51–60 of 74 posts
Earlier quoted context omitted.
(semi serious) are there any ways to distinguish photos from being taken up close with no barrier vs behind plexiglass in a zoo?
I don’t think you’d want to solve for plexiglass since not all zoos have that but you could just cluster sightings and if you have 1000 sightings in a very particular location it wouldn’t be hard to identify.
It appears the Wildex user in your 2nd screenshot is about to get mauled to death.
I mostly use iNaturalist for foraging mushrooms, and have found it’s somewhat unreliable unless I already have an idea of what I’m looking for. How is this app set up for mushroom IDs? Sounds really fun and I love the concept but given some mushrooms are quite dangerous correct IDs are vital. I assume this also applies to plants?
Mushrooms, mosses, invertebrates and even some plants seem to rely on specific small features that aren't always captured in photos of the thing to identify accurately down to the species level.
Russulas, for instance: in my country, there are no poisonous ones, but there are at least 90 varieties and experts will often need DNA analysis to place them confidently. The procedure for determining edibility recommended by the foraging association is, once you're certain it's a Russula, to taste a small piece and spit it out. If it has a burning sharp taste, it's not food.
The app has been very good at predicting whether I'll experience that burning sensation, and all from signs that are invisible to systematic description (I won't rule out that an expert can also spot subtle differences between a sharp green russula and an edible green russula, but they probably wouldn't be able to describe it).
Replace it with a leaderboard amongst phone contacts/friended users
Some wildlife parks have ‘daily sightings’ maps at rest stops and lodges, but those are monitored by park officials who remove the most at-risk animals and are cleared at least daily.
Aside from that, apps like this encourage bad behaviour from visitors in parks that allow self-driving, as dozens of people rush to the next leopard, lion, etc sighting. That not only creates its own risks but ruins the experience for everyone else.
In short, don’t do this.
Why not Seek, the gamified version of iNaturalist?
People like it, but I also don't see why you'd need two Seek apps. You don't really need one, without an actual method of identifying the organisms.
I mostly use iNaturalist for foraging mushrooms, and have found it’s somewhat unreliable unless I already have an idea of what I’m looking for. How is this app set up for mushroom IDs? Sounds really fun and I love the concept but given some mushrooms are quite dangerous correct IDs are vital. I assume this also applies to plants?
iNaturalist or Seek by iNaturalist? I didn't think iNaturalist had an identification method other than "wait for an expert to come along and tag your photo".
Seek, on the other hand, is happy to make up identifications itself.
Please do not build apps that allow people to specify the locations of wild animals, even in parks. Poaching remains at extremely dangerous levels, and every wildlife park I know of in vulnerable areas specifically asks visitors not to use those kinds of apps or groups because it gives location information to poachers. Some wildlife parks have ‘daily sightings’ maps at rest stops and lodges, but those are monitored b…
Good luck with that.
Please do not build apps that allow people to specify the locations of wild animals, even in parks. Poaching remains at extremely dangerous levels, and every wildlife park I know of in vulnerable areas specifically asks visitors not to use those kinds of apps or groups because it gives location information to poachers. Some wildlife parks have ‘daily sightings’ maps at rest stops and lodges, but those are monitored b…
So what you’re saying is technology can be abused by bad actors and the solution is.. stop developing technology? Good luck with that.
Developing and using apps like this is a choice, there’s no inherent force propelling them into existence other than people thinking it’s a good idea. I’m explaining why it’s not a good idea.