Add Explore Area button to Observation page map to see related organisms nearby

[bobmcd]

Platform(s): website

URLs :https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/(#of specific observation)

Description of need:
To explore observations nearby when trying to compare the current observation with others at the existing ID level or finer, it would be handy to open the map viewed in the current observation in an Explore page in grid view.

Feature request details:
Exploring the map in a given observation can help to see what has been seen nearby. By moving the map view in or out or shifted, one can see RG and Needs ID observations in the desired area. These observations either match the existing ID level or more refined.

Sometimes this is time consuming and indicates one needs to open another tab to explore a polygon of the area in the Explore page. This task needs one to manually add the observations ID level and manually limit the area with a polygon.

A shortcut to this process would be welcomed by adding an Explore Area button to one of the areas indicated by the red arrow below.

This would allow one to open another tab that would take one to the Explore page framing the selected existing rectangle frame with grid view of similar or more refined observations for visual comparison. This would also be a shortcut to evaluate nearby observations to possibly refine them.

Note, this may be a reframed but similar request to https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/retain-zoom-level-and-location-on-map-on-explore-after-viewing-an-observation-page/6471 but I think that went in another direction.

[bouteloua]

it doesn’t autofilter to show the same species, but I usually just scroll down to the Nearby Observations section and click View all to jump to Explore. Then I edit the radius or other search parameters.

[bobmcd]

Thanks, that does get into the same area but as you noticed the species level has to be filled out. I was kind of hoping for something at the same level as the existing observation, equal to all of the showing pins, and with the same map parameters as the existing map window is at even if you have moved out or moved to a slightly different center it reflects that new position and view.

@bouteloua I think thought that your solution is likely to be as good as it gets. Thanks!

[carnifex]

Amazing - after almost 7 years of intensive use of the platform, there are still new workflows to be discovered - I never thought using this link for that purpose!