First Steps After Joining

Once you’ve joined your lake and accessed the Portal, here’s what to do next to get the most out of Lake Pulse.

1. Review Current Alerts

Check the Critical Alerts panel on your dashboard.

If there are active alerts, review the details immediately.
If no alerts are active, the system will clearly indicate this.

This helps you understand the lake’s current safety status.

2. Check the Lake Health & Safety Scorecard

The Lake Health & Safety Scorecard provides a visual snapshot of overall lake condition.

Use this as a quick reference to understand whether the lake is currently trending healthy or showing warning signs.

3. Review Recent Weather Conditions

The Weather Forecast module shows short-term conditions for your lake’s location.

Weather can influence lake conditions, so this context is important when reviewing alerts or data trends.

4. Explore the Lake Overview

In the Lake Overview section, review:

• Lake name, county, and state

• Acreage

• Coordinates

• Community size (members, subscribers, admins)

This helps you understand the scale and activity level of your lake’s community.

5. Explore Portal Navigation

Use the left-hand navigation to explore key sections:

• Portal – Lake overview and status

• Toolbox – Testing and monitoring solutions

• Data – Lake data records

• Analytics – Advanced data analysis (subscription dependent)

• Community – Lake member participation

• Boathouse – Support and guidance

• Support – Help resources

• Account – Manage your profile and subscription

6. Consider Your Subscription Level

Your current subscription level determines what you can do next.

From the dashboard, you can:

• Remain a free Member to receive alerts and updates

• Upgrade to Basic to upload Field Images and Field Notes

• Upgrade to Plus for Data Hub access, Toolbox integration, and Boathouse support

If you want to actively contribute data or access deeper insights, upgrading may be appropriate.

7. Contribute to Your Lake (If Eligible)

Depending on your subscription:

• Upload Field Images

• Add Field Notes

• Purchase monitoring tools via the Toolbox

Participation helps build a stronger, more complete data record for your lake.

Your dashboard is designed to give you an immediate, clear understanding of lake health and community activity. Start by reviewing alerts and scorecards, then explore tools and features based on your level of involvement.