TrapScan shares trapping records with Trap.nz, New Zealand's national predator control database. Every TrapScan project has a corresponding project in Trap.nz, so your traps and check history are available in both systems. This keeps conservation data in an established, widely used database while giving your project access to TrapScan's cards, quick check recording and dashboards.
Checks recorded in TrapScan usually reach Trap.nz within minutes. Checks recorded directly in Trap.nz appear in TrapScan after the next hourly sync. Activity from both systems appears together in your TrapScan dashboards, so you only need to record each check once.
Setting up your project
If you don't have a Trap.nz project
I'm Kurtis Papple, and I run TrapScan. During setup, I'll create a project under TrapScan's Trap.nz account and invite you as an Administrator. This gives you full control of the project in Trap.nz, including its traps and access permissions.
TrapScan and Trap.nz use separate accounts. You need a Trap.nz project to use TrapScan, but you don't personally need a Trap.nz account or login. I'll set up the project for you, and you can use TrapScan without signing in to Trap.nz. If you later want to manage the project directly in Trap.nz, you can create an account or log in to an existing one and accept the Administrator invitation.
If you already have a Trap.nz project
Invite access@trapscan.app to your project in Trap.nz as a Manager. This allows TrapScan to read the project and create or update traps and checks. It doesn't allow TrapScan to manage your members or change their access.
TrapScan will import your project details, traps, trap lines and existing check history. Your project will appear in TrapScan after the next hourly sync.
What syncs, and when
| Information | Direction | Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Project name and description | Trap.nz → TrapScan | Hourly |
| Traps, including location, type, name and status | Both ways | To Trap.nz within minutes; from Trap.nz hourly |
| Trap lines and their assigned traps | Trap.nz → TrapScan | Hourly |
| New trap checks, including catches, rebaiting and status | Both ways | To Trap.nz within minutes; from Trap.nz hourly |
| Species and lure lists used in forms | Trap.nz → TrapScan | Yearly |
These are normal sync times. Syncs run every hour, on the hour, during the day (New Zealand time). You can create traps in either system, and creating, editing or retiring a trap in TrapScan also updates it in Trap.nz. Changes made directly in Trap.nz come across at the next hourly sync.
Manage your project's name and description in Trap.nz. TrapScan picks up those changes at the next sync. The project's location is imported only once, during initial setup, so changing it later in Trap.nz won't change its location in TrapScan.
When you edit an already-synced check in TrapScan, the edit is sent to Trap.nz before it saves. Edits made directly in Trap.nz to checks already imported into TrapScan aren't brought across. See Recording trap checks for how to edit a check and who can do so.
What stays in TrapScan
Your TrapScan account, TrapScan Cards and their links to traps, and project billing information stay in TrapScan. They aren't sent to Trap.nz. TrapScan also calculates its dashboard metrics from the project records.
Why TrapScan shares records with Trap.nz
Trap.nz has been used by New Zealand trapping projects since 2014. Sharing records with it helps prevent conservation trapping data from becoming fragmented across separate services. Your project's traps and check history remain in Trap.nz if you stop using TrapScan.
If something doesn't look right
A check hasn't appeared in Trap.nz
Checks normally reach Trap.nz within minutes of uploading. If the check was recorded offline, the device needs to reconnect to the internet. Checks saved offline before logging in can be uploaded once someone signs in on that device. See How offline mode works.
If a check is still missing an hour after it should have uploaded, email contact@trapscan.app and I'll investigate.
A trap isn't showing in TrapScan
Traps added directly in Trap.nz appear after the next hourly sync. If you need a trap sooner, email contact@trapscan.app and I can trigger a manual sync.
A trap has the wrong details
You can edit a trap's name, type or location in either system. Changes made in TrapScan normally reach Trap.nz within minutes; changes made in Trap.nz appear in TrapScan at the next sync.
A check was recorded by mistake
You can edit an incorrect trap check. If a check needs to be deleted, you'll need access to the project in Trap.nz to delete it there. TrapScan doesn't support deleting checks directly. The next sync removes the deleted check from TrapScan too.