Create Filter by Observation Field

Feature Requests
1

A observations filter for observation field would be very useful. Specifically I would like to be able to filter to show observations that have a certain observation field.

Use examples:

  • If I’m teaching a class with multiple sections and would like to search observations from a specific section
  • If I am observing multiple sections of a trail or multiple plots and would like to search observations from a specific section of trail or plot
  • If I’m browsing the map in search of habitat types

Current Filtering Options

Currently this filter is only available through several navigation steps within the Observation Fields page. Specifically, by navigating to the observation field that you want to filter by and clicking on “View more search options”. The result is a temporary filter that looks something like this:
09%20AM

Implementation

This feature could be easily added to the current “Description/Tag” filter.
17%20AM

3

I definitely wish there were a way to do this, for instance to use filters to find all observations with the field Natural Community filled out as ‘Hemlock Forest’ and also to search for all Natural Community values for the species Hemlock. If that makes any sense at all.

3 Likes
4

Almost nothing about inaturalist.org/observations will be changed until we rewrite it, and the plan is to include observations fields as best we can.

3 Likes
5

@charlie https://inaturalist.nz/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:Natural%20Community=Hemlock%20Forest

6

Yeah but it doesn’t work in an editable filter without a backside URL and you can’t do it in reverse.

7

As a workaround until they add it, you might use tags like “Section:2”, “Plot:1F”, etc. in conjunction with a project that only includes the class to exclude the possibility of liked named tags from other sources.

8

This would be a critical improvement for me. I understand that there is the backside URL option, but I’m hoping to include a link to a Project within a separate website and introduce non-Inaturalist users to all its wonders. It’s not realistic to expect them to navigate URL parameters. Is there any hope of this function being added anytime soon?

3 Likes
9

This feature would be extremely useful to my project to document pollinator/plant interactions in a managed pollinator garden. I’d like to be able to extract a list of all pollinators observed on a plant species entered in the nectar/pollen delivering plant Observation Field.

1 Like
10

How do I search for greater or less than in a numerical observation field?

For instance:
17 observations for: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:body%20segments=47
8 observations for https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:body%20segments=46

BUT: less than
nada: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:body%20segments<48
greater than
nada: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:body%20segments>40

ALSO: multiple values
nada: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?verifiable=any&place_id=any&field:body%20segments=46,47

11

I would like the ability to set up a collection project using a tag or observation filter. May I share my project as a concrete example of why I request this feature or is that moving into project promotion territory?

12

there’s a separate thread for this: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/add-tags-observation-fields-threatened-status-description-choice-s-to-populate-collection-projects/8639

4 Likes