Metadata Composer overview and model

Metadata Composer adds real-world context to receiver-log detections: where stations were, which devices were deployed, which animals carried tags, and when those relationships applied. Use this page to choose a task and understand how the records fit together.

Start with a task

Open the intended project, choose Metadata Composer, and wait for Reading metadata... to clear.

Goal	Start here	You are done when
Create a Device and transmitter ID	Create a device and transmitter ID	The Device and transmitter ID are saved without duplicate-identity issues.
Describe a receiver Station	Describe a receiver station	The Station has the intended period, usable position, and receiver attachment.
Describe a tracked Animal	Describe a tracked animal	The Animal has the intended tracking period and Device attachment.
Build Devices from receiver-log evidence	Build Devices from the current Dataset	The preview has been applied or intentionally left unchanged, and conflicts are visible for repair.
Import a table or tag sheet	Import a station or device table or Import a tag sheet	The import summary matches the intended result and identity issues are resolved.
Fix missing Data Explorer rows	Repair a metadata-backed grouping	The required Device, period, attachment, and identity relationships resolve without ambiguity.
Enter or repair dates and coordinates	Enter or repair dates and coordinates	The entered text remains reviewable and ReceiverLogs can interpret it.

Metadata workspace

Metadata Composer has three workbenches:

Stations describe receiver locations, moorings, vessels, gliders, and other infrastructure.
Animals describe tracked subjects or objects.
Devices describe physical receivers, transmitter tags, stationary tags, and sensors.

Metadata Composer Stations workbench showing workbench tabs, save state, table controls, and an expanded hierarchy

The active workbench lasts for the current Metadata Composer session. Project-specific table choices, such as expanded column groups and time display, remain separate for each project during that session.

Metadata Composer allows incomplete work to be saved. Validation identifies relationships or values that need repair; it does not turn every row into a blocking form.

The basic mental model

Devices are hardware. A transmitting Device can have one or more transmitter IDs.
Stations and Animals are hosts. They describe the infrastructure or subject associated with a Device.
Periods say when a host is active. Stations have deployment periods; Animals have tracking periods.
Positions and attachments belong to a period. They say where a Station was and which Device was attached during all or part of that period.

Station
  -> Deployment Period
       -> Position
       -> Device Attachment

Animal
  -> Tracking Period
       -> Device Attachment

Device
  -> Transmitter ID

A blank child Start Time or End Time uses the corresponding boundary from its parent period. Interval boundaries and examples are documented in Metadata values, validation, and recovery.

Receiver-side context comes from the receiver Device's Station attachment. Transmitter-side context comes from the detected transmitter ID, its Device, and the Station or Animal attachment active at the detection time.

If a required relationship is missing, invalid, duplicated, or ambiguous, Data Explorer leaves that detection out of the corresponding metadata-backed grouping. Raw receiver and transmitter-ID groupings remain available for comparison.

Stations

Stations use this hierarchy:

Station
  -> Deployment Period
       -> Position
       -> Device Attachment

A deployment period describes when the Station or platform was active. Position rows describe where it was. Device Attachment rows identify the receiver or other hardware attached during that period.

Expanded Station rows showing Deployment Periods, Positions, and Device Attachments

Latitude and Longitude locate the Station; Depth is positive-down metres. Station attachment Height is a signed value in metres.

Animals

Animals use this hierarchy:

Animal
  -> Tracking Period
       -> Device Attachment

A tracking period describes when the Animal is intended to be tracked. Its Device attachment may cover the whole period or a narrower interval. Animals do not have Position rows.

Expanded Animal rows showing tracking periods and attached Devices

Devices

Devices use this hierarchy:

Device
  -> Transmitter ID

The Device serial is used by Station and Animal attachments. Transmitter IDs connect detection records to the Device.

Devices workbench showing Device serials, transmitter IDs, and read-only detection counts

The Detections value is read-only evidence from the current Dataset. It is not metadata you can edit or paste back into the table.

More help

Limitations

Metadata-backed Data Explorer groupings currently cover receiver Station, transmitter serial, transmitter Station, and Animal relationships.
Metadata is not yet a general filter system for every detection field.
ReceiverLogs does not calculate an attached Device's exact position from a host position and local attachment offsets.
Use the supported table and import workflows; there is no general metadata workbook export/import format.

On this page