City Nature Challenge 2023 important dates:
Make and share observations: April 28 - May 1
Upload all your observations: April 28 - May 7
Help with Identifications: May 2-7
Anticipate results: May 8
When can I make observations that will count for the City Nature Challenge?
Note that this is for observations made - you have a week to upload and identify your observations afterwards. So it is OK to not upload during the 4 days of the challenge and upload them the week afterwards. Or you can do it immediately if you prefer.
Similarly, it is the dates observed that count - identifications may be done any time until May 8 to count for the City Nature Challenge - you do not have to identify your observations to submit them (you are welcome to identify them though). It is often most efficient to upload your observations first and then identify them at leisure later.
Can I upload photos during the CNC that I took before the CNC?
It is a snapshot of biodiversity for the weekend for your city - and all participating cities - that counts.
Do I need to join the project and or add my observations to the project for them to be included?
That way you’ll get notifications about News posts that are made.
Also, the project will then automatically display on your observations under the projects list - both advertising the project and allowing you a quick link to look at progress.
It will also allow you to participate in the ID parties, and to respond to organizers’ requests for planning the events and coordinating identifications.
If you want to take part in several cities, then join them all: the full list of our cities can be found here: City Nature Challenge Southern Africa 2023 · iNaturalist
How can I make sure my observations are in my city's CNC project?
If you have joined your city’s project, you can see which observations are included by looking on the right Projects sidebar on the web version, or the projects section on the app.
Do I need to join the umbrella projects?
southern Africa umbrella: City Nature Challenge Southern Africa 2023 · iNaturalist
global umbrella: City Nature Challenge 2023 · iNaturalist
In fact: join them now!
What kinds of observations should I make during the CNC?
But domestic Cats, domestic Dogs and People (esp. selfies) are NOT included. You can include people or hands or fingers to show the scale of living organisms (if it is safe to do so), but it must be about the organism (although sometimes with fishermen, one never knows if the observation is more about the fish or the man).
Remember, photographs must clearly show the organism: please focus, crop and compose your observations carefully if you can.
What if I observe something I know isn't wild? Will it still count for the City Nature Challenge?
If you notice any observation of a captive/cultivated plant or animal, please mark it as cultivated if you are certain.
Captive/cultivated includes pets, animals in a zoo/aquarium, plants in your garden, potted plants, planted plants at a botanical garden, etc. Often these may be part of an interaction: e.g. bees may be visiting their flowers, or caterpillars eating their leaves, so please include them. Note that birds held at SANCOB, and other rescue organizations also count as "captive" until released.
Domestic dogs, domestic cats and domestic humans will not count, so please don't bother uploading them. Go out and find something wild. Or record the "wildlife" living in your house - ants, spiders, moths, cockroaches, and other visitors.
What if I don't know what the organism is that I took a picture of?
Please make sure that you take a good enough photo(s) so that it can be identified (closeup, in focus, cropped, clearly visible) - see tips for taking good photos (How to Take Better Photos for iNaturalist on Vimeo).
You may find it easier outdoors to just make observations and leave the identifications for the ID week after the event. That is perfectly acceptable.
How do my observations get identified?
A Computer Vision/Artificial Intelligence (AI) ID tool, that matches your picture with its library. Be aware that the AI ID has not yet been trained on rare and poorly recorded species, but is great for identifying the more common species. It does require a connection and time, so best to switch it off for the CNC, unless you desperately want an immediate ID. Before accepting a name make sure that it is not a species from the USA or Europe - because the AI is trained or far more of their species than ours in southern Africa.
On the web version you can use the Identotron (click the compare button next to any ID) to see species seen nearby. But you will need a rough ID to narrow the search.
there is a special curation tool for identifications. If you wish to help with IDs during the identification week, you will need to use this. Please join one of our online courses, or have a look at this 2-minute video: How to use iNaturalists's Identify Page on Vimeo. You will need to practice before the City Nature Challenge if you seriously want to help during ID week. But it is a great way to learn the local species in any group that you are interested in - be it snakes, spiders, orchids, or sedges.
Any observation can be seen by the entire iNaturalist community, and there are lots of people willing to help with making an identification. These include novices, experienced amateurs, and experts in specific groups. The iNat community may agree with your ID, they may refine your ID, or they may correct it if wrong. Remember all identifiers are volunteering their time to help identify observations - there are no paid identifiers. Please feel free to ask questions (as a comment) and find out more about the organisms.
Note that identifications are only possible for adequate photographs: they need to be in focus, zoomed in (and cropped) and clearly show the organism. For many species, special parts need to be included in the photos. If you are interested in a particular group, you will quickly find out what those are. Tips for taking identifiable observations can be seen here (How to Take Better Photos for iNaturalist on Vimeo).
Do I have to make observations using the app? What if I want to use a real camera?
Geotracking (2 mins): How to Geotag your Photos for iNaturalist on Vimeo
Using the Upload Tool (3 mins): How to Use iNaturalist’s Photo and Sound Uploader on Vimeo
Can I use an audio recording as an observation?
Can I upload observations without media like photos or sounds?
Can I use Seek to make observations?
Where can I see how my city is doing?
southern Africa umbrella: City Nature Challenge Southern Africa 2023 · iNaturalist
global umbrella: City Nature Challenge 2023 · iNaturalist
My city is not taking part in the City Nature Challenge! Can I still participate?
Join here: City Nature Challenge 2023: Global Project · iNaturalist
Note: For this project, you HAVE TO first “join” the project. The join button is at the top right corner of the project page. Anyone can join: this project will only tally your observations that fall outside of participating cities.
Someone added an ID to my observation - should I agree with it? What if I don't agree with it?
An identification confirms that you can confidently identify it yourself compared to any possible lookalikes. Please do not simply “Agree” with an ID that someone else has made unless you are certain about the ID.
If you disagree with the identification, then please add your identification. It is helpful if you disagree to explain why you disagree. Similarly, if someone disagrees with your identification, and you think that you are correct, then please ask them why they disagree and explain why you think you are right. Please be friendly: all our identifiers are volunteers, and many are still learning, but we can all learn together.
Do observations have to be "Research Grade" to count for the CNC?
I took so many photos during the CNC that there's no way I can get them all uploaded before the end of the day on May 1 - what should I do?
Can I help identify what other people found during the CNC?
Yes! In the same way that anyone can be an observer, anyone can help identify observations.
One way is to go to your city’s project, click “Observations” and you’ll see an “Identify” button just below it on the menu bar. Clicking this will take you to the iNaturalist Identify page and show you all your city’s observations that still need to be identified.
But keep an eye on your cities journal. Most cities will coordinate the identification among volunteers and provide links that you merely need to click to help with IDs.
If you are a specialist, you can add your taxon in the species box to see only observations in your group. Bear in mind, that many may still need to be identified with that group.
It’s really helpful to go through the unknown observations and assign them to groups such as insects, birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, frogs, insects, snails, spiders, scorpions or “fungi”.
Please note that an Id to "plants" is a waste of time: please try and get them to family level or leave them for the plant fundis. However, if it is a tree, then please add them to the trees project, to get them to the tree specialists. The tree project is Trees of southern Africa (ID) · iNaturalist
If you want to help with IDs, please have a look at this short video tutorial How to use iNaturalists’s Identify Page on Vimeo.
Remember: only make identifications with which you are reasonably certain. There is nothing wrong with only making an ID to genus, family or group level.
Specialists: if you wish to help with IDs of all southern African observations in your group, please follow the journal postings in the umbrella project. And add your group to the taxon box in the identification too. The curation tool is superb, and a brief online tutorial can be seen here: How to use iNaturalists’s Identify Page on Vimeo
Why is the species number different in my city project from the umbrella project?
For the City Projects, leaves (branch tips in the tree of life, or terminal taxa) are counted. So if a genus or family is identified, but no species in it, then it counts as a leaf. Subspecies are ignored (which is a right pain, when so many of our species have subspecies, sometimes many in one city).
For the Umbrella Project, only species-rank identifications are tallied. Subspecies are ignored.
So the Umbrella Project always has fewer "species" for the CNC itself, the City Project leaves will be used in reports, but for overall collaborative results, the umbrella project will be used.
When are the results announced?
What is the City Nature Challenge data used for?
How can I share about the City Nature Challenge on social media?
Copied from: FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions! · iNaturalist
Comentarios
Añade un comentario