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SC Adopt-a-Stream

SC AAS Database FAQ

SC Adopt-a-Stream Database Instruction & Help

Sharing your monitoring data in the SC Adopt-a-Stream Database as soon as possible is an important step to ensure it can be shared with the State Team, local municipalities, and others in your community. This page includes many frequently asked questions and troubleshooting tips. Additional instructions can be found in the last chapter of your SC Adopt-a-Stream Handbook, or you can watch the recorded Database Webinar to help guide you through important steps.

Contact Dr. Jeff Allen, jsallen@clemson.edu with any questions or issues!

Volunteers pointing to an instruction sheet while testing dissolved oxygen in water samples.

How To:

  • Set up your account
    1. Your Trainer must initiate the setup of your database account after you complete a workshop. Your Trainer will enter your name, email, and certification into the SC AAS Database, and an automated e-mail from SCAdoptAStream-L@lists.clemson.edu will be sent to you (NOTE: This e-mail may go to your spam folder). The e-mail will have a link for you to complete your account by creating your own password. Your Username will be your e-mail address.
    2. Make sure to hit “Save” once everything is entered and remember your login information. After setting up your account, you can log into the SC AAS Database. This is the single biggest hurdle for users – if you complete this step successfully and soon after your workshop, then you are well on your way!

    If you did not receive the account activation e-mail, please reach out to Emily Anderson at esa2@clemson.edu. This may be as simple as correcting the spelling of your e-mail.

  • Log in
    1. You can access the SC AAS Database through SC AAS Database home. (NOTE: bookmark this link for later use) or by visiting our SC Adopt-a-Stream website, then clicking the “SC AAS Database” tab.
    2. Once on the SC AAS Database homepage, you will navigate to the upper right-hand corner of the SC AAS Database page and click “Login.” This will then redirect you to a new page with two login options.

      a. “Login With Clemson Credentials”: If you are a Clemson affiliate (student, faculty, or staff), choose this option. You will be redirected to a login page where you will enter your username and password, then click “Login”.

      b. “Login with SC Adopt-A-Stream Credentials”: If you are not a Clemson affiliate, choose this option. A pop-up window will appear for you to enter your username or e-mail address and password, then click the blue “Sign In” button in the bottom right corner of the window.

    3. After logging in, you will be redirected back to the SC AAS Database homepage. When your username or e-mail address is displayed in the upper right-hand corner of the SC AAS Database page (not the entire screen/where the previous “Login” button was), you have successfully logged in!
  • Add a Group

    Groups are important for volunteer safety and active sharing of knowledge and result in long-term, supportive monitoring. You can join an existing Group or create a new one. It’s okay if you only have one member (yourself) to start. To create a new Group:

    1. Click the “Groups” tab on the top purple bar on the SC AAS Database homepage to be redirected to the “Groups” page.
    2. Click the purple “Add Group” button next to the search box. A pop-up window should appear with the title “Add Group” at the top.
    3. In the window, enter the Group name (this can be something fun and creative), county, registration date, description, any existing monitoring Sites, and Group members. Don’t forget to add yourself!
      • County: Start typing the county in which your Group resides in the text box. A drop-down list will appear with similarly named counties in the United States. Make sure you select the correct county in South Carolina. Click on your county to select it, and it will automatically be input into the “County” text box.
      • Registration Date: Click inside the “Registration Date” text box. Today’s date will automatically appear along with a calendar pop-up below the text box. Select today’s date or the date of your certification on the calendar.
      • Monitored Sites: If your Site has already been created in the Database, begin typing the Site name (not the Site ID) in the “Monitored Sites” text box. A drop-down list will appear with similarly named sites in the Database. Find your Site in the list and click to select it. It should then show under the search bar. Repeat these steps for any additional existing Sites you plan to monitor. When entering data, you will only see sites that are monitored by Groups with which you are affiliated, so remember, Groups are important!
      • Members: To add Group members, including yourself, to your Group, start typing the name or username of the Group member (note: they must be a certified SC AAS volunteer). Select the correct Group member from the drop-down list. Be sure their name then appears below the search bar. Repeat these steps for any additional Group members.
    4. After all needed information has correctly been entered into the appropriate text boxes, click the purple “Add Group” button in the lower right corner of the window. The window will disappear, and you will see a green banner saying, “Successfully saved group” at the top of the page. Your Group is now in the SC AAS Database!
  • Add yourself to an existing Group
    1. Click the “Groups” tab on the top purple bar on the SC AAS Database homepage to be redirected to the “Groups” page.
    2. Type the name of the Group in the search box and hit enter/return.
    3. Find the Group on the page and click the gray plus sign button to the right of the Group name (next to the “View” button) to add yourself.
    4. Make sure you were added to the Group by clicking the “View” button to the right of the Group name. A window will pop up with all of the Group’s details, and your username and e-mail should now appear in the “Members” list.
  • Add a Site
    1. Click the “Sites” tab on the top purple bar on the SC AAS Database homepage to be redirected to the “Sites” tab.
    2. Click the purple “Add Site” button next to the search box. This will prompt a window to pop up to input site details.
    3. In the window, enter the waterbody name, waterbody type, watershed, latitude, longitude, description, and your Group name.
      • Waterbody Name: If you aren’t sure of your stream’s name, refer to the SC Watershed Atlas. If it doesn’t have a name, first make sure it fits the criteria for site selection described in your SC AAS Handbook; if it does, you can choose a name. Note that the Waterbody Name becomes the first part of your Site ID (ex: Rocky Fork becomes RF-####), so it’s good to keep this simple.
      • Watershed: Select the 8-digit hydrological unit code (8-digit HUC) in which your site is located.
        • In a separate browser tab, go to the SC Watershed Atlas to find your 8-digit HUC watershed. Follow the instructions in your SC Adopt-a-Stream Handbook (Chapter 2).
        • Once you have identified your 8-digit HUC, navigate back to the SC AAS Database tab and select the 8-digit HUC name from the list.
      • Latitude and Longitude: You can determine this by recording the coordinates with a GPS or mobile device while in the field, by using the SC Watershed Atlas, or by using the map in the right half of the pop-up window to drop a pin on your site. If typing in coordinates, note that the SC AAS Database takes them in degrees and longitude is negative.
        • If using the map, make sure your device location is on so the map puts the pin relatively close to your Site to start. If your device location is turned off, the map puts the pin at 0 degrees latitude and 0 degrees longitude, which is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
        • To pan across the map, click and drag with the mouse. Zoom in and out using the plus and minus buttons in the bottom right corner of the map. You might want to toggle between “Map” and “Satellite” views (in the upper left corner of the map screen) to help better locate your Site.
        • Once you have found your Site, drop the pin by clicking once on the map. This will automatically input the latitude and longitude along with the county, city, and state.
      • Monitoring Group: Start typing the name of your Group. A drop-down list will appear with similarly named Groups in the SC AAS Database. Select your Group from the list and be sure the name then appears below the search box.
    4. After everything has correctly been entered into the respective text boxes, click the purple “Add” button in the lower right corner of the pop-up. The window will disappear, and you will see a green banner saying, “Successfully created a site with ID ___” at the top of the page. Your Site is now in the SC AAS Database!
  • Add an existing Site to my Group
    1. Click the “Groups” tab on the top purple bar on the SC AAS Database homepage to be redirected to the “Groups” tab.
    2. Type the name of your Group in the search box and then hit enter/return or Search.
    3. Find your Group on the page, then click the “Edit” button to the right of the Group name. A pop-up window will appear.
    4. In the text box under “Monitored Sites,” begin typing the Site/Waterbody name (not the Site ID). A drop-down list will appear with similarly named Sites in the SC AAS Database.
    5. Find and select your Site in the list. The Site should then appear below the “Monitored Sites” text box. Repeat these steps for any additional existing Sites you plan to adopt.
    6. After adding the monitoring Site to your Group, click the purple “Edit Group” button in the bottom right corner of the window to save your changes. The window will disappear, and you will see a green banner saying, “Successfully saved group” near the top of the page, meaning the Site has been added to your Group!

Troubleshooting

  • Why is my map zooming out into the Atlantic?

    The SC AAS Database will focus the map and place monitoring sites (when in the Add Site window) using your geo-location services. This is a feature where your browser is allowed to know your location. If your map is zooming out somewhere, it means your location services are turned off. You can either manually navigate to SC or your town, river, and site, or you can turn this feature on, allowing the map to know your location.

    In Google Chrome, you find this under the three-dotted menu in the top right-hand corner followed by Settings. On the Settings page, click Privacy and security from the left-hand menu followed by Site Settings. Scroll down and click Location. You can then toggle the Ask before accessing option to enable location services.

    In Safari, start by clicking the Apple symbol in the upper left-hand corner followed by System Preferences. Then click Security & Privacy. Then click the Privacy tab. Click on the padlock in the bottom left-hand corner of the window. You will be asked to authenticate by entering your computer ID/password. Once entered, you will then be able to adjust your Location Services by checking the box next to Enable Location Services and ensuring location services are enabled specifically for Safari. Click the lock again once done.

    In Firefox, you can inspect and manage the permissions for the domain in the currently selected tab via these steps. Click the "Site Identity Button" (globe/padlock) on the location bar. Click "More Information" to open "Tools > Page Info" with the Security tab selected. Go to the Permissions tab (Tools > Page Info > Permissions) to check the permissions for the domain in the currently selected tab.

    In Microsoft Edge, start by clicking the three-dotted menu located in the top right-hand corner of Microsoft Edge followed by Settings. Once on the settings page, click Site permission from the left-hand menu followed by Location. You can then toggle the Ask before accessing (recommended) option. You can also allow or block specific sites from accessing your location. Visit a website in Microsoft Edge. In the corner of the address bar, select the Lock, Info, or Dangerous icon and select Site permissions. Next to Location, choose Ask (default), Allow, or Block from the list.

  • Data is not entering correctly, or I am having other issues while entering data

    We’re here to help! Please use the "Need technical assistance?" link at the bottom of the Database website if you experience issues with Database functionality. This will expedite a response and help us identify problems that others may be experiencing as well.

    For additional help with general Database navigation or uploading data, please contact Emily Anderson at esa2@clemson.edu.

The Center for Watershed Excellence
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