For almost 30 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Environmental Contaminants Database
Management System, or ECDMS, has housed contaminant data on fish and wildlife and their supporting
habitats.
There are now nearly 3 million unlocked records available to Fish and Wildlife Service employees,
other government entities, the members of the public.
Accessing this data is easier than ever, with the Raw Results Data Export feature.
This video will walk through the data exporting process.
The Raw Results Data Export feature is available through the Wildlife & Environmental Contaminants
Mapper, at ecos.fws.gov/ecdms4/.
You can access the feature by clicking the button
labeled “Raw Results Data Export” in the top right corner of the mapper.
The Raw Results Data export feature can also be accessed through the Environmental Conservation
Online System after secure login.
The link is located under the ECDMS module.
Either path will direct you to a page where you can query the ECDMS database holding for
releasable data.
It’s important to note several factors in which results are not releasable.
1.
Data will remain locked through a one-year holding period from the Quality Assurance
approval date.
2.
And, for various reasons, a region may choose to extend that data lock period.
3.
Data will also be locked pending any reporting that may be underway by the regions.
4.
Additionally, data will be locked if part of ongoing litigation.
Or if it’s if part of a check sample used to monitor the performance of contract labs.
In the last scenario, the data is available only to the Service’s Analytical Control
Facility.
To begin a query, click to open the dropdown and select the desired filter category from
the list.
All available categories will display.
A second field will appear with options associated with the category selected.
You can scroll through the list until you find the appropriate filter, or use the search-as-you-type
function.
Begin typing… and the search narrows.
I’ve selected “Least Tern.”
If needed, you can change the filter operator from the dropdown.
Operators specify how filter criteria relate to one another, and the options here include:
“Is” “Is not” “Is at least” and “Is at most.”
Executing the search at this point will render all available data concerning the Least Tern
within the ECDMS database.
You can tailor your search further by adding additional filters.
To do this, click the button labeled “Add Filter to Group.”
The procedure begins again…
Now, I’ll select “Analyte Category,” and will enter “organochlorines.”
Note the AND/OR filter controls.
These allow greater control in how multiple filter conditions are combined to target specific
data.
This particular search will render the ECDMS holding for Least Tern AND Organochlorines.
If necessary, you can add separate filter groups to your search by clicking the button
labeled “Add Filter Group.”
Remove any filter group by clicking the associated “Remove Filter Group” button.
Click the Reset Filters button in the top left to clear all fields and begin a new search.
Below the filter selections, there’s an option to enter output fields.
Selecting no output fields will default to basic output.
Click the “Export Excel” button to execute the search and access the data.
A dialog box will appear providing site exit notification.
Click “Leave” to proceed.
Click “Open” to view the file.
The Data will open in Microsoft Excel.
By default, the fields are ordered alphabetically.
Notice the header row is frozen, but not filtered.
Results can be sorted or filtered in Excel.
This report may contain more information than needed.
Remember, Output Fields can be defined from the ECDMS Search Filters page…
More than one Output Field can be selected…
After making your selections, click the “Export Excel” button to access the updated report.
The output fields will be rendered alphabetically, regardless of the order they were selected.
You can share this report from the ECDMS search filters page.
Click the “Share Report” button.
A unique URL will populate the associated field.
This URL automatically copies to your clipboard and may now be shared with other collaborators.
This URL will render the same query you designed.
Recipients will need to click the “Export Excel” button to access the data.