Public Outreach
Common Slider
Using the iNaturalist app has been a fascinating and enlightening experience. On many of the job sites I go to I find new plant and insect species that I have never found before or ones I have seen many times but never took the time to identify them. Its really interesting to find a species and then to see other people who identify them either verify what I believe the species is or suggest something different. So far about half of my observations have been confirmed by other users and are now considering research grade observations.
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| Japanese Beetle |
The iNaturalist app is easily found through a web search or even an app search. If you type into any search engine "wildlife ID" or even just "nature identification" iNaturalist is one of the top 5 links that pop up. They have even created a new app called Seek which I also use on a regular basis for species identification. Many articles call it the Shazam for nature. The people behind iNaturalist continue to improve the application and expand their abilities which only continues to perpetuate its use. They have done diligent work to spread the use of their app by creating local and global partners to advertise the use of the app.
In general I think this app has an incredibly positive impact for nature enthusiasts, scientists and even just people who go for a walk one day and find something interesting they want to identify. Apps that are simple, easy and interesting encourage people to continue to use them which can continue or enhance peoples desire to learn about nature. Making science and identification accessible to anyone with a smart phone is one step closer to getting people interested and involved in the nature around them. From a researchers POV this apps data could be incredibly helpful with filling in gaps of data or doing large scale studies. Clearly the data has been useful with over 700 citations in scientific literature. As people continue to use the app more all over the globe the data will only increase in quantity and quality.
Swamp Milkweed
Science and public engagement should go hand in hand. Many times people are scared to engage in science because they think they will not understand it and the concepts will be difficult for them to grasp. Making science fun, interesting and accessible is so important for all age groups, knowledge levels and backgrounds. I think that by combining so many peoples love and interest in nature with the need for better quality and quantity of data for researchers to use they have created apps and projects that benefit a wide range of people.
iNaturalist has partnered with major cities all over the globe to do urban biodiversity blitz's. Which is essentially people using the iNaturalist app in designated areas to capture as many species as possible. In 2020 the National Aquarium of Baltimore hosted the City Nature Challenge. Where they called in citizen scientists to capture as many species as possible. This resulted in incredible data collection with 10,961 observations, and 515 participants identified 1,501 species in and around Baltimore—23 of which were protected, rare, threatened or endangered. Having partners as big as the National Aquarium in one city spreads the word and use of the app significantly.
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