DATA RELEASE POLICY AND PROCEDURES

Adopted 22 April 2004

Rocky Point Bird Observatory (RPBO) has been collecting bird population parameters, morphometric and observation data during migration monitoring on Southern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, since 1994. The purpose of collecting these data is to facilitate population monitoring, conservation, and improved understanding of migratory birds. To further that purpose, conservation agencies, universities, organizations and individuals are encouraged to make use of the data held by RPBO (see Appendix A) under the requirements outlined below.

Requests for release of Rocky Point Bird Observatory data should be directed to the President, in writing and particularly describing the information outlined in the data use request form (Appendix B).

Upon receipt of a data request, as soon as it is able, the Board will determine if the request can be accommodated. If RPBO is able to provide the data, a data use agreement, specifying uses, fees, and any special conditions will be sent to the requester. If the request cannot be accommodated, the Board will provide an explanation. It is in the interest of the data requester to provide as much information as possible to assist the Board in making their decision. All uses of RPBO data must be approved by the RPBO Board of Directors.

RPBO will normally charge a fee of $25 per hour to extract and assemble data, plus photocopying and delivery fees or postage, but will consider waiving some or all of these fees for student and not-for-profit researchers/authors. RPBO will provide a quote of fees to the requester following receipt of the request for release of data. All decisions concerning fees rest with the RPBO Board of Directors.

Data collected for special projects or data subject to pending publication by RPBO, its directors, staff, or volunteers will not normally be available for release until two years after the end of the project or six months after the publication date. Exceptions may be made upon agreement by both the RPBO Board and the project leader/author.

Data will normally be provided on a non-exclusive basis. That is, RPBO may provide the same data to other researchers or data requesters at any time. A request for exclusive use of data for a limited time period may be considered by the RPBO Board of Directors under special circumstances.

Those requesting release of Rocky Point Bird Observatory data will be required to comply with certain protocols and restrictions. These include, but may not be limited to:

• The purpose for which the data will be used must be described and documented in the request for data release.
  
• Data are provided exclusively for the purpose described in the data release request. Data are not to be used for any other purpose or made available to other persons or organizations without prior written permission from RPBO.
  
• Any document proposed for publication using RPBO data will acknowledge RPBO as a data source. The researchers/authors agree to submit the acknowledgements for approval by RPBO before submission of the manuscript for publication.
  
• Permission to use Rocky Point Bird Observatory data expires two years after release of the data unless otherwise approved in writing by the Board.
  
• Data will not be modified, and will be copied only as is necessary to accomplish the purposes stated in the data release request.
  
• Once the data is no longer required, all copies must be disposed of in a way to prevent unauthorized access.
  
• In circumstances where a substantial portion of the data used in the publication is derived from Rocky Point Bird Observatory, RPBO may have an interest in serving as or providing a co-author. If the Board determines that co-authorship is appropriate, agreement between the parties on the role of RPBO representative(s), and order of authors must be reached before the data are released.
  
• If co-authorship is not sought, the RPBO Board may require the manuscript be submitted to the RPBO Board of Directors for review, comments and suggestions. RPBO will submit its response within six weeks of receipt of the manuscript.
  
• A copy of the manuscript (or relevant parts thereof) before submission for publication is requested as a courtesy. This will not, however, be a condition for data release.
  
• Two copies of the resulting publication will be provided by the author to the RPBO Board of Directors.
  
• RPBO retains the copyright on all data provided to researchers/authors, unless the copyright has been legally transferred to an individual, group, or organization.

Appendix A
Data held by Rocky Point Bird Observatory

Banding and recapture data
Migration monitoring seasons   (mid July to mid October)		Spring monitoring seasons
Fall 1994 Fall 1995 Fall 1996 Fall 1997 Fall 1998	Fall 1999 Fall 2000 Fall 2001 Fall 2002 Fall 2003	Spring 1995 Spring 1996 Spring 1997
Data fields collected: (Note: not all fields are available for all seasons. Individual records may also have missing fields.) Species, Age, How Aged, Sex, How Sexed, Wing Cord, Weight, Fat, Skull, Bander's Initials, Time Trapped, Net, Date, Location

Daily observation data (during migration monitoring)

Fall 1998          Fall 2001 Fall 1999          Fall 2002 Fall 2000          Fall 2003

Data fields collected: (Note: not all fields are available for all seasons. Individual records may also have missing fields.) Number of individuals banded, recaptured, captured without banding, census, general observations during monitoring, non-standard banding, non-standard recapture, general observations outside of normal monitoring period.

NOTE: The following Appendix is available as a separate, printable document, which one can use to mail in to RPBO. (the address is on the form)

ONLINE FORM:
As an alternative, especially useful if time is an issue, one may fill out an Online Data Use Request form to get the process under way. Be advised a request cannot be finalized until RPBO has received a signed hard copy.

Appendix B
Rocky Point Bird Observatory
Data Use Request

Applicant's name, address, phone, fax, e-mail:

Institutional Affiliation:

Description of data requested:
1. Season(s)
2. Year(s)
3. Species
4. Data fields
5. Format (e.g. spreadsheet, delimited text file)

These data will be used for the following purposes:
Research: (Specify nature of research and other contributors. Attach a separate sheet if necessary.)

Publication:

Topic/title of article:
Intended publication outlet:
Anticipated publication date:

Other:

What proportion of the data set will the Rocky Point Bird Observatory data represent?

When is the data required?

I have read and agree to comply with the conditions described in the Rocky Point Bird Observatory Data Release Policy and Procedures.

Applicant's Signature: Date:

Copyright 2008, Rocky Point Bird Observatory.