needs to be
split into guest accounts, each
with their own username and
password.
The Argos program owner must log into the
Argos website with the original program
username and password and set up an Argos
Guest account(s), each with their own username
and password. Each party must then enter their
own username and password into the Wildlife
Computers Portal.
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The information contained in these documents is confidential, privileged, and only for the information of the intended recipient
and may not be used, published, or redistributed without the prior written consent of Wildlife Computers.
Contacting Wildlife Computers
U.S. and International
Wildlife Computers technical sales and support teams are located in Redmond, WA, USA, and
Havelock North, New Zealand, allowing us to promptly cover a wide range of time zones.
Email
Sales, Quotes, and Inquiries: tags@wildlifecomputers.com
Technical Support: support@wildlifecomputers.com
Mailing and Shipping
Wildlife Computers
8310 154th Avenue NE, Suite 150
Redmond, WA 98052 USA
Phone Website
+1 (425) 881 3048 WildlifeComputers.com
For Asian Clients
While we welcome your direct correspondence, we recommend that you contact our colleague, Yong
Huang, for assistance. Mr. Huang understands the special purchase processes for your countries and
will provide you with the best service for the best price. He also is fluent in Japanese, Chinese, and
English.
Mailing Address—Please ship tags to our main office in Redmond, WA.
Yong Huang
Enfotran Corporation
816 Evergreen Point Road, #217
Medina, WA 98039 USA
E-mail Phone Fax
[email protected] +1 (425) 456 0101 +1 (425) 456 0303
