Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is Dendra?

Dendra is a cloud-based data exploration and sensor management platform designed for environmental scientists, nature reserve technicians, and research administrators. It ingests, curates, stores, and delivers high-resolution time-series data in real time from weather stations, soil moisture probes, sap flow sensors, and thousands of other environmental sensors. Dendra supports research collaboration within multi-organizational networks and emphasizes FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) data principles.

Who operates Dendra?

Dendra is developed and maintained by Dendra Science in collaboration with partners including the University of California Natural Reserve System (UC NRS) and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Development has been supported by EarthCube awards and other grants provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Accounts and Access

Do I need to log in or be a member of an organization to download data?

Not to view and graph data. Most organizations provide data as a public good, but some organizations, such as the Eel River Critical Zone Observatory, keep part of their data private until students and researchers have published on the data.

You will need a login to download data.

Hit the “Start Using Dendra” button on the homepage.
In https://app.dendra.science, find “Log in or Create an Account” on the main page.
On the Log In page, select “Sign up” and follow the prompts.
After signing up, you can choose to request membership to an organization. If you are already a member but the login is new, please use the newer login to be associated with your organization.

Can I join an organization?

Yes, with the permission of the organization. Once you have created a login, the start page will have a button to request membership with organizations. Please write a message explaining your request, and your message will be reviewed by a member of that organization. If you check more than one organization, make sure your message is addressed to all of them.

How do I get my organization hosted on Dendra?

You are welcome to join! Please contact metahuman@dendra.science. We will create your organization and work with you to help you onboard your stations and sensors. Dendra is designed to work with small research groups and large state agencies alike. Our focus is long-term monitoring.

Data Usage

Can I use data from Dendra?

Yes! Please use data in presentations, publications, or as you wish.

How do I cite Dendra?

If you use data that was downloaded from Dendra in a publication, please acknowledge Dendra with a citation using the following format:

Template:

[Operating Organization]. [Year accessed]. _Station names. Dendra Science. Retrieved [Month Day, Year], from https://dendra.science.

Example:

University of California Nature. (2024). Blue Oak Ranch, Sagehen Creek, Dendra Science. Retrieved March 12, 2026, from https://dendra.science.

How is data quality-controlled?

Dendra provides curation processes that allow users to apply functional annotations to flag anomalies (e.g., sensor malfunctions, wildlife interference, wildfires) while preserving original raw values. Final quality assessment remains the responsibility of the end user and data owner. Always review annotations and metadata.

Can I put other data types into Dendra (GIS, transects, lab samples, etc.)?

Dendra is a time-series data repository. If the data has a timestamp and a value, Dendra can handle it. It can also handle mobile monitoring data, which includes time, location, value where location is a point (x,y,z). Static stations have point locations.

However, Dendra is a specialized time-series repository. It is not designed to manage GIS layers, Excel files, or non-time datasets. PDFs and supplemental information can be uploaded to a station for metadata purposes. Examples of supplemental information include spec sheets, audits, and ratings curves.

Features and Releases

What is the difference between Dendra Release 2 and Dendra Release 3?

Dendra Release 2 (current production at https://dendra.science/) is a stable, mature platform with robust ingestion, curation, visualization, download, and API access.
Dendra Release 3 (in active development, EarthCube-funded) introduces faster station onboarding, self-service integration setup, a new streamlined datastream configuration process, and a cross-organization query interface. Dendra R3 also includes upgrades to the existing API (see https://buf.build/dendrascience/repositories).

What is the expected rollout schedule for Dendra Release 3?

Dendra R3 is in active development (as of March 2026). We will announce beta access, phased rollout, and full production dates via the website, GitHub, and partner networks. Migration guidance will be provided for existing users.

Can I contribute my own sensor data to Dendra R3?

Yes. Organizations and research groups can onboard stations and data streams in Dendra R3 that involve coordination with the Dendra team in Dendra R2. Dendra R3 will introduce self-service tools to make data contribution much easier. For onboarding help, see the Support page.

API Usage

Is there public API documentation?

Dendra Release 2: https://dendrascience.github.io/dendra-json-schema/ (includes schemas and endpoint reference)
Dendra Release 3 (in development): https://buf.build/dendrascience/repositories (Buf Schema Registry – modern API specs)

What rate limits apply to the API?

Public API usage has generous but reasonable rate limits to ensure fair access. Authenticated users with active research projects may request higher limits. Contact us if you anticipate heavy usage.

Support

What should I do if I find a data error or anomaly?

See the Support page for reporting instructions and the details to include so we can troubleshoot quickly.

Dendra doesn’t do [ _____ ]. Can I request this feature?

We love feedback! Please let us know what new feature would be useful to you, or tell us if there is a usability issue. Contact us via our Support page. Complicated or extensive new features require developer time and may require either a grant or a contract for development.