DoW AKN – Getting Started!
Welcome: Where Do I Start?
If you are tasked with collecting, managing, or utilizing avian data, you are in the right place. Whether you are a natural resource manager drafting a new monitoring plan, a field biologist preparing for a survey, or an analyst needing population trends for a regulatory assessment, this portal is your gateway to success.
Managing avian data effectively requires more than just a place to store data at the end of a season. It requires an integrated approach that spans from initial planning to long-term archiving. This page explains Department of War’s avian data mandate, introduces the powerful ecosystem of the Avian Knowledge Network (AKN), and connects you with the tools and expert support available to you at every stage of the Avian Data Life Cycle.
The Mandate & The AKN Ecosystem
The DoW AKN Mandate
To ensure scientific integrity, transparency, and long-term conservation success, the Department of War has mandated that all avian survey and monitoring projects ocurring on DoW-managed lands or with DoW funding must store, organize, and archive their data in the AKN to the greatest extent practicable.
To learn more about this mandate, visit the Memo page.
However, meeting this mandate is not just about compliance – it is an opportunity to leverage a robust, centralized data management and decision support network.
The AKN – More Than Just a Database
Many people think of the AKN as simply a digital warehouse for bird observations. In reality, the AKN is a comprehensive, collaborative ecosystem. While it does include robust frameworks to store and organize your avian data and survey metadata in a highly standardized way, its true power lies in its suite of integrated tools, which include:
Standardized Data Storage
Bring consistency to diverse datasets using unified data schemas and standardized metadata descriptions, ensuring your avian data remains usable for decades to come.
Analytical
Tools
Go beyond simple data retrieval. Using your own data, explore trends in species abundance and richness, and obtain a comprehensive species list at the click of a button.
Decision-Support Tools
Tools like RAIL and Observation Map help resource managers evaluate species occurrence, explore partner data, and make rapid, science-based conservation decisions.
Why the AKN? – Benefits to You
Using the AKN is not just a compliance requirement; it is a critical tool that makes your job more efficient.
- Streamlined Data Management: Consolidates your data into a single, secure, and standardized database, eliminating the risk of data loss from localized hardware failures or personnel turnover.
- Enhanced Decision Support: Provides advanced analytical tools and visualizations to help you identify trends, assess risks, and make data-driven decisions for installation planning and regulatory assessments.
- Time Savings: Simplifies reporting requirements by generating standardized outputs that meet regulatory and command needs, freeing up your time for fieldwork and direct mission support.
Need an AKN Account?
Here to enter data for the first time? Get started by creating an AKN Account.
CREATE ACCOUNT
Already have an account but need access to a different Project? Request to join an existing Project.
REQUEST PROJECT ACCESS
Partnering with the DoW AKN Program
You do not have to navigate this process alone. The team at the DoW AKN Program is here to support you at every turn.
We do not just help you upload data at the end of your project; we partner with you across all stages of the avian data life cycle – from early study design to final archiving. Our goal is to make data management seamless so you can focus on conservation and science.
Click the link to the right learn more about our team or email us at dodakn@erdc.dren.mil with any questions!
The Avian Data Life Cycle
The Avian Data Life Cycle is a framework we use to guide avian research and monitoring projects. See below for a description of each stage of the life cycle and how the AKN and the DoW AKN Program Team can assist you with each step.
Plan
Create
Organize
Analyze
Share
Archive
Before you head into the field, set your project up for success.
Collect high-quality, standardized data in the field.
Format, clean, and ingest your data into your AKN Project.
Transform raw observations into actionable conservation insights.
Collaborate securely while protecting sensitive resources.
Ensure your data remains secure, discoverable, and usable for future conservation and management needs.
DoW AKN Office Hours:
Got questions about study design, data standards, or choosing the right protocol? Sign up for our monthly Office Hours to chat with our Team!
Standardized Sampling Methods: Should you do point counts or an area search? What about for incidental observations? Browse our Library of Standardized Sampling Methods.
Biologist Application: Enter, manage, and proof your field data using a user-friendly, web-based interface customized to your specific protocols.
Analyst Tool: Run abundance estimates, map species richness, and generate summary statistics. Access the Analyst Tool.
Data Sharing Levels: Learn how to customize your data sharing levels (from fully public to highly restricted) to protect sensitive species locations while still collaborating with key partners.
Turnover-Proof Documentation: Retain not just observational data, but the metadata detailing the when, where, who, and the how surveys were conducted.
Contract & SOW Language:
Ensure your contractors and partners are aligned with data standards from day one. Download our pre-approved SOW & Contract Boilerplate Language to include in your project agreements.
Mission-Sensitive Species Guidance:
Access comprehensive descriptions of MSS, standardized monitoring approaches, AKN data protocols, and even some sample datasheets to guide field efforts MSS Guidance.
Bulk Uploader: Have large legacy datasets or extensive spreadsheets? Use our the Bulk Upload Tool to format, validate, and ingest your data smoothly.
Links to the Biologist and Bulk Upload Tools can be found in the Get Data In section of the Manage Data page.
Analysis Support: Have analytical needs beyond trends and summaries offered in the Analyst tool? Come talk to the DoW AKN Program Team at Office Hours!
Program Enterprise Capacities: Leverage robust querying tools that allow collaborators within or across organizations to securely query and pool data across multiple projects, enabling joint analyses to answer shared, landscape-scale conservation objectives.
FedRAMP Certified Security: Rely on the safety of an enterprise network. The AKN system is FedRAMP certified, meaning your project’s data is hosted in an environment with safety standards as rigorous as if they were on a federal server.