Gwent Glamorgan Recorders' Newsletter Issue 28 Spring 2023

Species Identification Apps: Which, When, Why?

Elaine Wright, SEWBReC

In recent years AI has come on leaps and bounds, and recorders are currently spoiled for choice when it comes to species identification aids for smart phones. But are they any good? And which one is best? It can be confusing, with more options seeming to appear all the time, and the dataflow can be difficult to navigate. SEWBReC have created a comparison guide to three of the more popular apps.

App name: ObsIdentify https://observation.org/apps/obsidentify/

Species covered: All species groups in Europe and Dutch Caribbean

Will SEWBReC get my data: There is the option to add a record after identification, however this data will not reach SEWBReC (currently).

Positives: Developed in the Netherlands, Obsidentify mainly covers European species, which helps avoid unlikely species suggestions. A favourite with SEWBReC staff, it returns very accurate results for a range of species groups, and includes a probability rating to help guide the user.

Potential drawbacks: Currently there is no dataflow from Obsidentify to SEWBReC or other relevant UK organisations, so we would NOT recommend entering records with this app. There is a potential for it to be biased towards species more common on the continent.

Does SEWBReC recommend it: YES! This is our favourite ID app of the moment, just don’t use it to enter records :)

App name: iRecord (app version) https://irecord.org.uk/app

Species covered: All species groups in UK

Will SEWBReC get my data: Yes

Positives: Species Identification is a new feature recently added to the existing iRecord App, and this AI newcomer is sure to become popular based on the excellence of other aspects of iRecord. Focus on UK species should remove more potential confusion species. Dataflow to SEWBReC, verifiers and other UK organisations is well established and there is already a large community of users engaged with iRecord.

Negatives: As a newcomer, the feature is relatively untested. Only UK species are included, so it cannot be used for holidays / research abroad.

Does SEWBReC recommend it: YES! The species ID feature will soon be added to the LERC Wales App as well.

App name: iNaturalist https://uk.inaturalist.org/

Species covered: All species worldwide

Will SEWBReC get my data: Sometimes! Some data from iNaturalist does flow to the iRecord system, where SEWBReC can download it. In order to reach iRecord, records must meet a few criteria: the user license must be amended to allow commercial use for observations (CC0 or CCBY) and the record must reach “research grade”.

Positives: There is a large community on iNaturalist, and if you enter records feedback is generally very quick. The system allows users to take part in global challenges such as City Nature Challenge, and can be used anywhere in the world.

Potential drawbacks: Dataflow is tricky and a lot of records do not reach SEWBReC. Species suggestions can be impossible due to bias towards American species. As a true egalitarian system, there is no emphasis on expertise and correct identifications can become lost.

Does SEWBReC recommend it: Sometimes, with caveats as above. iNaturalist can be good for complete newcomers, but we would not recommend it for established recorders already using other methods.

For all app based species identifications, SEWBReC recommends double checking the species using other resources and/or confirming with experts. Feel free to get in touch with SEWBReC with any questions about the suitability of these or other species identification apps, or if you have any other questions or comments.