I need help. There has to be an easier way to record location of an observation than manually typing in the address or manually expanding the map two dozen times for the same location when I come home from a nature hike with a couple dozen observations on my camera. For example, on Saturday I came home with about fifteen taxa from Grand River South, Kitchener, Ontario, CA. On Sunday I came home from East King, Kitchener, Ontario, CA with seventeen taxa on my camera.
I put them on my computer then upload them manually from my hard drive to iNaturalist one by one. But for every single taxa, I have to manually open the map and either type in the address or expand the map to find the house or tree where I found it.
In addition, I cannot remember the exact spot where I found this plant or saw that bird. Also, the street along which I took many observations turns out to be the dividing line between two “areas” of my city. If I happen to manually set the mark for one side of the street, the map records Auditorium, Kitchener, Ontario, CA. If I happen to set it for the other side, it records East King, Kitchener, Ontario, CA.
Any tips on how to make it more efficient to set location would be much appreciated. Also, how important is it to record the exact location?
Every location you put in/adjust you can rename and then pin (save) with a button and then type in on top to find it next time. Uploading many observations at once would fasten it too.
Location you put in doesn’t need to be very precise, if you don’t remember an exact place – put a bigger accuracy circle.
Name of location observation gets doesn’t really matter, only in which actual iNat places it gets in.
Uploading on a computer you can mark all observations (there is a checkbox above your pics) during that upload process and will find on the left side the possibility to set a location for them all. I usually do this with a as large as it need be uncertainty circle, because I also usually do not remember the very exact spot or don´t want to put it that exactly e.g. to my home. If I do for some reason know a more exact location for one observation I go back in the and decrease the uncertainty circle… it´s much easier then, as you are already in the right area on the map.
I also will usually pin my locations on the map that I use more than once… then you can find them quickly in the dropdown menu when at the map. I also do this for one-time-holidays for as long as I am uploading… and in the end I just delete that pin again to not expand my dropdown too much.
