All information received by the CSCF is managed with the relational database system ORACLE, the interface ACCESS and the GIS system ARC/INFO with ARC/VIEW.

The database is updated with the invaluable (and volunteer) work of field naturalists, with data from museum collections (historical data), with certified data from published work, with data from mandates of the cantonal and federal administration, with data from research at the universities and with information gathered by private agencies of ecology.

All information arriving at the CSCF is treated following these steps:

1. data reception is acknowledged

2. data is coded and keyboarded (written data) or loaded (electronic data)

3. conformity of keyboarded data is tested

4. keyboarded data is tested as to its scientific validity by specialists ; in case of doubtful data (species difficult to determine, species observed outside its normal range etc.) we seek confirmation (specimen in a collection, photos …); if double-checking is impossible, the data is rejected.

5. the sender is notified when all his data is loaded ; on request, he can receive an excerpt of the database showing his data on paper or on floppy disc.

To help us supplement the data on species that are quite common in nature but strangely lacking in our data base, we'd like to ask you to send us your field observations directly and regularly by means of the interactive form.

If your data are numerous, it is better to send them (with the necessary information, see attached form) via email as associated work file (EXCEL for Mac or Dos)

You can also order this forms at the CSCF; we will send them through the post: click HERE.

Please, fill out the form as precisely as possible and send it back to :

At present, the CSCF manages observation tables of 26 taxa with 1'872'783 occurrences. Details listed below (last update 31.12.2004) : 

The CSCF databank runs on ORACLE (version 7) and is located on a server of the computer service departement of the University of Neuchâtel (SITEL).

More information on our database structure are available in the CSCF AaZ brochure in french or in german.

Main tables begin with CAPT (e.g. captodo) and contain the observations (e.g. on dragonflies). Here basic information is registered: observed species, coordinates of observation, altitude, date, name of observer (leg) and of determinator, as well as more elaborate information: municipality, description of environment, sampling method, adult, larvae, male, female etc.

Environmental information is to be found in the table TYPOLOGIE. Observers are listed in LEG and are linked through their observation with the table CAPT. Each observed species gets a species code (nuesp). There are also links with tables containing higher systematic levels as family, order, class and with geographical information system (GIS; ArcInfo 7) (table LIEUN). Here you find: localisation of observation, km2, municipality, canton, area NISM (Swiss moss inventory), area Welten & Sutter (Swiss flora), biogeographic region.