This website uses an Indicia Data Warehouse hosted by the Biological Records Centre (a group within the NERC Centre for Ecology and Hydrology).
Using the Ecobat and CountBat websites
The websites are maintained for your personal use and viewing. The access and use of the websites featuring these terms of use constitutes your acceptance of these terms of use. They take effect from the date on which you first use this website after these terms and conditions apply. We reserve the right to delete accounts of users who infringe these terms and conditions.
You agree to use this site only for lawful purposes, and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of, or restrict or inhibit the use and enjoyment of, this site by any third party. Such restriction or inhibition includes, without limitation, conduct which is unlawful, or which may harass or cause distress or inconvenience to any person, and the transmission of obscene or offensive content or disruption of normal flow of dialogue within this site.
If you do not agree, please do not use the site. Do not use this website if you are under 13 years of age.
In the case of EcoBat, you can request that your account is cancelled at any time by emailing app@themammalsociety.org. CountBat does not require an account. Any records you have submitted will be preserved as part of a long-term scientific data set which will continue to contribute to our research and understanding and will be stored indefinitely. This includes the details of biological records you have submitted, the analytical information associated with them, and including your name as the recorder and an automatically generated code to uniquely identify individual users. These data will continue to be maintained in accordance with the terms of use that you agreed to when signing up to the system. A verifier may need to contact you by email for information about your record in the case of uncertainties or errors (for example, a discrepancy in coordinates). In the event that the dataset is shared with other organisations, your email will be removed and will no longer be associated with your records.
Personal data
The basis on which we process any personal data we collect from you, or that you provide to use, is covered by our privacy notice.
Non-personal data content
When you use these websites, you create and upload content. By putting this information on the site, you are saying that:
- the content is yours, or you have the permission of the owner to agree to this usage
- you agree that the content can be used on this site
- you agree that the content can be freely shared under Creative Commons licence CC BY (the Mammal Society supports full open access). For some content you are provided with alternative options including the right to keep your data private.
- you agree that the anonymous data can be analysed to further bat conservation and improve the underlying algorithms of this tool.
- you agree that your wildlife observations (excluding photos) can be made publicly available for wider use and may be shared with other relevant data users (see below)
- you agree that any media (photos, videos, sound recordings) uploaded with biological records will be assigned to your preferred Creative Commons Licence.
- you agree that your media (photos, video, sound recordings) uploaded with biological records may be used by the Mammal Society or partners we work with for training classification algorithms, regardless of the licence applied to your photos, in accordance with advice from the government’s Intellectual Property Office.
- you agree that your records will be available to expert verifiers acting on behalf of recording schemes and projects, who may contact you in connection with those records, and may add comments or add a corrected species identification to the records
In order to support conservation and research, all biological records submitted will be made available to the relevant National Recording Schemes and Societies, including any county recorders associated with such schemes and societies, based on the species recorded unless you have selected not to share your data.
Records will also be made available to other organisations with a bona fide use for biological records and may be extended in future, including Local Environment Record Centres, Country Nature Conservation Bodies, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility and Universities.
Where species are deemed to be “sensitive” the record may have its location blurred, or may be treated as confidential. Lists of sensitive species may include, but may not be limited by, lists agreed with the UK government conservation agencies.
Information collected through this site will be stored securely at the Biological Records Centre.
Having submitted a record to this site, please do not submit it to other organisations or online recording schemes as this will result in information being duplicated. It will be made available to local records centres, conservation organisations, natural history societies and others with a legitimate interest in the data via the NBN Gateway. Duplication will also occur if you upload the same records more than once to the app. If you believe you may have done this please contact our Data & Information Officer Charlie who will be able to request for one of the duplicates to be removed.
Accuracy of information
The information in this website is given in good faith and for general information and interest only. It is subject to change without notice. The Mammal Society is not responsible for any inaccuracies and makes no representation and gives no warranty as to its accuracy.
The information in this website should not be relied on and does not constitute any form of advice or recommendation. By using this website you confirm that you will apply ecological knowledge and judgement when interpreting it. Any arrangements made between you and any third party named or referred to on the website are entirely at your sole risk and responsibility.
Nothing on this website is intended to be nor should be construed as an offer to enter into a contractual relationship.
Data confidentiality
The right to erasure under GDPR does not apply to scientific records, which includes biological records and environmental data. The right to restrict use of data under GDPR applies to biological records, however this is limited in relation to research/science, and therefore each request will be decided on a case by case basis. Personal data: recorder name, date of record and location are an integral part of ecological data and therefore will be retained indefinitely under the basis of ‘legitimate interest’.
Email addresses will be automatically provided to the Biological Records Centre and retained by the Mammal Society for the purposes of data validation and verification, through the i-record system. The BRC will not use contact details for any other purposes nor pass them on to any third party not associated with the project (their terms and conditions can be found here: https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/terms_of_use).
Transfer of data to national or local record centres
The Mammal Society transfers data to local or national record centres in order to improve understanding of British mammals. Data inputted into our website is transmitted to the National Biodiversity Network via the Biological Records Centre unless you have specifically indicated that you do now wish your data to be shared.
Data submission statement
I understand that environmental records submitted to the Mammal Society will be added to the Society’s databases and GIS systems and may be manually or electronically transferred to third parties in support of environmental decision making, education, research and other uses unless I have specifically indicated otherwise on my submission. This may include sharing photographs that are associated with records on social media with appropriate credit to the recorder.
In submitting the data I agree to allow the Mammal Society to collate and manage the data and give the Mammal Society licence to use and transfer the data, in accordance with this statement.
I understand that personal data (specifically, names, dates and location) are integral parts of biological records and will form part of the record which is collated and may be transferred.
I understand that I should not submit the same data to other online recording schemes as this will result in duplication of data. Instead, my data will be shared with relevant interested parties including the Biological Records Centre, NBN and the Bat Conservation Trust unless I have requested that my data remain private.