SEINeD - Screen and Evaluate Invasive and Non-native Data
Identifying the leading edge of an invasion can be difficult, especially when the invader is a native transplant, or if the invader is not well-known.
This tool allows a user to upload a biological dataset collected anywhere in the conterminous U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, or Island Territories to screen
for occurrences of non-native and invasive aquatic species tracked by the NAS Database. Additionally, the SEINeD tool allows users without access to
geographic information system (GIS) software to link a dataset to multiple spatial data layers and provides some basic data QA/QC checks on spatial
location and current taxonomic identity. All use of the SEINeD tool is anonymous and secure; no data uploaded to the tool is stored on NAS Program
servers. You will have the option at the end of the scan to share your non-native data with the NAS database.
To preserve system resources, the maximum file size is currently set to 50,000 rows. Large files may take several minutes to process.
If you have any questions or have any issues with the SEINeD tool, please contact Wesley Daniel (wdaniel@usgs.gov)
Instructions for use
Input:
The input file must be in Comma-Separated Values (.csv) format and must contain the following REQUIRED columns in any order:
- Latitude (in units of decimal degrees)
- Longitude (in units of decimal degrees)
- Scientific Name
- Date
NOTE: All fields (including “Date”) should not contain commas unless the entire field value is enclosed in quotation marks (this is a restriction of the CSV format).
The following columns are OPTIONAL and may be included:
-
State — If specified, the state will be validated against the specified coordinates. If the coordinates do not fall within the state, a note
will be included in the “Comments” column. Either full names or two-letter abbreviations are accepted.
-
County — If the coordinates fall within the state and the county is specified, the county will be validated against the specified coordinates.
If the coordinates do not fall within the county, a note will be included in the “Comments” column.
Additional columns are allowed. They will be maintained in the screened file but otherwise ignored.
Output:
At the conclusion of the scan, the users will be provided with a Zip archive containing two CSV files. The first file echoes the content of the uploaded
file and contains additional columns (see below). The second file will only include the exotic, non-native, or unknown species that NAS Program
would be interested in potentially adding to the database. We encourage any user to email the second file to any of the following NAS scientists.
Fishes (Matt Neilson, mneilson@usgs.gov)
Plants (Ian Pfingsten, ipfingsten@usgs.gov)
Invertebrates, reptiles, amphibians and all other species (Wesley Daniel, wdaniel@usgs.gov)
Additional columns of data provided in the final CSV files:
Additional Notes
Coordinates that fall in water bodies may sometimes falsely be flagged as a state or county mismatch because they are not within the physical boundaries of the state or county.
If viewing the resulting CSV files in Microsoft Excel2, keep in mind that Excel will attempt to guess the format of the columns based on the values in that column. As a result,
HUC values will display as integers, with any leading zeros stripped off. Additionally, HUC12 values may show in scientific notation. The data is formatted correctly in the CSV file.
Click here to begin.
1 The native ranges used for this tool are preliminary or provisional and are subject to revision. They are being provided to meet the need for timely best science. Any species, subspecies, or taxa not tracked by the NAS Database Program may return an incomplete or inaccurate native status.
2 Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.
