Blog

Swim Guide photo submission feature and beach image database

Gabrielle Parent-Doliner, Director of Swimmable Water Programs

Posted: August 6, 2018 at 12:46 am

Swim Guide is excited to introduce our brand new photo submission feature for our iOS and Android app.

The photo submission feature and the beach image database are part of Swim Guide’s international citizen-science effort to collect data on beaches around the world. Photos are incredibly important pieces of evidence. When Swim Guide users are at the beach they are in a unique position to take and share a photo, which contributes valuable data on recreational water use, pollution, and real time conditions at beaches.

How the photo submission feature works

Swim Guide users can submit a photo in two ways through the iOS and the Android app:

1. Click on a beach in the list or on the map in the app. Once on the beach page, click on the photo submission icon and choose “Submit Photos”.

2. Click Upload Beach Photos

3. Take a photo of your beach, or swim spot. See instructions below on the specific type of photo we are looking for.

4. Add details on the report page about what you see, as well as your name and email information.

5. Submit your photo by clicking “send”

What kind of photo should you take?

We are looking for a very specific shot, which you can take by standing on the shoreline and taking a picture facing the water. Please don’t use filters, or special effects. The shot should include the following:

Water: Including the waterbody in the photo is a must

Shoreline: Along with the water, ensure the shoreline (where the land meets the shore) is included.

Recreational water users: if there are recreational water users in the water, such as swimmers, surfers, paddlers, please include them in the shot.

NOTE: if you do see a pollution concern, please submit a separate pollution report. Use the pollution reporting tool in the app, or click here to submit a pollution report.

Examples

What to avoid

Too far from the water

Too close to the water

Wrong focus
Make sure that the focus of your photo is always the water and the shoreline. Close ups of your friends at the beach are a great addition, but shouldn’t be the focus if you are only submitting one photo.

Pollution

If you see pollution, you can use the pollution reporting tool to submit a detailed report. Click here to submit a pollution report.

Tags:

	Green means the beach’s most recent test results met relevant water quality standards.

	Red means the beach’s most recent test results failed to meet water quality standards.

	Grey means water quality information for the beach is too old (more than 7 days old) to be considered current, or that info is unavailable, or unreliable.

	Green means the beach passed water quality tests 95% of the time or more.

	Yellow means the beach passed water quality tests 60-95% of the time.

	Red means the beach failed water quality tests 40% of the time or more.

	Green means the beach has historically excellent or pristine water quality, but there is no current data.

	Red means the water at the site has water quality issues or there is an emergency.

	Grey means there is no current water quality information, the beach is under construction, there has been an event that has rendered water quality information unreliable or unavailable.