Note: this page opens in its own window. You can keep it open for reference while you use the On-Line Site Form.
Step 1
Steps 2-8
The Navigation Bar
What happens if I make a mistake or want to check my entries?
Can I print my entries?
What do I do if I get an error message while entering data?
What's a "Site Record Number"?
Can I view entries that have been recently made by me or others?
How can I determine if a site number’s been assigned and verified by OSA?
Step
1
After clicking Data Entry on the I-Sites main menu, you'll be asked to
enter a site number. You'll also be shown a list of any site forms you've
begun but postponed. Please consider completing your
old work before starting something new!
The site number you enter must be valid -- assigned and approved by GIS@OSA. To see a list of all assigned numbers, return to the Main Menu and click Status.
If it's a valid number, Data Entry will show you when and to whom the site number was assigned, and whether any forms have previously been submitted for the site. Check this information. If it's not what you expect to see, you may have entered the wrong site number. Or if you see that a co-worker has already submitted a form for this site, you can kick back and relax!
You’ll be asked to enter information about the site name, recorder name(s), and date of investigation. Clicking Continue will take you to step 2, and will also make the first database entries, assigning your form a "Site Record Number."
Steps 2-8
All subsequent steps consist of a web form with a Continue or Submit
button at the bottom of the page, and a navigation bar across the top.
The pages are set up in a user-friendly “Interview” format. The “Interview” is
organized in eight steps. Each step asks for
a specific category of information, sometimes in the form of check boxes, drop
down lists, or radio buttons, and other times as "free form" text boxes.
We highly recommend that you use the Interview
process the first few times you visit Data Entry. Even for experienced users,
the Intervew will usually be the best way to enter data.
When you complete the Interview for a site, you’ll have the option to enter another form, return to the Main Menu, or log out of I-Sites.
The Navigation Bar
A navigation bar is displayed at the top of each data entry page. It does
three things.
1. The Navigation Bar tracks your progress, telling you which steps you've COMPLETED and which step is IN PROGRESS. Data Entry remembers your progress, so you can postpone data entry, come back later, and pick up where you left off.
2. The Navigation Bar allow you to skip steps. Once you've gotten familiar with the data entry forms by completing an Interview or two, you may find yourself using these Skip to links.
3. The Navigation Bar provides gray buttons with options to:
| Check/Revise | Allows you to review and revise entries from previous steps |
| Postpone for Now | Allows you to leave data entry at any time. Your form will be flagged as "postponed," and will be waiting for you when you resume. |
| Finished Entering Data | Following this option will take you to "The Final Touches," at the conclusion of which your form will be flagged as submitted. |
| Print Form | Opens a new window, displaying your entries in the style of the GOPS (Good Ol' Paper Site Form). Print that ever-necessary hard copy of your work. |
| Delete Entire Form | It happens. Sometimes you just want to start from scratch. You can delete the entire form and start again. |
What happens if I make a mistake or want to check my entries?
There's a certain, mischievous part of the human brain that waits till you hit the Continue button before saying, "Hey, that wasn't the right answer!" If you need to review or correct the data you’ve entered, click Check/Revise on the Navigation bar. The Check/Revise page opens in its own window, so you don't have to worry about losing your place in the Interview Process.
Can I print my entries?
The banner at the top of most data entry pages displays a Print Form button that allows you to print your work. When you end a data entry session, by either completing or postponing a form, you'll be asked if you want print your work. The Print Form button will open a new window and display a multiple-page form with all the information you’ve currently entered. The form is formatted to be printed from either your browser or Microsoft Word. To print the form from your browser (e.g., Internet Explorer), click File, Print on the menu (optionally, you can click File, Print Preview first, for a sneak peak)
To save the form to your local computer, click File, Save As. In the "Save as type" drop down, make sure that html is selected. Note: if you save it as any other file type (e.g., txt), the formatting that controls pagination, tabs, etc., will be lost. Don't sweat! Once you've save the html file, you can open it in Microsoft Word, and from Word, save it as a Word document, if you wish.
What
do I do if I get an error message while entering data?
(or, Check/Revise to the Rescue!)
1. Make a note of what Step you were on when the error occurred.
2. Hit your browser's back button to return you to the last page.
3. Don't try to re-submit the form -- chances are
you'll just get the error message again.
4. Instead, use Check/Revise to enter information
for the step where the error occurred.
5. Use "Skip to" links on the Navigation Bar to advance to the next step.
What's a Site Record Number?
The site record number (SRN) is an arbitrary number assigned to each entry in the Iowa Site File database. Each SRN refers to a unique combination of Site Number and Investigation Date. In database jargon, the SRN is a Primary Key. Each SRN refers to information that was recorded about a single site recorded during a single investigation of that site. The first record for a site usually documents it's discovery (i.e., during a Phase I survey). Subsequent records (sometimes called "Supplemental Forms") document subsequent investigations (e.g., a supplemental Phase I survey, Phase II testing, or Phase III excavations). Each investigation is recorded under its own SRN in the Iowa Site File database, in the same way that old paper forms (first 2-page, then 6-page) were (and are) filed in books in file cabinets at UI-OSA.
Can I view entries that have been recently made by me or others?
Yes. From the I-Sites main menu, use the Search option to view records for a
single site or range of sites in a county.
How can I determine if a site number’s been assigned and verified by OSA?
Go to the Main Menu and click "Status". This page allows you to
query the Iowa Site File’s Master List, which is where we keep track of which
site numbers have been assigned, to whom they’re assigned, and whether or not
that person has submitted a site form. Note: every December, Santa Claus queries this
list to see how you’re doing.