Georeferencing in CCH2 Training Course

How to use this course
The purpose of this course is to provide a modular learning resource for georeferencing in the herbarium data portal, CCH2. Each module consists of learning objectives and a training video. The training refers to the protocol linked below:
​NOTE (2025): Because of a deprecated plugin, quizzes are no longer available.

Module 1: What is georeferencing?

Learning objectives
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:
  • Understand the basic practice of georeferencing and why it is important
  • Define the terms: occurrence, locality, uncertainty/error, geodetic datum
  • Identify different types of coordinate systems you may encounter when georeferencing U.S. specimen records, including decimal degrees; degrees, minutes, seconds; UTMs; and township, range, section.

Module 2: Accessing specimens to georeference in CCH2

Learning objectives
Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:
  • Use the data editor tools in CCH2 to search for specimens meeting specific search parameters, e.g., lacking georeferenced coordinates
  • Determine whether a specimen should be georeferenced

Module 3: Shortcuts for georeferencing in CCH2

Learning objectives
​Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:
  • Use CCH2 tools to enter coordinate data from the specimen label into appropriate fields and convert alternate coordinate systems into decimal degrees, when possible
  • Use the Dupes? button to import georeferenced coordinates from duplicate specimens, when they exist
  • Use the Coordinate Cloning Tool to import georeferenced coordinates from specimens with similar localities, when appropriate
  • Critically evaluate coordinates provided by the Dupes? and Coordinate Cloning tools to ensure quality georeference data were imported - completion of module 4 is essential to complete this learning objective​

Module 4: The point-radius method for georeferencing
​​Upon completion of this module, you should be able to:
  • Use GeoLocate to assign latitude and longitude coordinates to a textual locality description using the standard point-radius protocol
  • Assign a reasonable error radius to a georeferenced point using the standard point-radius protocol
  • Evaluate whether a specimen's location is too imprecise to accurately georeference
  • Document any assumptions or estimations made when georeferencing in the Georeference Remarks field