An important aspect of EarthRanger is its ability to track and report various events and activities, facilitated by two key functionalities: Tracked by and Reported By
Understanding the difference between these two terms is essential for users to effectively utilize the platform and interpret the data accurately.
Tracked by (for patrols)
- The Tracked By functionality in EarthRanger is specifically used for Patrols.
- It represents the device or subject being tracked during the current patrol.
- This field is automatically filled when using EarthRanger Mobile, streamlining the process and ensuring that tracking data is consistently accurate and up-to-date.
- For manual setup, the system provides a list of tracked subjects from the admin settings, allowing users to select the appropriate device or subject.
The "Tracked by" feature signifies the device or subject actively being tracked, ensuring that the data is carefully and accurately managed.
Example: When a Patrol is started in EarthRanger Mobile, the system automatically fills out the field “Tracked by” with the user set to the device.
Reported by (for Events)
- The Reported By field in EarthRanger allows an Event to be associated with an individual (an entity reporting the event). This feature is essential for event-specific reporting, providing clarity on who is making the observations or reporting incidents.
- EarthRanger Web:
- An individual can be selected in the Reported By field when creating an Event in EarthRanger Web. Clicking the field displays as a dropdown list of the available tracked subjects in EarthRanger or Event Reporters.
- This field is left blank by default, an entity must be manually selected to associate them with an Event.
- EarthRanger Mobile:
- If an Event is created by a user via the EarthRanger Mobile app, it will automatically be associated with that user (this cannot be manually selected / updated from the ER Mobile app).
- If a user logs in to EarthRanger Mobile, a subject will automatically be created and linked to that user. This will allow future Events to be associated with that individual using the Reported By field from EarthRanger Web.
- If a patrol is active and the report is made by a user on that patrol, the Reported By field will match the Tracked by subject. This ensures that each report accurately reflects the source of the information.
Example: A ranger witnesses unusual wildlife behavior and reports it using EarthRanger Mobile. The Reported By field indicates that the Event was created by the ranger. If the Event was created during an active patrol, this would also match the Tracked by subject.
Manage entities in the Reported By field
Add new individuals to the Reported By field (e.g. add names that can be selected in the dropdown list) with one of the following methods.
Method 1: “Person” Subject Subtypes
Subjects assigned to the "Person" subject subtype automatically appear in the Reported By dropdown. For example, when logging into the EarthRanger Mobile app as a user, a subject will be created and assigned this subtype. If your staff members are already “Person” subjects, no additional action is needed.
Method 2: Add ER Users via Permission Set
If staff members have existing ER user accounts:
- Navigate to User Accounts › Permission Sets
- Open the "Reported By Users" permission set
- Add the desired users to this permission set
These users will now appear in the Reported By dropdown.
Method 3: Create Event Reporters
For staff members who are neither Users nor Subjects:
- Navigate to Activity › Event Reporters
- Click the Add Event Reporters + button in the top right and add a Name for the individual.
Once created, these reporters will be available in the dropdown list.
Add new individuals to the Reported By field (e.g. add names that can be selected in the dropdown list) with one of the following:
- Log into the EarthRanger Mobile app with a user
- Link a subject with a user in the EarthRanger Admin portal
Removing event reporters
Removing unwanted Reported By reporters depends on the method above by which they were added to the list. For example, if the user was assigned the permission set "Reported By Users" then this must be removed from the user to remove them from the reported by list.
If the user had a subject (e.g. was an ER Mobile user):
- Navigate to Observations › Subjects
- Filter by Subject Type: "Person"
- Either: Uncheck the “Active” checkbox for the user/subject you’d like to remove from the dropdown (note this also hides the subject from the map view) OR
- Update the subject subtype to a non-Person type (e.g. to ‘Unassigned’)
Both Tracked by and Reported by functionalities are crucial for comprehensive monitoring and management in the EarthRanger system. They provide complementary data sets that enhance the overall situational awareness and decision-making capabilities. EarthRanger integrates both tracked and reported data to provide a holistic view of the landscape, allowing for better analysis and response strategies.