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Create a survey

To add a new survey, tap the menu item labeled Surveys. In the panel that opens, tap the New Survey button at the bottom of the screen. It is represented by a yellow plus icon.

A new survey entry will appear in the list, labeled unnamed followed by a timestamp. You can rename the survey by tapping on its name in the Survey Info panel that opens automatically after creation.

Survey information

This panel includes several sections: Survey Information, Additional Information, Survey Summary and Survey Settings.

The Survey Information section contains general details about the current survey. These fields can be filled in at any time, but it is important to select the Counting List Type before you begin. This determines which list the application loads for data collection.

Survey coordinates

You can manually enter the start and end coordinates of the survey. Coordinates must be in decimal degrees format.

Do not include N/S or E/W letters or degree symbols. Use a minus sign for locations in the Southern or Western hemispheres.

• Western longitude example: -74.0060 for New York City.
• Southern latitude example: -33.8688 for Sydney.

You can use your mobile GPS to automatically fill in the coordinates in the form. Tap the reload buttons next to the longitude fields.

A confirmation message will appear asking if you want to replace the current values.

Location permissions

To use GPS with Litter.Mapper, you need to grant the appropriate location permissions when prompted by your device.

If you only want to record observations while the application is open, you can select While using the app. In this case, Litter.Mapper can still georeference observations and fill survey coordinates using GPS.

However, if you want to record GPS trails continuously during a survey — including when the phone screen is off or the app is minimized — it is recommended to select Allow all the time in the location permission settings.

This is especially important when using the Record Trail function. Otherwise, trail recording may stop when the application goes to the background.

Litter.Mapper also requests Physical Activity / Motion permission. This helps Android optimize battery usage while tracking movement and improves GPS behaviour during active surveys.

The permission is only used in relation to survey and GPS activity, and helps distinguish whether the device is moving or stationary.

If you made a mistake or want to change your choice later, you can always adjust permissions from your Android or iPhone system settings.

Additional information

This section includes fields that record the conditions of the survey and certain types of findings. Depending on the selected values, additional fields may appear to let you specify the selected option in more detail.

Survey summary

This section shows simple statistics about the current survey.

Survey settings

This section includes settings related to how observations are handled within a survey.

For faster recording, especially when most observations involve just one item, you can switch the item count dialog setting to NO. The popup will not be shown after each observation, but you can still adjust the item count anytime from the observation details panel.

Toolbar buttons

More help topics

Litter.Mapper web application

The mobile app is connected with a web application available through kladOS, where uploaded survey data can be explored in a broader data-management environment.

Open web application help