To use MERMAID,  you need to sign up at https://app.datamermaid.org.

You can 'sign up with Google' to use an existing Gmail account and associated password, or enter a different email and create a password specific to MERMAID. Your account will be linked to your email.

Only users who have a MERMAID account can collect data on MERMAID. Emails not associated with MERMAID accounts can be specified by other users as Sample Unit observers; but without an account you cannot interact with the data.

MERMAID is only officially supported on Google Chrome, Firefox, and Edge browsers, and may not fully work with other browsers, like Explorer or Safari.

After signing up you will receive a confirmation email to verify your new account. You can access your profile information by clicking on the avatar in the upper right corner of any page. Here you can view your email and name, and change your MERMAID account name.

If you forget your unique password for MERMAID, click 'Don’t remember your password?' on the login page to receive an email with a link to reset your password.

If you signed up for MERMAID using Google and forget your Gmail password, you must reset your password through Google.

A project consists of a set of observations collected in sample units (transect/quadrat/etc.) surveyed at particular sites, on particular dates, associated with management regimes. All data, data sharing, and user access in MERMAID is organized by project. It is up to you to decide how to organize your observations; many users define a project as containing the data from a single expedition.

A new project can only be created while online. To create, click the red ‘New Project’ button, enter a project name, then click “Create Project” to complete your new MERMAID project. A name is required for every new project. All other information can be added using "Project Info" in the lefthand menu.

After a project is created, add users, sites, management regimes, and organization, and set data sharing policies while online.

1. Add Users:

Enter the email addresses for users involved in the project and select their roles. Users should be signed up for a MERMAID account before they can be added to a project. You can add an email that has not yet been associated with an account, but that project user's name will appear as '(pending user)' and they will not be able to access MERMAID until they associate that email with an account.

The project creator is automatically the administrator (‘admin’) of the project. Other users will default to the collector role when added and can be changed to admin or read-only by selecting the appropriate role from the available options. Additional users can be added or deleted by the administrator after a project is created.

The scope of each role is as follows:

• Read-Only: user can only view, export, and analyze data in the analysis tools, but cannot collect new observations.

  • i.e. a project manager who is in charge of writing reports or analyses but is not collecting data in the field

• Collector: user can view, export, and analyze data, and collect new observations. Once a transect is submitted, the user can no longer edit or delete observations.

  • i.e. a member of the project team who is tasked with collecting data

• Admin: user has all Collector privileges, and can additionally change project information and data sharing, add and remove project users, transfer unsubmitted sample units between project users, and un-submit sample units for further editing.

  • i.e. typically one person designated as the lead of the project

If a user must leave a project or reaches the end of their position, their data can be transferred to other users within a project. This can be done within a project through the "Users" tab. Simply select ‘Transfer’ for the user that will be removed from the project, then indicate the user from the project to whom you would like to transfer the unsubmitted sample units. Users can also be removed from a project on this page. If a user still has unsubmitted sample units on their “collecting” page, be sure to transfer records prior to removing them from the project.

2. Add Sites:

Adding sites to a project is done after the project has been created, by selecting the "Sites" item under "METADATA" in the lefthand menu within a project. Once on the sites page, there are two ways to add a site to a project:

1. Create a new site using the "+ New site" button at the top right of the page, fill in the details and click the 'Save' button on the top right of the page.

2. Choose from sites that are already in the MERMAID system using the "Copy sites from other projects" button next to the create new site button. These may be sites that you or your organization are monitoring and have used before in previous surveys. The search bar allows you to filter the list by site name, project name, or country. Click the check box next to any site you would like to add to your project, then click the “Copy selected sites to project” button at the bottom of the dialog. A map at the bottom of the dialog also displays where the site is located with a red dot.

3. Add Management Regime:

A management regime categorizes the regulations and restrictions placed on an area in which a survey site is located, on the date of the survey. These may be management regimes for sites that you or your organization are monitoring or have used in previous surveys. To add management regimes, navigate to "Management Regimes" in the lefthand menu within a project. 

If you are surveying sites with a new management regime, or if your site’s management regime has changed, it must be added after creating your new project. 

There are two ways to add management regimes to a project:

1. Create a new management regimes using the "+ New MR" button at the top right of the page, fill in all the details, and then click 'Save' on the top right of the page.

2. Choose from existing management regimes in the MERMAID system using "Copy MRs from other projects". You can save time by selecting and adding previous management regimes to your project here. The ‘Filter’ bar allows you to search the list by management name, project name, or year. Click the check box next to any management type you would like to add to your project, then click the “Copy selected MRs to project” button at the bottom of the dialog.

4. Add organization

Add your organization to the project. By adding your organization, it will help you monitor your surveys easily by using the filter function on the MERMAID dashboard. To add your organization, use the "Project Info" item under "Admin" in the lefthand menu within a project. As soon as you type, MERMAID will show you a dropdown options of the available organizations for you to select. You can add more than one organization in a project. Once you're done adding organizations, click the "Save" button on the upper right to record your changes.

If you can't find your organization under the available options, you can suggest a new organization. To do this, type your organization name in the "Organizations" field and select "Suggest a new organization to MERMAID" option. Type again your organization name in the "New Organization Name" field and click "Send to MERMAID for review". Once your organization is accepted, it will be available in the dropdown list.

5. Data Sharing:

MERMAID is committed to working collectively as a community of researchers and reef managers to use the power of data to make faster, better decisions. Coral reef monitoring data is collected with the intent of advancing coral reef science and improving management. We recognize the large effort to collect data and your sense of ownership. While not required, we hope you choose to make your data available to fuel new discoveries and inform conservation solutions.

Choosing a data policy for your project determines how much of your project’s data can be shared with other users to facilitate global collaboration and understanding of coral reef health via future global dashboard features in MERMAID. It can be chosen independently for different survey methods, so that fish and benthic data can have different levels of sharing. Your data policy level can be changed at any time after creating a project.

The three policy levels are:

• Public summary – Collected observations are private, but site-level summary statistics are public, along with metadata for the project, protocol, and site. This option is the default.

• Public – All collected observations are public.

• Private – Collected observations and site-level summary statistics are private, but metadata for project, protocol, and site, including site location and type and count of sample unit at each site, are public.

If you are creating a project to practice using MERMAID or train others, you can indicate this with the 'This is a test project' checkbox at the bottom of the page. Data added for a test project will be omitted from all public reporting.

Now your project is ready to be used!

The Projects Page lists all the MERMAID projects of which you are a part, in any role (admin, collector, or read-only). The Projects Page provides a complete summary of what is happening in each project: the number of submitted and unsubmitted sample units, the total number of sites with data, the number of users added to the project, and how the pre-protocol data sharing policies have been set. If you are an admin of a project, there will be an Administrator Tag appear next to the project name.

Click the top-left “MERMAID” icon or “Projects” in the top navigation bar of any page to go to your main Projects page.

Project details can only be edited while online.

You can access common project pages directly by clicking each item under each project. For example, if you click COLLECTING, you will be directed to that project's Collecting page. In this way, the Projects page provides easy access to directly start entering data, review submitted sample units, manage your sites, remove or add additional users, and change your data sharing settings for each project.

If you're doing a repeat survey and would like to create a new project for it, you can use the Copy button on the project you want to copy. This will create a new project and copy the sites, management regimes, data sharing policies, and users and their roles.

Use the filter bar to search the projects by name or country. You can also download a Reference xlsx file containing the fish and benthic attributes used in MERMAID, go to the Global Dashboard, view the What's New page, and check updates using the notification (bell) icon.

Before heading to the field, there are a few steps that must be followed to ensure you are able to enter data offline.

Be sure to follow each step carefully prior to your expedition while connected to the internet:

1. All project members create accounts

2. A project admin creates the project

3. The project admin must add all other users to the project. Optionally, copy or add sites and management regimes before going to the field.

4. Ensure that the 'Offline Ready' button to the right of each project in the project list that you will use offline has a checked sign. If it is not checked, click the 'Offline Ready' button to make sure data is available offline. 

5. Test offline access by clicking the 'You're ONLINE' toggle on the bottom left of all pages so that it reads 'You're OFFLINE', turning off your Wi-Fi, restarting Chrome, and entering test data into your project.

6. Ensure that you and all other project members are logged in to MERMAID and can access the project with all the latest sites and management regimes, then toggle the 'You're ONLINE' button to 'You're OFFLINE'. Do not sign out of your MERMAID account. Now your project is ready to be used offline and it is safe to turn off your computer.

MERMAID supports the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, a blended finance instrument to mobilize action and resources to protect and restore coral reef ecosystems. To set up a GFCR project, simply add 'Global Fund for Coral Reefs' as an organization on your project's 'Project info' page. Projects support multiple organizations.

To view all projects tagged with Global Fund for Coral Reefs:

1. Go to the MERMAID dashboard

2. Select the 'filter' icon on the left toolbar

3. Filter organization to 'Global Fund for Coral Reefs'

The ‘Collecting’ page is where you can add new sample unit observations and view other observations that you have already collected and saved but not yet submitted. 

Select a project from your list to enter the project’s "Collecting” page, or directly click the "COLLECTING" tab on the Project Page.

The red number next to the “Collecting” tab in the lefthand menu indicates the number of records you have collected and saved but not yet submitted. The search bar allows you to filter the records by site name, management regime, or observer name. Use the "Filter Method" button to filter based on the method. It allows users to filter in multiple ways and show the total sample unit(s) using the chosen method(s) next to the filter button. Click on the "x" symbol to remove all filters applied. Click on the table headers to sort based on your preference.

Only users with ‘Collector’ or ‘Administrator’ roles can collect and submit new observations; ‘Read-only’ users cannot collect sample units.

A sample unit requires validation prior to submission. Validation will ensure that all data in a sample unit are correct. If not, an error or warning will appear on top of the page and next to the issue that need to be resolved.

Observations can be added both online and offline, but they can only be validated and submitted when connected to the internet.

MERMAID Version 2 also provides an improved experience to record data using a mobile phone.

In the lefthand menu you can find "Sites" and "Management Regimes". Here admins and collectors can add a new site or management regime to a project. A site is a unique latitude and longitude, with accompanying attributes; a management regime is the area (including MPAs, OECMs, or open access zones) defined by a set of rules in effect at the time of data collection.

Adding a new site

Navigate to the “Sites” tab and select “+ New site” 

A new site requires a name, country, coordinates, and details on the exposure, reef type, and reef zone. The name can be the site’s common name or unique ID. A point symbol will appear on the map below it to show the site location based on the coordinates. The point can be move around to adjust to the right location and the coordinates will follow. When all details have been added the "Save" button will turned on to allow saving the site.

In the “Sites” tab you can choose “Copy sites from other projects” to add existing sites and their metadata from other MERMAID projects.

A new site created by one user is shared across the project with all other users and available for them to use in observations. Best practice is to plan the sampling sites for your project in advance and add them before going to the field.

If multiple new sites have identical coordinates, they will be flagged as duplicate sites if used in submitted sample units. In other words, MERMAID will detect duplicate sites only if used in a project. If this happens, for example because multiple team members add the same site while offline, you will see a warning after you hit the "Validate" button next to the "Site" field within a sample unit  that says “Site: Similar records detected”. Click “Resolve” to decide whether to merge the duplicate sites or keep them separate.

A dialog box will show you which sites are considered duplicates. Here you can decide whether to keep one site and merge it with the duplicate sites, or to edit a site and change the metadata to indicate that they actually are separate, unique sites. Unique sites must have different coordinates.

If you choose to keep a site, the site that will be merged with the site you chose to keep will be highlighted in yellow. Select “Merge” to confirm.

When sites have been merged, the sites will be updated with the single merged site, and this merged site will automatically be assigned to all sample units that were using the duplicate sites. All observation data will be preserved.

Adding a new management regime

Navigate to the “Management Regimes” tab and select “+ New MR”

A new management regime requires a name and at least one rule; all other details are optional. "Open Access" is the default for the "Rules". When you are finished, save the management regime. You can also delete using the “Delete Management Regime” button at the bottom of the page. Only saved management regime can be deleted.

On the “Management Regimes” page you can also choose “Copy MRs from other projects” to add existing management regimes and their metadata from other MERMAID projects. 

A new management regime created by one user is shared across the project with all other users and is available for them to use in observations. Best practice is to know the management regimes within your project in advance and add them while online, before going to the field. Management regime details can be edited after creation if needed.

Multiple management regimes with identical names will be flagged as duplicate management regimes. If this happens, you will see a warning next to the "Management" filed that says “Another Management Regime is similar to this one”.

These management regimes can be merged or kept separate. Click “Resolve” button to decide whether to merge the duplicate management regimes or keep them separate.

A dialog box will show you which management regimes are considered duplicates. Here you can decide whether to keep just one management regime or to edit a management regime and change the metadata to indicate that they actually are separate, unique management regimes. Unique management regimes must have different names.

If you want to keep just one management regime, select the “Keep MR” button. The duplicate management regime(s) that will be merged with the management regime you choose to keep will be highlighted in yellow. This merged management regime will now be assigned to all sample units that had been associated with the duplicate management regime. All observation data will be preserved. If you want to keep both management regimes, select “Keep both”.

When you’re ready to enter new data for a project, click “+ Add Sample Unit” at the top right of the Collecting page and select a method.

There are six methods available in MERMAID: fish belt transect, benthic point intercept (PIT) transect, benthic line intercept (LIT) transect, benthic photo quadrat transect, bleaching quadrat collections, and habitat complexity transect. These transects are similar to methods described in the Coral Reef Monitoring Protocol for Assessing Marine Protected Areas (Ahmadia et. al 2013) (Appendix 2). The benthic photo quadrat transect currently stores your photo identification results only. 

After selecting a method, you must fill in all required fields, marked with a red asterisk. Sites and Management Regimes that you added previously will appear in the dropdowns. A helper text is also availaible to all input fields. You can view this feature by clicking the info icon next to any relevant field. Each will have its own explanation, including text-filling examples.

Optional transect information includes label, sample time, reef slope, visibility, current, relative depth, tide, and any notes.

Each transect requires at least one ‘observer’, defined as a person who collected transect observations. This is a required field, and you can choose from the available list of users associated with your project. To remove an observer, uncheck the box next to the observer's name.

You can save a transect any time, online or offline. A disabled Save button indicates that no data have changed since the last time you saved the transect.

When online, you can validate and submit the transect. Offline, only the ‘Save’ button will appear.

Deleting a Transect

If you wish to delete a transect, click the "Delete Record" button at the bottom of any unsubmitted Sample Unit in Collecting. This will permanently remove the record and its observations from MERMAID, so be sure that you want to remove it before confirming.

Once you enter any new information into a transect, you can save it using the button in the upper right corner of the page. 

The save button is bright red when there is new information to be saved. If the button is gray and says “Saved”, you have already saved the transect and there is no new information to be saved.

After saving, you can always return to the transect to add or change data and information and resave.

If you try to navigate away from a page with unsaved information, you will see a warning on the screen that you have unsaved data – choose “Cancel” to stay on the transect and save; choose “Ok” to leave the transect unsaved.

Once you validate and successfully submit your transect, you can no longer edit it. If you need to edit a submitted transect, a project admin must un-submit it; if you are not the project admin, they will then need to transfer it to you for editing.

All sample units are always saved on your computer. Any time you are online, MERMAID also saves to a backed-up database in the Cloud.

Submitted transects can be exported to a tabular format in a .xlsx file for further analysis by clicking the ‘Export To XLSX’ button. Use the 'Filter Method' button next to the search bar to filter the submitted transects based on method. The total transects using the chosen method(s) will appear next to the filter button.

Data can only be exported when online and after transects have been submitted. Data in a test project will not be exported.

Make sure that the project is not a test project. Select which method you would like to download. All records of each sample unit with the same method will be combined into a single spreadsheet. This will begin downloading a .xlsx to your computer. All user levels (admin, observer, and read-only) can export data from a project.

To change a project from a "Test Project" to an actual project, click "Data Sharing" in the lefthand menu. Scroll down and uncheck the 'This is a test project' checkbox. Wait approximately 20 minutes for the data to sync with the server, and then you can export your data.

MERMAID also calculates standard deviations corresponding to estimated sample event (site and date) averages. You can find this information in the exported data, under the Sample Event (SE) tab, or by retrieving sample event data using mermaidr, which gives direct access to MERMAID data through R Studio. 

Questions? You can reach out to us when online via the Contact link at the bottom of any page. An offline (pdf) version of this documentation is also available on the left side of the same area.

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