How to use iNaturalist
August 29, 2024
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iNaturalist is a powerful tool that connects casual observers to scientists. The basic idea is that you take a photo of something you see and the app helps you identify it automatically using AI. You get to look at options and choose what you think is the best guess.
Not sure if you are right? Have no fear! The beauty of iNaturalist is that all observations are checked by actual experts to confirm you have made your identification correctly. This is what is so amazing about the app - it really produces high quality data because there are experts all around the world double checking and confirming what you saw. Once two experts confirm your observation, it becomes “research-grade” and can be used by scientists. Scientists then use all that research-grade data collected by citizen scientists to better understand our natural world.
How to get started:
You will need a smart phone with the ability to take photos (and space for one more small app). You then download the iNaturalist app (it’s free and available for iPhone or Android) to your phone and set up an account.
Need more information? iNaturalist has resources for creating an account
Logging your first observation
Read over the iNaturalist guide for logging your observations
Tips and tricks from Dr. Allyson Jackson:
- Make sure your phone is fully charged because this is addicting and you will want to keep going!
- Once you upload a photo, click “what did I see” and compare options before you choose an identification. This really helps you also learn identification yourself!
- Remember that experts are going to be looking at your photos later, so make sure they clearly show what you are trying to observe.
- For something big and complex, like a tree, include multiple photos - a picture of the whole tree, a close up of the bark, a close up of the leaves can all help someone make a positive ID later on
- Make sure your observation includes location information. Using your photos will automatically have this information shared with iNaturalist.
After your observation is logged
- Once you submit your observation, it will automatically be included in the Purchase College BioBlitz project. Thanks for being a part of science!
- Keep checking back on your previous observation or check your email in the days that follow to see what experts confirm your identification (iNaturalist sends emails when there is new activity for your observations).