Thank you for your interest in using SRMS data for Scottish breeding raptor populations. The data currently consist of a record per individual breeding attempt from many discrete study areas (and more casual recording) across Scotland, providing information on occupancy and breeding outcomes.

SRMS data are available on the Atlas of Living Scotland (https://registry.nbnatlas.org/public/show/dp245) at a 10 km resolution (10 km x 10 km square), which may be adequate for your purposes. If you are a conservation professional working for one of the eight SRMS partner organisations, you may already have access to the SRMS data and will be able to liaise with a named individual within your organisation who governs internal access to SRMS data. If you are not affiliated with an SRMS partner organisation, this policy explains how you can request more detailed access to SRMS data for specific purposes via the SRMS Data Request process.

Many of the SRMS regular data providers spend huge amounts of time in the field studying raptors and collecting monitoring information, many in a purely voluntary capacity. As such, these observers hold a large amount of local knowledge that cannot be captured within a typical standardised dataset like that held by the SRMS. They are best placed to advise on how to interpret local and regional raptor data. Whenever possible, we would strongly encourage you to liaise with these local observers/data providers to enable you to make more informed decisions about how to use SRMS data. This is particularly important if you are using the data to make detailed decisions at a fine scale. Useful contact information can be accessed on the SRMS website (see
https://raptormonitoring.org/srms-data/data-sharing-use-policy/1-2-a-note-for-data-users/srms-data-provider-contacts).

Please also note that the SRMS will, at any time, only hold records collected in the previous breeding season. Records from any particular field season are typically submitted in the following autumn and are not added to the master dataset until the spring of the following breeding season. Therefore, if you require urgent information during a current breeding season, you will need to contact the relevant SRSG branch(es) directly (see
https://raptormonitoring.org/srms-data/data-sharing-use-policy/1-2-a-note-for-data-users/srms-data-provider-contacts).

Please take the time to understand the nature of the data held by the SRMS and heed any terms and conditions associated with their use. Please consider the considerable benefits of liaising with SRMS data providers ahead of making any use of SRMS data.

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2. Definitions