I have 500+ observations here that need to be narrowed for geo accuracy. I’ve tried to find ways but no luck. Currently their accuracy circle is too large to fit completely inside a project of interest whose defined location is a custom polygon.
Inside Batch Edit, I did find a way that I could filter for only my observations that fit inside the project, using a bounding box. But I can’t find a way to assign the polygon of the Mitchell Lake project as the “where” for these filtered observations. I thought maybe I could make my own copycat polygon as a Pinned place, but that doesn’t seem possible.
While I could set a new small circle for all these observations that fits inside the Project’s polygon, it feels wrong. This polygon contains marsh habitat and also brush habitat, so one size doesn’t fit all.
Is there any faster method beyond editing these observations one by one?
(FYI, my old dSLR doesn’t have GPS. So in the past when I’ve bulk uploaded, I set an accuracy circle that I knew would include the entire lake/Audubon Center…which is too large for the polygon area the project uses. That’s how I got in this pickle…still learning about how iNat works under the hood.)
There isn’t a way to set a location’s accuracy value to be a place - it’s just a number that defines the radius of a circle with the observation coordinates at its center.
You can edit the display location manually, but this won’t affect whether an observation is included in a project or not.
In general, users shouldn’t reduce accuracy values solely to get an observation inside a location - the accuracy value should be a statement about whether or not they are sure the observation was created inside that circle. If you are sure, then there’s no problem editing.
A general issue with small places is that it is difficult for observations to fall inside them and index with the place. If the goal is to collect observations in a project for a small place, there are at least two solutions.
Users can create a place boundary that is larger than the “real” one to capture observations in the areas. Users can also use a traditional project to collect these observations which allows for manually adding observations to a project.
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I understand what you mean…why accuracy must be a circle, and place is a separate matter. So thanks for that nugget, it’s helpful.
I don’t follow the rest of your answer though…what do you mean by “small place”? Are you referring to the area defined by the iNat Mitchell Lake project’s polygon? Also, I’m not the creator of this project, and I don’t intend to try to duplicate it with another project (if that’s what you mean when you talk about a “user” creating a place boundary). I don’t think the Lake Mitchell project admin wants to expand the current polygon, but I could ask.
I just want my data to be relevant to as many projects as possible, and for a maybe 10% of my observations here…they are excluded from the one project that is the most relevant because I made the bad choice of using a broad Pinned radius when I uploaded. It was convenient, but I should have customized the accuracy circle for each observation. Now I know.
This workflow is the best I can come up with for correction:
- In Bulk Edit…
- Filter for observations inside a bounding box I make for the Mitchell Lake area.
- Manually check certain observations that I specifically remember making on the north shore “hotspot” of the lake, for example.
- For these checked observations on the north shore hotspot, under “Where,” set a center point and radius that I know to be both: 1) accurate AND 2) as small as possible.
- Save.
This workflow would likely move many of my observations inside the project polygon. I think this workflow is my only option, but let me know if I have things wrong, or if there is a better way.
Note to self: ask Santa for a new camera body with GPS 
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This sounds reasonable to me.
There’s no strict definition of “small place” - it’s just that the smaller places get, the more likely it is that observations won’t be indexed inside them. There are some projects for people’s yards/gardens or very small plots of land. This issue can also occur when a place has some weird geometry (long and skinny like someone trying to do a road project, etc.).
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Ok, got it RE small places, makes sense.
Thanks very much for your input. I learn so many things from folks here.
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