Sharing lake data

 

Sharing lake data

The LakePulse Survey will collect extensive data from 100s of Canadian lakes; however, a key goal of our database is to provide automated reports for 1000s of lakes in Canada. To do this, we will use satellite imagery, but we also need data from samples and measurements taken directly from lakes.

Your volunteer efforts can help us to understand and predict the role and response of lakes in a changing global environment.

Share and compare: rank your lake using the LakePulse Database

Community-based monitoring groups, lake associations and municipalities will be able to share their lake data with us,
and then use our database to compare their lake to lakes across Canada.

Web interface

We are developing a web interface that will allow anyone to provide us with their lake and water quality data. But, if you have a large database, please contact us to discuss the best way to share it with us.

Mobile app

To submit your data, we will link our database to a mobile app for the collection and sharing of lake and water observations. We will provide a link to the mobile app when it is ready.

Automated LakePulse Reports

We will produce reports (available in 2019) comparing your lake to other lakes in our LakePulse Database, both within ecologically relevant regions and nationwide.

Start monitoring your lake!

Automated LakePulse Reports

Many organizations provide information on how to participate in lake sampling. Here are some variables that you can collect now, so that you can use our Automated LakePulse Reports as soon as they are available (sometime in 2019):

  • Turbidity
  • Nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus)
  • Chlorophyll-a
  • Fecal coliforms
  • Microcystin
  • Cyanobacteria cell numbers
  • Near-bottom dissolved oxygen concentration
  • Secchi depth

Secchi depth only
5%
Secchi depth, chorophyll-a & nutrients
75%

Collecting more data allows you to obtain
more information from our reports

To best match the methods used by LakePulse, we recommend taking your lake measurements:

  • Between mid-July and the end of August
  • Near the surface
  • Away from the shore (near the centre or the deepest part of the lake)
  • Make sure you note the date, time, location, and the names of people sampling
  • Keep a record of the weather conditions (wind, cloudiness, air temperature, etc.)

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