Stations are a “mostly” living features in data sources meaning that you can edit a location, change a name, update a description, expand your stations list and the changes do not impact the functionality of the data source.
Import a batch of stations
Or, click on the Stations Tab (scroll down to "create a new station" to follow those steps)
Before you upload anything, make sure your file meets like requisite "must haves":
Your file must be in the .csv format.
Your file must contain the following column headers with no capitalization: station_id, station_name, latitude, and longitude (in decimal degrees)
station_id must be a unique identifier and cannot be changed after it’s assigned to a station
station_name should be reader friendly and can be edited after it’s uploaded.
Additional fields that you can upload:
station_description
Make sure that the toggle remains 'off' to upload your stations.
Create a new station
From the Stations tab, click the green plus circle to add a new station manually.
ID: Must be a unique identifier. This ID will not be visible anywhere and cannot be changed after it’s been added.
Name: This name will be displayed anywhere the station itself is visible such as maps and mobile apps.
Description: Helpful for the data source owners
Latitude & Longitude: Input as decimal degrees. We have two tools to use if you don’t have the coordinates handy:
use the address search feature to figure out the station location
zoom in and click to move the location point. The coordinates will appear.
Click the check mark to save the location.
Edit existing location
There are four sections to each station page where you can add or edit information. Click on a station name to enter into a station.
General
Some really cool features exist on this page:
Station Parameters and Scores: Don’t touch this unless you are working on an annual scoring data source. We've created a separate article to walk through all of the annual scoring instructions.
Station Visibility: When you uncheck a box, the station becomes private. Any private station will not appear on maps that display this data source. You may want to select ‘private’ if you want to manage the data in Water Reporter but do not want to share the data with anyone beyond the owners of your subscription.
Hibernation Mode: Hibernation stations get their own colors on maps. Hibernation stations still appear on a map that displays the data source, but does not score the data. This is a good way to display stations where no monitoring is actively underway.
Station ID: Cannot be edited
Station Name: If you change the station name and import a spreadsheet with more data, make sure to use the edited station name.
Description: Edit as needed.
Image
The image provides an additional level of style to your map and station cards.
Click on the image icon to upload a photo. Water Reporter supports .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .png, .tiff
When you upload a photo, it will appear on any map where the station appears as an image in the station card.
Location
A hidden gem on the location page is verifying the NHD labeled HUC12 for this station. You can also move the station location and get an updated set of coordinates. Remember, if you change the latitude or longitude, all future data imports need to display the updated coordinates.
Chart Settings
From each station page you can make edits to the information related to the station that will appear on any maps that display this data source.
Ranges
After you have added to parameters to your data source, select a parameter and then create station-specific ranges for this parameter. Use this feature if you have conditional parameters that apply to a subset of stations within one data source, such as tidal/non-tidal monitoring. Ranges for data-set wide parameters (like, all pH levels, all DO levels, etc) can be defined within the Parameters tab. Station-specific set parameter ranges will override parameter set ranges. Head over to the parameter instructions to learn more about ranges.
Axis Limits
Axis limits can be useful if you’re trying to limit a data range on a map. Use with caution, as data points that fall out of the limits identified for this station will not appear on the map. We do not recommend placing axis limits with no known limits or with a high degree of variability.
Always remember to click the check mark to save you work.