A web & ap suggestion to help you get off of iNaturalist - especially for Europeans and some Caribbean nations! (Read my pinned post to learn about why, as a scientist who used to love it, I now recommend leaving iNat.) https://observation.org/

Observation.org is a site older than iNaturalist, with the same basic concept, but some huge key differences. Like iNat, they use traditional computer learning to create a database to help identify creatures from photos; sadly that feature is only available for Europe and a few other countries. However, anyone anywhere can contribute! Observations that are confirmed are pushed to GBIF, a database that scientists use, similar to how "research grade" on iNat is pushed to GBIF.

How does an observation become verified? Well, volunteer experts (both academia and community experts alike) are tasked with this validation. This is a bit different than iNat, which is built on "anyone can confirm an ID". Validation is thus slower, however, can be argued to be more accurate as someone cannot just go through and auto-agree with a computer-suggested ID without actual human knowledge validation, which happens a lot on iNat. I have some colleagues in Europe who when they use GBIF they actually don't even bother with iNat and filter out those observations. Can you volunteer as an expert? Certainly! There is an application process.

You own all your own data on observation.org - You retain all intellectual property rights to your media, and you have full control over how your data is shared and the licensing of your media files. This includes deleting your data whenever you wish. You can find more information on this here: https://observation.org/tos/

I emailed and asked specifically about their current and future AI use plans, especially regarding things like GenAI. They clearly understood the differences and harms, and to quote a part of the reply, "We currently have no plans to incorporate LLMs or generative AI. Our focus is on using and developing AI to assist with species identification, and we do this in close collaboration with scientific institutions such as Naturalis Biodiversity Centre. We always adhere to EU law and directives."

I have been using it a bit, and I find it lacks a lot of our cave invertebrates but it is much more European focused. This is going to be a downside for many, but the good news is that you can get species added - there is a process for that. And, most of our critters and plants and such do seem to be in it. Either way, even my rare findings are able to still be pushed to GBIF in this manner, it's just slower is all.

If you want the gamification and fast pace of iNat, you won't like observation.org.

If you thirst for careful identification, sharpening your skills outside of using computer assist, and still being able to contribute to GBIF, and knowing that the site will not be enshittified...well you will probably enjoy it! My guess is it did not take off because it is 'Less Accessible' due to limited ID help and slower confirmation and feedback. But, I think the people sick and tired of iNat will be the kind of people who enjoy Observation.org!

#iNat #iNaturalist #science #nature #community #communityScience #butterfly #bloomscrolling #hope #future #naturalist #biology #ecology #enshittification #climate #DivestDecember

A web & ap suggestion to help you get off of iNaturalist - especially for Europeans and some Caribbean nations! (Read my pinned post to learn about why, as a scientist who used to love it, I now recommend leaving iNat.) https://observation.org/

Observation.org is a site older than iNaturalist, with the same basic concept, but some huge key differences. Like iNat, they use traditional computer learning to create a database to help identify creatures from photos; sadly that feature is only available for Europe and a few other countries. However, anyone anywhere can contribute! Observations that are confirmed are pushed to GBIF, a database that scientists use, similar to how "research grade" on iNat is pushed to GBIF.

How does an observation become verified? Well, volunteer experts (both academia and community experts alike) are tasked with this validation. This is a bit different than iNat, which is built on "anyone can confirm an ID". Validation is thus slower, however, can be argued to be more accurate as someone cannot just go through and auto-agree with a computer-suggested ID without actual human knowledge validation, which happens a lot on iNat. I have some colleagues in Europe who when they use GBIF they actually don't even bother with iNat and filter out those observations. Can you volunteer as an expert? Certainly! There is an application process.

You own all your own data on observation.org - You retain all intellectual property rights to your media, and you have full control over how your data is shared and the licensing of your media files. This includes deleting your data whenever you wish. You can find more information on this here: https://observation.org/tos/

I emailed and asked specifically about their current and future AI use plans, especially regarding things like GenAI. They clearly understood the differences and harms, and to quote a part of the reply, "We currently have no plans to incorporate LLMs or generative AI. Our focus is on using and developing AI to assist with species identification, and we do this in close collaboration with scientific institutions such as Naturalis Biodiversity Centre. We always adhere to EU law and directives."

I have been using it a bit, and I find it lacks a lot of our cave invertebrates but it is much more European focused. This is going to be a downside for many, but the good news is that you can get species added - there is a process for that. And, most of our critters and plants and such do seem to be in it. Either way, even my rare findings are able to still be pushed to GBIF in this manner, it's just slower is all.

If you want the gamification and fast pace of iNat, you won't like observation.org.

If you thirst for careful identification, sharpening your skills outside of using computer assist, and still being able to contribute to GBIF, and knowing that the site will not be enshittified...well you will probably enjoy it! My guess is it did not take off because it is 'Less Accessible' due to limited ID help and slower confirmation and feedback. But, I think the people sick and tired of iNat will be the kind of people who enjoy Observation.org!

#iNat #iNaturalist #science #nature #community #communityScience #butterfly #bloomscrolling #hope #future #naturalist #biology #ecology #enshittification #climate #DivestDecember

iNaturalist Enshittification Update:

So you know the Q&A they promised to host about their Generative AI project back on (checks notes) June 11, 2025? Well it is finally scheduled! I got the email for it (because it was a form sign up, unlinked to iNat account, yes my iNat account is deleted).

They managed to *completely* avoid using the term "AI" in the entire email. They announced it as, "Register now: Scaling Identification Expertise webinar". They are desperately trying to rebrand this, do not fall for it. (Update: they finally had to in the webinar, they confirmed they are using Gemini but only in the chat window, never spoken about so it might not even been recorded? https://scicomm.xyz/@astrodisastro/115656803556190100 and https://biodiversity.social/@ClimateJenny/115656989250805843)

Furthermore, the webinar is tomorrow, and it's not a Q&A, and it sounds like the demo is ready to go. I have friends still on iNat and it sounds like there is no notice of Generative AI scraping comments, or opting in (or out of) such projects. This leads me to think that they are just going to scrape the entire site, considering their refusal over the past SIX MONTHS to even promise us this much - that our content won't be scrapped without our opting in to the program. Considering this, I wonder if your stuff is being scrapped as I write this, if you still use iNat (conjecture, yes, but a very real and legitimate one).

I also love how they cherrypicked two users who are full on board with GenAI as their "user experts".

I am laughing at their attempts to reframe this, because they *know* they had to lock the blog posts about this because hundreds of users were overruning it with their dismay. They *know* GenAI is not liked in the iNaturalist community at large.

I hereby announce that instead of my usual Karstmas postings for December, I will be instead posting things for #DivestDecember and encourage other people to join me in creating this hashtag! What is it for? Anything that helps people move away from harmful companies, corporations, AI, GenAI, and whatever other monopolistic and/or silicon valley type stuff you can think of!

My own posts will be focused on other ways to improve your identification skills and naturalist skills. I won't be able to post every day, but hopefully you can at least follow that hashtag for tips. It is also my hope that it will take off and others with their own areas of expertise can share their knowledge of how to get away from these harmful systems, or at least, decrease our use of them. Some examples:
- How to install / use LibreOffice
- Which grocery stores are employee-owned
- Amazon alternatives
- Writing help without relying on chatGTP for those who struggle with grammar
And anything else you can think of! It is my vision that this hashtag will be either simple and easy tips, or, well-written step by step foolproof as many things I see are written assuming lots of prior knowledge of the topic.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write in an accessible way.

#iNat #AI #GenAI #enshittification #nature #science #iNaturalist #naturalist #biology #ecology

iNaturalist Enshittification Update:

So you know the Q&A they promised to host about their Generative AI project back on (checks notes) June 11, 2025? Well it is finally scheduled! I got the email for it (because it was a form sign up, unlinked to iNat account, yes my iNat account is deleted).

They managed to *completely* avoid using the term "AI" in the entire email. They announced it as, "Register now: Scaling Identification Expertise webinar". They are desperately trying to rebrand this, do not fall for it. (Update: they finally had to in the webinar, they confirmed they are using Gemini but only in the chat window, never spoken about so it might not even been recorded? https://scicomm.xyz/@astrodisastro/115656803556190100 and https://biodiversity.social/@ClimateJenny/115656989250805843)

Furthermore, the webinar is tomorrow, and it's not a Q&A, and it sounds like the demo is ready to go. I have friends still on iNat and it sounds like there is no notice of Generative AI scraping comments, or opting in (or out of) such projects. This leads me to think that they are just going to scrape the entire site, considering their refusal over the past SIX MONTHS to even promise us this much - that our content won't be scrapped without our opting in to the program. Considering this, I wonder if your stuff is being scrapped as I write this, if you still use iNat (conjecture, yes, but a very real and legitimate one).

I also love how they cherrypicked two users who are full on board with GenAI as their "user experts".

I am laughing at their attempts to reframe this, because they *know* they had to lock the blog posts about this because hundreds of users were overruning it with their dismay. They *know* GenAI is not liked in the iNaturalist community at large.

I hereby announce that instead of my usual Karstmas postings for December, I will be instead posting things for #DivestDecember and encourage other people to join me in creating this hashtag! What is it for? Anything that helps people move away from harmful companies, corporations, AI, GenAI, and whatever other monopolistic and/or silicon valley type stuff you can think of!

My own posts will be focused on other ways to improve your identification skills and naturalist skills. I won't be able to post every day, but hopefully you can at least follow that hashtag for tips. It is also my hope that it will take off and others with their own areas of expertise can share their knowledge of how to get away from these harmful systems, or at least, decrease our use of them. Some examples:
- How to install / use LibreOffice
- Which grocery stores are employee-owned
- Amazon alternatives
- Writing help without relying on chatGTP for those who struggle with grammar
And anything else you can think of! It is my vision that this hashtag will be either simple and easy tips, or, well-written step by step foolproof as many things I see are written assuming lots of prior knowledge of the topic.
Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to write in an accessible way.

#iNat #AI #GenAI #enshittification #nature #science #iNaturalist #naturalist #biology #ecology