Submitting Data (Public Workflow)

SEC-IMS accepts dataset submissions from anyone, without an account. This chapter describes the public submission workflow: what is required, what happens after you submit, and how administrators decide whether the submission is published.

If you are a registered contributor with a token, see Chapter 6 instead — your workflow has fewer review steps and lets you update your own records directly.

What you submit

A public submission has two parts:

1. The data file itself — vector (GeoPackage, Shapefile, GeoJSON), raster (GeoTIFF, Cloud Optimised GeoTIFF), or a related document (PDF, CSV, report).
2. A metadata record describing the dataset — title, abstract, custodian/contact, spatial and temporal extent, keywords, lineage, constraints, and any URLs that should accompany the record.

Both parts are required. A data file without metadata cannot be published; metadata without data is only published in exceptional cases (for example, when SEC-IMS catalogues an externally hosted dataset).

Submission interface

Open the Submit Data page from the main navigation. The form is divided into three sections that you can navigate sequentially:

1. About the dataset — title, abstract, keywords, custodian organisation, point of contact.
2. Spatial and temporal extent — bounding box (or upload an extent file), temporal coverage, CRS.
3. The file — upload the data file. Where the file format allows automatic extraction, SEC-IMS will pre-fill the spatial extent and suggest some metadata fields.

NoteScreenshot needed

submit-form-step-1 — The first step of the public submission form, showing the title, abstract, and keywords fields. Use realistic field content so the layout is illustrative.

NoteScreenshot needed

submit-form-step-3 — The file-upload step of the public submission form, after a file has been chosen, showing the file name, size, and the pre-filled extent (if applicable). Annotate the auto-detected fields.

What happens after submission

When you submit, the file and metadata are saved to a quarantine area and are not visible on the public catalogue. SEC-IMS notifies administrators that a new submission is pending review.

The administrator may:

• Accept the submission — the file is moved to published storage, the metadata record is published, and the dataset becomes visible on the catalogue and map.
• Return for revisions — the administrator may contact you (via the email address on the submission) with questions or requests for changes.
• Reject the submission — the file is deleted from quarantine and the metadata record is not published. The administrator will normally explain the reason by email.

Submissions are reviewed in the order they are received. Typical review times depend on the administrator’s schedule and the size of the queue.

Tracking your submission

The confirmation page shown after a successful submission includes a submission reference — a short alphanumeric identifier. Keep this reference; the administrator may ask for it when discussing your submission, and it appears on any correspondence about the dataset.

NoteScreenshot needed

submit-confirmation — The confirmation page shown after a successful public submission, with the submission reference highlighted and the “What happens next” text visible.

Common reasons submissions are returned

The most common reasons for a submission to be returned for revisions are:

• The data file is in a coordinate reference system that is not declared in the metadata, or the declared CRS does not match the file.
• The abstract is too short to describe the dataset adequately. A one-sentence abstract is rarely enough — aim for a paragraph that explains what the dataset represents, how it was produced, and any important caveats.
• The custodian or contact is unclear, missing, or generic (“info@…”).
• The dataset contains personal information that has not been redacted.

Re-submitting a corrected version is straightforward — use the same form and reference the original submission ID in the abstract if helpful.