As data collection projects mature, teams often need to make changes that go beyond small adjustments. Modifying survey logic, redesigning plot layouts, or restructuring a project after data collection has started can introduce complexity—and risk—if handled within the same published project.
To support these scenarios, Collect Earth Online now allows users to copy entire projects, creating a new, editable version that preserves the original while enabling substantial updates.
Copying a project is the recommended approach when you need to make major changes to a published project, including:
Rather than altering an active project with existing data, copying creates a clean fork that supports iteration while maintaining traceability.
From the Project Management section on the Project Overview page, users can initiate a project copy and choose exactly what to carry over.
Options give you fine-grained control over how closely the new project mirrors the original. You may opt to copy:
If you choose not to use existing plots, the original plot geometry will still appear in the Plot Design step, but you can fully redesign the sampling approach. This includes drawing a new area of interest, using CEO’s random spatial distribution tools, and adjusting the number, size, or shape of plots.
If you choose not to copy answers, only the survey questions are retained, and data collection will restart from the first plot. In all cases, survey questions remain fully editable before the new project is published.
Once confirmed, Collect Earth Online generates an entirely new project that is an exact copy of the original configuration, with “COPY” appended to the project title. This new project appears on your Institution page and is unpublished by default, allowing you to review and refine every part using the Setup Wizard.
When you are ready, you can publish the copied project after completing your edits. During this process, CEO will ask whether you want to overwrite existing collection data. Leaving this option unselected ensures that any prior data remain intact.
The ability to copy projects reflects a core principle of Collect Earth Online: supporting iterative, transparent, and well-documented workflows. By encouraging users to fork projects for major updates, CEO helps teams avoid unintended data conflicts while enabling continuous improvement.
For small, incremental changes—such as adding a limited number of questions—editing an active project may be sufficient. For everything else, copying provides a safer and more robust path forward.
