Identification of observations: the process

OK: I trust that we are all doing our identifications! A great Lockdown activity.

Our strategy is simple:

Wednesday: clear the backlog of observations that have no identifications at all.
To do this please:

1. Make IDs to "family level" in plants. Animals are not an issue (birds, reptiles, frogs, moths, bugs, butterflies, fish, spiders, etc. are all easy enough). And fungi are too diffcult: just please use Fungi, except for Lichens: these should be Lecanoromycetes (just type Lichens and choose this). But for plants, please try and get the families. These should be easy for flowers for Daisies, Peas, Proteas, Vygies, Stonecrops, Aloes (Asphodelaceae), Orchids (we wish), grasses, irids and other iconic groups. Ferns and Mosses are OK "families" as well. If you dont know the family or genus, then just skip it: Do NOT ID them as "Plants" or "Dicots" unless there is no chance that they will ever be identified.
2. Other tasks to do while doing this:
3. 2a: look out for superb photographs, outstanding observations and really cool stuff: - for these add the project "Nominations for Observation of the Month".
4. 2b: Planted stuff - if something is planted or captive - please tick it as such when it has become research grade. (please DO NOT tick it before it is research grade, otherwise it cannot be processed in our work flow)
5. 2c: Look out for duplicates - please add a comment for duplicates: "This is a duplicate of an another observation of yours: please group observations of the same animal/plant at the same place and time in a single observation"
6. 2d: Look out for multiple species observations: please add a comment for multipules: "Please separate out each species into its own observation. iNaturalist can only cope with one species per observation. On the web version you can use the "Duplicate option on the EditV" button, but please double-check the locality". And add an ID of "State of Matter: Life" if you want.
7. 2d: Observations without a picture: please add a comment for blanks: "Please sync your app to upload your pictures. if this was a mistake please delete this"

The link to help with these is:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=needs_id%2Ccasual%2Cresearch&iconic_taxa=unknown&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2020-cape-town&place_id=any&page=5
(to avoid us all working on the same page at the same time, replace the "5" on "page=5' with some other number such as "57" - at present there are 166 pages of observations needing identification, but if the page loads as blank, then you have chosen a page number more than there are: choose a smaller number.
((tip: to prevent having to go through the same observations many times, when you finish a page, choose the option "mark all as reviewed". Esp. nearer the end, the same ones will keep on coming up if you dont do this)).

From Tomorrow we will be calling our our experts and more knowledgeable users to change their tack (beginners and higher order helpers can stay on the unidentified observations and clear the last few).
They will start processing the observations that have been identified as "Needs ID" and getting them identified. There will be three levels
** IDs that need confirmation: these will already be identified to species and merely need confirmation. If you are certain of the ID, then please click the "Agree" button. You may also "Agree" tentatively if you know that the person who made the ID is an expert in that group.
** IDs that are wrong: please fix these. Even if it means taking the ID back to genus or family level (or even plants). Add an ID with your best effort, and select the "red" option: 'it is wrong as it is'
** IDs to family or generic level that need species level IDs. Please add the IDs.
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?project_id=city-nature-challenge-2020-cape-town&place_id=any
or if you dont want to confirm species level IDs, but just work above the species level, then use this rather:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=needs_id%2Cresearch%2Ccasual&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2020-cape-town&lrank=genus&place_id=any

Initially we will just do blanket IDs, but once experts have done a few dozen IDs, they can start "cherry picking" out species that have not yet been identified, and leave the more common species to the more generalist identifiers.
We will coordinate this as we watch our progress.
To help with the finer level IDs, please use this url:
insert your group in the species box (e.g. Birds or Acanthaceae or Lichens - currently it shows Daisies):
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?project_id=city-nature-challenge-2020-cape-town&taxon_id=47604&place_id=any

If we have time at the very end, we will trawl for false IDs and fix these. But that is more complicated.
And also tackle the Garden Plants needing identification:
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?quality_grade=casual&project_id=city-nature-challenge-2020-cape-town&captive=true&lrank=genus&place_id=any

Posted on April 29, 2020 08:43 AM by tonyrebelo