(TO DO)

ADD:

Examples and facts

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/desafio-da-natureza-urbana-2021-brasilia-e-regiao-brasil/journal/51199-identificando-observacoes-no-inaturalist-windows

Last:

Complete the TOC and interlinks

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IDENTIFYING “UNKNOWNS”

A guide for iNaturalist users and identifiers

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By @trh_blue with feedback from many others

WHAT THIS SLIDESHOW COVERS

• What is the Identify page? What is an Unknown??
• A brief explanation
• What IDs do I make?
• Three main Kingdoms and the most common categories
• Troubleshooting
• Not everyone understands (or reads) the Guidelines... :(
• What can I get out of this?
• Hint: lots

TABLE OF CONTENTS – CLICK THE TITLE OF A SECTION TO JUMP THERE

• Link to taxonomy
• Link to kingdoms
• Animalia
• Plantae
• Fungi
• Other
• Link to problems
• Link to efficiency
• Link to resources hub

WHAT TO DO BEFORE YOU START

• Have or make an iNaturalist account .
• Go to the website. iNaturalist has apps for both Android and iPhone, but this slideshow is specifically for using the web version.
• Many of the same principles apply in the app, but the user interface there is not built for efficient identification
• If you are still very new, read the Getting Started pages first. Especially the page on how identifications work.

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THE BASICS OF THE IDENTIFY PAGE & OF UNKNOWNS

HOW TO GET TO IDENTIFY

Go to https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify

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This page is also accessible from anywhere else on the website if you click on “Identify” in the upper part of the page.

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• The Identify page is specifically set up for fast and efficient ID work.
• While you can make an ID from observation pages (such as this one), you have to do so one at a time, and the extra tools available on the Identify page (e.g., shortcuts and a taxa comparison tool) are absent.

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• In this presentation we will review only the settings you need to identify unknowns.
• Experiment with the filters available to find the settings you like most. Once you know how you like it, bookmark the address – settings change the URL so each set-up can be saved independently.

HOW TO SET UP THE PAGE

WHAT and WHERE:

• Which group of organisms, and in what location.

In our case, nothing will be in the “species” box because we want observations that don’t have any ID assigned to them yet.

You can choose any location you want.

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Categories:

• Which general group of organisms to look at. This is similar to the “species”/WHAT box.
• For unknown observations, you want to select the last category, which looks like the outline of a leaf with a ‘?’.

Extra filters:

• I like to sort by Random when identifying unknowns. Maybe you want to see observations submitted on your birthday. Try some of these out.

WHAT IS AN UNKNOWN?

• An observation with no ID, or rarely one of the following:

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• Conflict in IDs has left it at Life
• ID is for bacteria or similar
• Observation has an ID but the user chooses to ignore ("reject") the ID

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• It is possible to remove these three “extra” kinds of unknowns by adding parameters to the URL (web address). Here’s a link already set up for you if you don’t want to learn how to do that:
• Click here, or copy/paste the following into your browser.
• https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/identify?reviewed=any&per_page=30&iconic_taxa=unknown&order=random&without_taxon_id=48460

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• Here’s where you can learn how to customize your search with advanced filters, and many other useful tricks, on your own: Part One and Part Two.

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WHERE TO START

• Identify to Kingdom – Animals, Plants, or Fungi.
• These three IDs alone will cover the most common observations: animals, plants, and mushrooms. Over 3/4s of all Unknowns will fall into those categories, and 90%+ if you sort by new
• Yes, there is more to Life than those Kingdoms, but we are focusing on the easiest IDs first.
• Easy! If this is all you do -- ID to those three and skip where you don't know-- you're helping a ton.
• … and now we go into details...

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WHAT ARE THE KINGDOMS?

• Very, very broad categories of living things

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• Animalia = animals = what you think it is, mostly. If it's alive and moves around, 99% chance it's an animal
• Plantae = plants = it's usually green, it's almost always got leaves, rooted to the ground or some other surface
• Fungi = mushrooms, but also a lot of other stuff, like mold
• Bacteria, Viruses = different types of microscopic stuff

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• If you stop here, you will still be able to help.
• By adding a Kingdom-level ID to unknown observations, you are helping.
• From here on, there are more details. You can go to the Table of Contents to jump to the areas that interest you most.
• The rest of the presentation goes into more detail and talks about common questions, and closely related topics that will come up when you work on identifying at any level.

YOU ARE NOW READY TO HELP AT A BASIC / STARTER LEVEL.

THE TINIEST FIRST TASTE OF TAXONOMY

Previous section

• An explanation of the different ranks

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• Less specific to more specific.
• The short version is, ID at Kingdom is hard to get wrong, and others will come after you to make the ID more specific. The goal is to try to reach species, if it is possible.
• Higher ranks are bigger groups of organisms. The lower the rank, the more the organisms in that rank have in common. Each species shares characteristics with the other species in a genus, but it also shares (fewer) characteristics with other species in its family.

• The order is: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species.
• A Kingdom can include, e.g., all animals (Animalia).
• A Phylum can include a very broad group such Chordata
• Subphylum Vertebrata is more often used and useful
• A Class can include Aves
• An Order can include all parrots Psittaciformes
• A Family can include parrots that evolved in and are endemic to New Zealand Strigopidae
• https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/18940-Nestor
• https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/18941-Nestor-notabilis

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• There is a lot of discussion on how to describe a species, and on subspecies level IDs, at zzz link.

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THE KINGDOMS IN A LITTLE MORE DETAIL

• Animals
• Plants
• Fungi
• Other

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Previous section

KINGDOM ANIMALIA

• Most people know basic categories: bird, lizard, spider, insect, fish, etc. 
• Adding that information is super helpful :)

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• Be careful not to assume that what you're seeing is a certain species just because it looks similar!

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• If it's a big animal but you don't know what, Vertebrata is usually a good assumption – an animal with a spine.
• Burrows
• Claw marks
• Bones
• Etc.

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A FEW GENERAL CATEGORIES THAT ARE GOOD TO KNOW (ANIMALIA)

• Molluscs include snails, slugs, clams, squid, octupuses, and more.

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• if the insect has wings (very large majority), it's in Pterygota. 

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• Zzz I have a slideshow on Arthropods which is somewhat more advanced for those curious

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• Also, caterpillars = probably moths/butterflies, aka Lepidoptera, but maybe not so better to be cautious

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• Observations, top to bottom left to right, by:​
• @edenfontes​
• @harshithjv​
• @isabel-g​
• @chrislukhaup​
• @adit

WHERE YOU HAVE TO BE CAREFUL�(ANIMALIA)

• There is no category for "invertebrate", as that covers many unrelated types of animals, such as worms and insects.

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• Fish: if it looks like a "normal" fish, with fins and scales, it's a "ray-finned fish", or Actinopterygii, shortcut "ray".
• Otherwise, ID at Vertebrata – this covers sharks, rays, eels, and more
• Unless it's a jellyfish or looks like a jellyfish: ID as Animalia

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• Worms/Earthworms: see next slide...

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NONE OF THESE ARE WORMS

Observations by

(left to right, top to bottom):

@sullivanribbit

@ponkyjoe

@mgreilhuber

@mirone

@pranay1

@damontighe

@marinejanine

@whodden

@ethanfrager

@mckittre

@trentmm

@davemmdave

@damienbr

@pgwerner

@anudibranchmom

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THESE ARE WORMS (ANNELIDA)�

You still don't want to call them ''earthworms'' (Lumbricus terrestris) though

• Body made up of rings

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• Left observation by @dylapodiformes
• Right observation by @srall

There are also many other kinds that look completely different.

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• Don't see rings? Animalia
• See rings? Annelida.

KINGDOM PLANTAE

• Look! A plant! It's got leaves and stuff, it's green. ID as Plantae.
• If it has flowers or seeds: Angiospermae, Flowering Plants

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• Cultivated plants: not this workshop
• Very common, you'll learn them over time

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• If it's a plant but looks really weird (bumps, odd colours, etc.), don't be so quick to ID as Plantae
• Beach life will trick you
• Diseases and infection
• User intent determines what ID you give
• More on that later

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• Observations by me
• I like plants

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KINGDOM FUNGI

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• Fungi is a hugely diverse Kingdom. They can look like fine threads, mold, powder, jelly, coral, shelves... mushrooms... or more.
• Mostly you will see mushrooms or lichen, the other kinds are much more difficult to identify so you can skip them or ID as Life.

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• However, to start out, it's OK if the only fungi you recognize are mushrooms. (most Fungi observations are of mushrooms any way)
• Zzz link to Henry’s resource

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• Lichen: see next slides.

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Observations by me

TYPICAL LICHENS

Observations, left to right starting at top, by: 

@marleyii

@robberfly

@cjlewis

@hannadorval

@johnboback

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Technically not just fungus. ID as Lecanoromycetes, which will be correct most of the time.

LICHENS– UNUSUAL ONES�

Observation by @agbelliveau

Observation by @vyatich_from_kirov

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observation by @troy_mcmullin

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KINGDOM BACTERIA, VIRUSES, AND MISC. MICROSCOPIC LIFE

• The most common way you'll see these is in the form of disease, and almost always in plants.
• Just like a human can get a rash, scar, tumor, or mosquito-bump, plants also have symptoms of disease and illness.
• Don't worry about categorizing these, ID as Life and move on.

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• A big exception: Cyanobacteria. It's common enough you should know about it.
• It looks like this, and unless there's also an image taken from a microscope, it cannot be identified further.

observation by @hb2000                 observation by @connlindajo

OH NO I RAN INTO A PROBLEM

• Don’t know which kingdom!
• Problems with the observation itself
• Problems with other users’ behaviour

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Previous section

WILL THERE BE PROBLEMS?

• Yes! :D

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• Most of them can be "fixed" through use of your new best friend, the Data Quality Assessment (aka the DQA).

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• Others can usually be responded to by checking out the Frequently Used Responses (FUR) page, here:
• https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/responses

KINGDOM …. ?????

• You can ID as State of Matter: Life
• This is helpful!
• People do follow up 

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• Big blob o'jelly? Life.
• Photo taken through a microscope? Life.
• Almost anything from the beach? Life.

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• Alternative option: tag a friend
• Buddy system works, but you can also tag me

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THE DQA

• It is a place we take "notes" on extra data relevant to the observation. Usually, changes to the DQA will change the status of an observation from Needs ID (or Research Grade) to Casual
• Formatted as a series of yes/no questions

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• The following categories are filled in automatically by the system:

DQA: STUFF YOU MIGHT CLICK ON�

<-- Except this one, which you're gonna use a LOT.

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• Duplicates
• Museum collections
• Rocks
• Fossils

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• Marking potted/garden plants, pets, and the like is important for research purposes. Casual observations are valuable, but researchers need to know the correct status.

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• It is manual, the vast majority of the time.

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• The shortcut is "x"

Click to add text

THE LAST DQA QUESTION

• Yes means, "Although the observation is RG, I think more people need to look at it still"
• No can be used in a few situations, but it says, "I believe it is impossible for any person to add an ID that is more specific than the current community-generated identification"
• It's mostly for specialists, but there are a few times you will want to use it.

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• One: there are lots of different species over lots of photos (if old; leave comment first)
• Two: it's cyanobacteria without microscopy
• Three: it is completely impossible to see anything at all

• Before you think about criticising others, please re-read the rules and terms of service zzz to make sure you know what the rules actually are.
• Also, at the end of the day, it’s not your job to deal with people who are breaking the rules, it is up to curators who act as moderators. If in doubt you can flag it.

PEOPLE PROBLEMS

These are rare (I get about once instance per 300-1000 IDs)

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• Complaints or sarcasm about the ''obvious'' ID from new users--> FUR
• It is ok to not want community id, or to have a different method so long as they follow the rules
• A more experienced user, or even Curator, gets annoyed because they don't see the ID as helpful, or because they were going to identify it later
• Option one: ignore them, adding IDs is correct (and encouraged) etiquette
• Option two: avoid identifying that person's observations
• avoiding a specific area
• paying attention to which user made the observation 
• directly excluding their observations using advanced filters
• Sarcasm once or twice: not ideal but OK. Harassment: NOT OK
• Directed at you or others
• You can block a user in your user settings
• In serious cases, or if the harasser is a Curator, send an email to help@inaturalist.org Tony Iwane will help, he doesn't bite!

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OTHER ISSUES

• Copyrighted images – from a book, poster, sign, illustration, website, Facebook, etc.
• You can flag the individual image
• If you feel comfortable doing so, please (with kindness) let the user know why their image has been flagged
• Unclear subject --> FUR
• Landscapes
• Human --> FUR

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• Inactive users --> use your judgement

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• Unsure if it is Life --> skip it

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I'LL MAKE MISTAKES!

• That's how you learn!

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• Better to guess... but not past Family
• Follow your notifications
• If you have way too many, try checking your user settings
• For now, only one option available

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• Camouflaged insects

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• Also, copy/paste placeholders

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I WANT TO IDENTIFY, BUT BETTER AND FASTER

• Tips for more efficient identification
• Tips for making the process fun zzz

Previous section

EFFICIENCY

• Practice.

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• Learn the basic shortcuts in the Identify interface

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• Some extra shortcuts for you!
• aw = spiders
• w(#2) = winged insects
• u = Life
• I made a whole long list here, with help from @lotteryd and other community members:
• https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V5II3NaULAmVqdYWh5DTm2rASvcPQgcgvXTcyYjBrkM/edit?usp=sharing

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AUTOCOMPLETE / SHORTCUTS:�YOUR FRIEND

WHAT’S THE POINT?

Previous section

DOES IT REALLY HELP THOUGH?

Absolutely, yes.

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• It does take time. Sometimes you'll wait hours … or days... or months.
• Each category of life tends to move at a different speed, with animals fastest and fungi slowest.
• IDs on iNat almost always are iterative – one step following another.

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• It helps spread knowledge of correct etiquette

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• You learn a ton!

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WHAT WILL I GET OUT OF THIS?

• You'll learn how to better observe as you see many varied examples
• You'll help iNat, of course
• You'll be part of a small sub-community on iNat that works together to keep up with, and sometimes even reduce, the huge volume of Unknowns
• It's just super cool to follow an observation from start to finish, especially if it's older and suddenly gets picked up by specialists

OTHER RESOURCES

Previous section

OTHER RESOURCES

• Here is where I will put links that were covered in the slideshow here.
• Here is a link to a hub where you can find other freely accessible resources for identification on iNaturalist, at all skill levels.
• https://www.inaturalist.org/pages/video+tutorials

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