How to Set Location Options for Your CitSci Project

📍 This blog post is an adapted excerpt from the longer blog post entitled “Setting Up Your First Project & Datasheet”, which walks you through the first few steps of launching a project on CitSci. In this blog post, we’re just focusing on how to set up location tracking in your datasheet.

When you’re designing your datasheet, one of the most important choices you’ll make is how participants will report where their observations take place.

In the datasheet creator editor (more information about how to navigate to that stage in the aforementioned blog post), you can have participants enter latitude/longitude (this would be especially relevant if you expect them to use the app to submit data while they’re outside or actively making the observation), or you can provide a list of locations (for example, “Rock Creek Park in Washington DC,” etc), or both!

Latitude/Longitude (Lat/Lon)

Participants enter coordinates manually or use GPS. This is great for mobile users collecting data in the field.

• Example: Leave No Trace’s #LeaveNoTrash project uses this option so volunteers can record trash sightings anywhere—no pre-defined list required. The flexibility matches the project’s open-ended, anywhere-anytime approach.

List of Locations

You provide a dropdown list of fixed locations participants can choose from. Ideal when you want consistency in site naming or you’re tracking specific places over time.

• Example: Bald Eagle Watch uses this method to monitor known nesting trees. The locations don’t change often, and new ones are added manually if needed (e.g., when a new nesting site appears).

Both

Both: You can allow participants to either pick from your location list or enter new coordinates. This combines structure with flexibility.

• Example: GoBituary has a list of featured cemeteries that they are working with, but you can add a new cemetery with your own coordinates. 

Bonus Tip: Auto-Assign Locations

Set things up so your participants can enter the same location multiple times: You may want to turn “auto-assigning locations on” at this stage. If you turn “auto-assign” on, when someone adds a new location, it’s saved for them to reuse on any datasheet—no need to re-enter it. Turn this on if you want members to share their saved locations across datasheets. Note: This only works if the datasheet shows a location list, or both list and map.