Explore page's "Location" search for metropolitan areas renders state or entire country instead

[kowalske-ecology]

Platform: Website

Browser: Google Chrome

Explore page

Description of problem: When searching in the “location” box on the explore page for a metropolitan area (see Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area," “Bogota Metropolitan Area,” “New York Metropolitan Area” in screenshots), the explore map instead renders observations within the entire state/province (for US and Australian states and Canadian provinces) or the entire country (for Colombia, England, Germany). It is not all countries (Kenya, Egypt, France seem not to have this issue, at least in capital cities).

Step 1: Open explore page on iNaturalist

Step 2: Search for certain metropolitan areas and click on a presented option to select it

Step 3: See observations from a much broader jurisdiction than intended

[thomaseverest]

The search bar you are using searches Google, which may or may not have a place matching what you type. You should instead use the place filter.

[bbk-htx]

The place filter shows as “Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area, TX, USA”, but when you search “places” you get “No matching places”

[tiwane]

Here’s a tutorial with a bit of an explanation that I’ve been working on: https://inaturalist.freshdesk.com/en/support/solutions/articles/151000141008-how-to-use-location-search-on-the-explore-page

[thomaseverest]

If the place doesn’t exist, it’s because no one has created it.

[pisum]

@bbk-htx

when you search “places” you get “No matching places”

the place in the system is named “DFW Metroplex”.

@kowalske-ecology

When searching in the “location” box on the explore page for a metropolitan area (see Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area," “Bogota Metropolitan Area,” “New York Metropolitan Area” in screenshots), the explore map instead renders observations within the entire state/province

maybe it’s matching the “,TX, USA” suffix to the Texas standard place in the case of “Dallas-Fort Worth”.

[rupertclayton]

That tutorial is very helpful. And I learned something new! (I had ignored the “Places of Interest” button before).

It seems ready to incorporate into the main help page.