Pacific NW Scuba - Vancouver, Washington / Portland Oregon - PNW Critter Watchers

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REEF Geographic
Zone Codes for
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REEF PNW
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Doing Scanforms Right

Do you enjoy filling in the scan forms?

Probably not! You're tired. You need to drive home. Your gear needs to be cleaned.

And yet scan forms are one of the most important parts of a critter survey. They communicate what we have seen to the database.

What happens if your scan form is not filled in right? It causes extra work for someone else! This person could be the leader for your survey dive or someone back in REEF headquarters. It could also result in errors in the database.

How can you make sure that your scan form is filled in right?

The Do's:

Record the "admin stuff" - time, date, location, habitat, depth, current, temp, etc. on your underwater form as you are doing the survey or immediately after you get out of the water so that you have this data handy to fill out the scanform.
Use a number 2 pencil.
Completely fill in each bubble and make sure each bubble filled in is nice and dark.
Carefully erase any stray pencil marks that may appear on the form or any bubbles that have been filled in by mistake. Use an eraser that completely removes the lead and does not leave a smear or other mark.
Neatly print the site data in the boxes provided above the areas that you bubble in. Having both the printed data and the bubbled in data helps the reviewer at REEF.
Accurately describe / name the dive site. Print out the list of sites from the REEF database and use the dive site names and geographic zone codes as given on this list for any sites that are already on the list. For sites not on the list provide the local name for the site, the geographic sub region (4 digit zones) that it is in and the state. This will help the REEF person entering the new site to give it an appropriate geographic zone code.
e.g. Alki Pipeline, West Seattle Area, WA
(The West Seattle Area 4 digit code is 2613).
If you are going to give latitude and longitude for a site that is not already in the REEF database:
Remember that latitude and longitude are given as degrees minutes and hundredths of minutes and not as degrees minutes and seconds.
If possible use a GPS unit that you know is giving accurate readings - such as the GPS unit on charter dive boats.
If you estimate the coordinates use a large-scale map (a scale of 1:200,000 or better) that shows a grid of latitude and longitude lines on the map that you can measure from in making your estimate. If you are not sure of how to make these estimates ask for help from someone that does.
Check all of the information as a last step. Check the critter data against your underwater form and make sure that you have bubbled in the correct species and abundance. Check that all site data has been entered.

The Don'ts:

Fold the scanforms. Mail flat. They are very difficult to get through the scanner when folded.
Spill coffee on the forms.
Get the forms wet from rain or water dripping off your exposure suit.
Let the dog eat the form.
Check or put Xs in the bubbles instead of filling them in solidly.
Use a pen instead of a number 2 pencil.
Doodle or make other markings on the form.
Crumple the form up.

Hints On Filling In Scan Forms

On entering your REEF ID number: you may either left justify your ID number (start the number in the left most space and leave blanks behind it) or you right justify your number (fill in your number with blanks in front of it and with the number ending in the right most space). Please do not put leading zeros in front of your number if you right justify it.

On entering your name and address: If you have a REEF ID number you just need to enter both the ID number and your name. If you don't have a REEF ID number you need to enter both your name and your address and check the applicable status bubble (Change of name/address; New member; Lost ID number).

Navigational Coordinates: If the site you did the survey for is in the geographic database and has a geographic zone code you do not need to fill in the navigational coordinates. You should fill in the dive site name and the state or province that it is located in. I also give the subarea. Although the zone code should be enough information, adding the site name and location will allow the folks entering the data to check the zone code if the computer has trouble reading it. If the site is not in the geographic database then you need to be sure to give a good description of where the site is: site name, subarea the site is located in (eg for Sunnyside Beach the four digit zone is 2621 (Pt Defiance - Nisqually River)) and the state/province. I also fill in the first four digits of the zone code to help the folks at REEF assign a zone code. It is important to note that dive site names in the geographic database are not necessarily unique within broad regions - eg there could be more than one Sunnyside Beach. If possible, use a GPS to get the geographic coordinates for the site. If you don't have a GPS you can interpolate the coordinates from a large scale map showing lat and long lines. Be sure to give all navigational coordinates in Degrees Minutes and 1/100ths of minutes not in Degrees Minutes Seconds.

Bottom Times: You may either right justify or left justify bottom times. If you right justify the bottom time there is no need to put a leading zero for times less than 100 minutes.