User guide
1. Register and sign in
Open the tool and register with your email address and a password of at least 8 characters. Your email address is your user id. If you forget your password, contact us via the contact page and we will reset it for you.
2. Choose the identification matrix
The default matrix MATBASIC-1-NORMAL (forams, normal values; 13 environments × 411 species) is built in. You can also upload your own matrix in the original file format.
3. Enter the samples
Three ways, whichever suits your data:
- Upload well file: a text file in the original format (well name, file type, then per sample: type, depth, investigator, analysis type, weight, split factor, species-code/amount pairs, END).
- Pick from FORLIST: enter a depth, then search the species list by code or scientific name and click to add. Add each sample, then “Use these samples”.
- Paste text: one sample per line — the depth followed by the species codes, separated by spaces, tabs or commas. A count can follow a code after a colon, e.g. RSPP:96.
Species are matched by presence: a species that is listed counts as present. Codes that do not occur in the matrix are ignored by the identification. The code PLANKTOT is treated as the total number of planktonics and is used only for the P/B ratio.
Example data files
Four demonstration files are provided. All use codes from the built-in matrix and can be uploaded or pasted as-is. The first two are tiny made-up data sets that show the exact structure of each input format:
- example-well-original-format.txt — the original BULKMAT well-file format, for the “Upload well file” option. Six samples, including one barren sample and two with the PLANKTOT planktonic count.
- example-samples-paste-format.txt — the simple format for the “Paste text” option, with the structure explained in comment lines (lines starting with # are ignored).
The other two are realistic well files for exploring the different kinds of results:
- sampwell-01-sws.txt — SAMPWELL-01: 52 sidewall-core samples with real specimen counts (analysis type 1). The counts make the quantitative output meaningful: species percentages and specimen totals in the report, P/B ratios from the PLANKTOT entries, and the Yule-Simpson and Fisher alpha diversity indices. Click any result row to see the species list with scientific names, and watch how the diversity and the identified environments change down the well.
- sampwell-02-dc.txt — SAMPWELL-02: 48 ditch-cuttings samples recorded with qualitative abundances (R/F/C codes; analysis type 2). Identification is presence-based, so no specimen counts or diversity indices are computed. The file includes barren samples (reported as NO FAUNA) and is a good case for trying the sample-range and summary-cutoff options on a long well.
In the original format the sample type is a free-text label; these files use the numeric codes 02 (sidewall core) and 03 (ditch cuttings), and the investigator initials appear in the second field after the depth.
The original well-file format, line by line:
EXAMPLE WELL-1 (DEMONSTRATION DATA) <-- line 1: well name PTO <-- line 2: file type (PTO = forams, PYN = palynology) CUTTINGS <-- sample 1: sample type 1000 <-- depth J. DOE <-- investigator 1 <-- analysis type (1 = quantitative counts) 10 <-- weight of sample processed (g) 1 <-- split factor TRO5 <-- species code (FORLIST) 8 <-- specimen count AM1 3 END <-- end of sample 1 ... <-- further samples in the same pattern END <-- end of file
4. Set the options and run
- Calculation mode: normal (all characters) or positive entries only.
- Sample range: restrict the run to part of a long well file.
- Summary cutoffs: only list samples with at least a given number of species and/or a given top-1 probability.
5. Read the results
Each sample shows its three most likely identifications with Willcox probabilities. Click a row for the full probability distribution, the diversity indices, the species list with scientific names, and the “species against” diagnostics (species that disagree with each identification by more than 90%). The Download report button produces a report in the original program’s format, including the summary table.
Data logging
Every run is stored: the samples submitted and the results obtained. This data will be used to extend and improve the identification knowledge base. Do not submit data you are not willing to share for this purpose.
Problems or questions
If something does not work as expected, contact us via the contact page or directly at plesslar@precision-dm.com (WhatsApp +60-16-2240055). Please include the date and time of the run and the email address you signed in with — every run is logged, so we can look up exactly what happened.