Uploading with Loadshedding!!
Please note to time your uploading of observations/pictures with your local 'loadshedding' (our euphemism for 'blackouts') schedule.
This does not apply to smartphones. Their batteries will keep them going, and the uploading software is clever enough to keep tabs on what uploaded successfully or not. Just resume uploading by synching your phone when the internet is back up again.
However, the web version of the upload has not been designed for "loadshedding" and you need to be aware that you will lose uploads if you are not finished before the power is out.
Ordinary Computers:
If your computer goes off, then any work you were doing will be lost if the power goes down. There is no way of picking up where you left off. You will need to begin again.
- Ensure that there is enough time for all your pictures to upload and all the observations to be processed before the blackout begins.
- Rather work in small batches of less than 10 or 20 observations that are more quickly finished, than work with lots of observations, and have to start again.
Laptops:
Your laptop battery will keep the upload window open so that you will not lose your general work, if the power goes out, and the internet goes down.
But note that any pictures that you were still busy uploading will be abandoned. In other words, already uploaded photos are OK, but those that still needed to be uploaded will be ditched.
- You will need to reload these: fortunately the file name on abandoned pictures displays, and you can - when the internet is back up again - drag drop them back if there are only a few.
- When the internet resumes you can continue
If you have solar power, or a battery backup, or a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply) then it depends on whether during the transition, your internet continues as normal. If so, then you have no concerns.
However some systems have a millisecond interrupt during the transition from ESCOM to battery, and if this causes your internet to reset or reboot, you will have problems. Typically, even if the interruption is only for a minute, then the upload procedure will abandon all your remaining pictures.
If there are only a few and you have done all your editing, then it is worthwhile reloading them (only when the internet is back up - just drag them back on top of the filename marker), but if you had just begun and had not done too many edits, then it may be easier to just begin again.
The important thing to note is that so long as your upload page on your computer stays on, and you can reload (or delete) the observations where the pictures did not load, then you can still complete the process, do all your edits, and upload your observations.
- Even if the power goes down for several hours, if your upload screen stays on, you can resume your work when the power returns. The upload window will remain active for several hours after you started it (successfully for me after 6 hours) , so even after long power outages you can just resume when the internet is restored.
- You can even do some editing when the power is off - obviously processes requiring the internet wont work, so you cannot add species identifications, or observation fields, or do mapwork, but you can rearrange the photos into the observation cards and you can add notes.
General:
- It is best not to be caught out. Plan your uploading with the loadshedding schedule in mind, and dont start large uploads that wont finish before the next blackout.
- Bear in mind that over one million users will likely be uploading, so the iNat system may be a little slower than normal. Allow extra time.
- Note too, that you have until the evening of 7 May to upload your observations, so dont panic if ESCOM declares a Stage 9 or 10. (OK you can panic, but it wont be because of your uploading for the City Nature Challenge - you will have plenty of time - 7 days after the CNC to upload your observations!)
Loadshedding will also affect identifications, but the Identification Curation Tool can cope with blackouts, and you can resume anytime after the internet is restored and your computer is working. If your Curation page shut down, merely reload it or click on the link provided by your curator in your city's journal page, and continue where you left off.
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