What is iNaturalist ?
iNaturalist is an online community that allows you to share observations from nature (birds, insects, plants, trees etc.) to discuss, identify, and create research-quality citizen science data for science and conservation. iNaturalist is a joint initiative of the California Academy of Sciences and the National Geographic Society.
I have never used iNaturalist before. Will someone support us with training?
An expert iNaturalist user from Indian Institute of Science Education & Research Tirupati will host the online training sessions for all registered participants
Are there any existing iNaturalist projects in Andhra Pradesh?
So far, more than 700 observers submitted 25,000+ observations to iNaturalist. There are multiple active projects like Tirupati Biodiversity, Vijayawada Biodiversity, Andhra Pradesh Big Butterfly month 2021 etc.
Who will have access to the Young Naturalists of Andhra Pradesh project data?
iNaturalist platform is based on crowdsourcing of observations and identification. It is an open platform and any quality of data can be downloaded by anyone.
Can I download my data from iNaturalist?
Yes you can. Researchers, conservation organizations, or other people interested in downloading iNaturalist data can also use the export tool and download data.
What do I need to participate in this project?
A camera or a smart phone to photograph biodiversity (birds, mammals, insects, plants etc.) and a working internet connection to upload your observations (photos) to iNaturalist.
How does this project benefit me?
As a part of the project, multiple online webinars will be facilitated by subject matter experts on birds, butterflies, moths, mammals and other forms of life. With the knowledge gained from these sessions and using iNaturalist, participants of the project would be able to identify different forms of life around them. Data added to iNaturalist can be downloaded and used for school biodiversity and other local projects. On iNaturalist, all users can interact with a community of naturalists, scientists, curators and know more about different species.
Is there any benefit for participating teachers/parents of this project?
With the knowledge and experience gained from this project, teachers would be able to organize their own school science projects involving biodiversity. Parents can further support their children with nature education and awareness.