# Getting Started

## Create an Account

To register for an EC3 account, go to <https://buildingtransparency.org/auth/register> and enter the requested information, making sure to accept the Beta **User Agreement** and **Privacy Notice**.

If you would like access to in-progress beta features and product categories, you can do so through a organizational or individual [Pilot access](https://www.buildingtransparency.org/pilot/) to EC3.

{% hint style="danger" %}
We are aware of a malicious use of the *ec3pilot.org* domain, please do not go to that page! The only valid Pilot page is [*https://www.buildingtransparency.org/pilot/*](https://www.buildingtransparency.org/pilot/)
{% endhint %}

### Account Tiers&#x20;

EC3 is primarily for professional business use. Users who specify their <mark style="background-color:blue;">Employer</mark> and <mark style="background-color:blue;">Profession</mark> will be granted a **Professional** account. Those who do not, or who register with a personal email address (e.g., Gmail or Hotmail) will only have a **Private** account with some features (including sharing features) disabled to protect privacy.

<details>

<summary>Where to fill out Employer and Profession</summary>

1\) Navigate to your user preferences by clicking on your user name.![](https://3092112806-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPDhVD99RBnS0Qy4HvVPO%2Fuploads%2Fqrko4vWgMwlEhXcYgD4v%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=683c1374-3bc7-4232-9a69-18e5a5095c67)

2\) Look for the Employment section, where you can fill in your profession.<img src="https://3092112806-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPDhVD99RBnS0Qy4HvVPO%2Fuploads%2FSN4uMraP9nTrrgXk9m0Q%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=06c337e8-58cc-437f-91ae-b249ddf73e77" alt="" data-size="original">

3\) Save the changes using the Submit button at the top of the page.![](https://3092112806-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPDhVD99RBnS0Qy4HvVPO%2Fuploads%2FaV8zVtVOD1iBhMeEhxUB%2Fimage.png?alt=media\&token=853b709a-6b6e-40b8-b149-e8ce74970deb)

</details>

<table><thead><tr><th width="305">Features</th><th width="99" data-type="checkbox">Private</th><th width="125" data-type="checkbox">Professional</th><th width="93" data-type="checkbox">Pilot</th><th width="82" data-type="checkbox">Curator</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><a href="main-features/find-and-compare-materials">Search Public Materials</a></td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td><a href="../main-features/plan-and-compare-buildings#publishing-buildings">View Public Buildings</a></td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td><a href="main-features/plan-and-compare-buildings">Create Private Buildings</a></td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td><a href="../main-features/plan-and-compare-buildings#heading-h.19c6y18">Share Buildings</a></td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td><a href="managing-data">Create User Groups</a></td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Support via Usersnap</td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td><a href="../main-features/plan-and-compare-buildings#publishing-buildings">Publish Buildings</a> (i.e. to Public)</td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Early access to categories</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Early access features</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Enterprise features</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Biweekly or quarterly calls</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Manual entry of EPDs</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Verify and confirm EPDs</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>true</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th width="305">Project Limits</th><th width="98">Private</th><th width="126">Professional</th><th width="93">Pilot</th><th>Curator</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Max # of buildings</td><td>5</td><td><p>24+</p><p>1/month</p></td><td>+50/year</td><td>Unlimited</td></tr></tbody></table>

<table><thead><tr><th width="305">Prerequisites</th><th width="99" data-type="checkbox">Private</th><th width="126" data-type="checkbox">Professional</th><th width="91" data-type="checkbox">Pilot</th><th data-type="checkbox">Curator</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Verified email</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>16 years of age</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Terms of Service</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Business/educational email</td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Identified profession &#x26; employer</td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Approval by BuildingTransparency</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>true</td><td>true</td></tr><tr><td>Data Curator Aggreement</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>false</td><td>true</td></tr></tbody></table>

## Log In

Once a user has registered for an account, an activation email will be sent to the registered email address.

{% hint style="info" %}
**No confirmation email?** Our confirmation emails come from an automated system that sometimes ends up Spam folders. If it's not there, check with your IT department and make sure the following address is whitelisted:&#x20;

<automated-emails@buildingtransparency.org>
{% endhint %}

Once activated, users may log in to the tool at <https://buildingtransparency.org/auth/login>.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Building Transparency will never ask for your username and password by email or phone. Please report any emails that do so, it may be a [phishing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phishing) attack.
{% endhint %}

## Connect accounts

After creating an EC3 account, users may link their EC3 account to other platforms such as Amazon, Microsoft, or Google, and use their credentials for those platforms to log in to EC3.

## General Navigation <a href="#heading-h.1t3h5sf" id="heading-h.1t3h5sf"></a>

Once logged in to EC3, users will see the following welcome screen below with the various identified elements. It is intended for EC3 to be an intuitive user interface and users are encouraged to explore the tool’s functionality. To provide in-tool direction, tooltips will appear as users hover their cursor over a given field.

<figure><img src="https://3092112806-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPDhVD99RBnS0Qy4HvVPO%2Fuploads%2F7L6HuNRVkFgtSjmc64bJ%2FUser%20interface%20overview.png?alt=media&#x26;token=0b2a80b2-9da7-498b-a5b6-9c27748f475f" alt=""><figcaption><p>EC3 Welcome page.</p></figcaption></figure>

## Getting Help <a href="#heading-h.2s8eyo1" id="heading-h.2s8eyo1"></a>

### Tool Tips <a href="#heading-h.17dp8vu" id="heading-h.17dp8vu"></a>

Most icons, fields and functions in EC3 are documented with a tooltip. Hover your mouse over a field for guidance on the meaning, format, and usage of the field.

<figure><img src="https://3092112806-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPDhVD99RBnS0Qy4HvVPO%2Fuploads%2F5JL4zlL6LUF4t0MqWAfC%2FUI%20tooltips.png?alt=media&#x26;token=fdd659a3-19ea-4792-b234-c9e94cc93436" alt=""><figcaption><p>Field tooltips.</p></figcaption></figure>

### Tours <a href="#heading-h.26in1rg" id="heading-h.26in1rg"></a>

Many parts of EC3 have tours, either in the form of a walkthrough or an annotated screenshot, which introduce a screen or diagram. The tour will animate until you click on it for the first time.

<figure><img src="https://3092112806-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPDhVD99RBnS0Qy4HvVPO%2Fuploads%2F9fGHKR21cUgx3YK3UU8N%2FUI%20Tours.png?alt=media&#x26;token=6b1ea95d-7544-4e3e-a606-c3ad73a8bcf6" alt=""><figcaption><p>In-tool tours &#x26; tutorials.</p></figcaption></figure>

### FAQ and Glossary <a href="#heading-h.lnxbz9" id="heading-h.lnxbz9"></a>

A Glossary, list of Frequently Asked Questions, and API documentation are accessible from the settings menu (gear icon) in the top-right corner of the EC3 page.

<figure><img src="https://3092112806-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPDhVD99RBnS0Qy4HvVPO%2Fuploads%2FpitVkhGYHsa4Lsh3Y1xV%2FUI%20faq%20and%20glossary.png?alt=media&#x26;token=55529f3a-6cf1-4765-b9bd-4b6c6d8bdeb7" alt=""><figcaption><p>Settings, FAQ, glossary, and other resources.</p></figcaption></figure>

### Report Bugs & Feedback

To submit suggestions, comments, or questions, please use the <mark style="background-color:purple;">Report Bugs & Feedback</mark> button located at the bottom right of EC3.

<figure><img src="https://3092112806-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FPDhVD99RBnS0Qy4HvVPO%2Fuploads%2Foo48Bu2gbop9BexdVQIh%2FReport%20Bugs%20Feedback.png?alt=media&#x26;token=a7f05929-37ab-4277-b2ab-9efa84984d1d" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>