The Digital Workbench – iNaturalist and iSpot

What do you do when your phone app and field guide do not come up with a credible identification suggestion and you have no expert on hand to turn to? There is still hope! There are ‘online’ services that you can call upon for help; they are similar in concept but have slightly different missions. These are platforms where real experts help you verify your sightings.

Digital Communities

While Google Lens tells you what an object might be, platforms like iNaturalist and iSpot connect you with a global community of experts who help you confirm it. For a beginner, these are the best "safety nets" to ensure your identifications are correct.

The idea is simple; you take a photograph of the specimen (sometimes a couple from different angles or showing specific features) then create an entry in your app including the photograph with other key information and submit it for identification. Your post will be seen by others with more knowledge, many are experts, and if it is possible from the information you provide they will identify it for you.

What are these ‘Digital Communities'?

There are two main commonly used by naturalists of all levels in the United Kingdom:

1. iNaturalist: The Global Biodiversity Map

iNaturalist is the world’s most popular nature app. It uses powerful AI to suggest IDs, but more importantly, it shares your data with scientists.

• iNaturalist is a joint initiative by the California Academy of Sciences and National Geographic. 

• The "Seek" App: For a more casual experience, try their sister app, Seek. It’s like "Pokémon GO" for real life—you point your camera at a flower, and it identifies it live on the screen.

• Research Grade: When you upload a photo, other users will vote on what they think it is. Once enough people agree, your sighting becomes "Research Grade" and is used in actual scientific papers.

• Best for: Beginners who want a sleek mobile app experience and want to contribute to global biodiversity maps.

2. iSpot: The Learning Laboratory

• Run by The Open University, iSpot is designed specifically for people who want to learn

• The Reputation System: On iSpot, users have "reputation points" based on their expertise. If a high-reputation user confirms your sighting, you can be very confident in the result.

• The "Why" Factor: Unlike AI, iSpot users often leave comments explaining why a species is what it is (e.g., "Note the square stem which indicates the Mint family").

• Best for: People who want to learn why an ID is correct. The community is famously helpful at explaining diagnostic features.

Differences at a glance:

iNaturalist v iSpot:

• Primary Goal: Biological Data Collection v Learning & Teaching: 

• Verification:  Community Consensus v Expert/Reputation Weighting

• App Experience: Excellent, highly integrated v Better on Desktop/Web

• Best Feature: "Explore" maps of your local area v Detailed comments on how to ID

Some "Tips" for the Total Beginner:

1. Don't Fear Mistakes: Both platforms are designed for learning. If you upload a "Common Daisy" and call it a "Dandelion," the community will gently correct you. That correction is where the real learning happens.

2. When you upload a photo for identification it is quite OK to add a comment like "I think this is a daisy, but the petals look different—can anyone help?"

3. When an expert corrects you, you should check why they made that choice. Both platforms allow users to leave comments explaining diagnostic features.

4. Quality over Quantity: One clear photo of a flower from above, one from the side, and one of the leaves is worth more than ten blurry photos of just the petals. The "Anatomy of a Flower" section that follows will help you understand this.

5. Check "Local Projects": On iNaturalist, you can search for "Projects" in your area (there is one for the Sid Valley). This shows you exactly what your neighbours are finding right now, which is a great way to learn what is currently in season or where to find an interesting species near to you.

Recommendation?

Which one should you use? As a complete beginner seeking to learn and find one's way then iSpot is spot on. Once you have a degree of confidence then contributing to citizen science through iNaturalist might be more appropriate.

That said, iSpot observations are useful to research students, especially those involved with the Open University and its teaching and you can learn by submitting observations to iNaturalist so the choice is yours! Why not try them both and see which you prefer?