How to turn multiple observations into a single observation

[tiwane]

On iNaturalist, an observation records an encounter with an individual organism at a particular time and location. Each observation can have multiple photos and sounds from this encounter as evidence for an observation.

There are ways to include multiple photos when you create an observation (see tutorial videos for mobile and web), but not everyone knows about them, so sometimes multiple photos of the same organism get turned into individual observations. And members of the community usually ask the observer to combine them into one observation.

Unfortunately, there’s currently no way to easily combine these multiple observations into a single observation, so here are directions for a workaround via the website.

1. Make sure you have the photos you need on your computer.

2. Choose one of the observations (generally the one with IDs and comments) to be the remaining observation.

3. Add the extra photos to that observation by clicking this icon below the observation’s photo. We have a short video demonstration here as well.

4. Delete extraneous observations, either by using Batch Edit, or by going to each observation’s page and clicking the down arrow next to “Edit”.

[pssw]

Sounds good, I get it., but how do you delete a single observation within a multiple observation?
Meaning how do I get rid of one picture in a multiple picture observation.
The edit just deletes the whole observation!

[tiwane]

Are you using the website, or mobile app?

[bouteloua]

You have to click the left side of the edit button (the text, not the arrow). Then uncheck the box next to the photo you want to remove, and save.

[pssw]

I use both…but web now.

[pssw]

That worked …Thank you!

[exonie]

Seems you cannot make observations with more than one photo in Seek? I was asking a person to merge his observations and he responded that Seek can’t do that…

Just sharing this in case there’re more people like me unaware of this. Thus we should not ask people posting via Seek to merge. If an app is used for posting - this is indicated in the lower right corner of the observation page.

[Star3]

Maybe this could get tagged for the new education category as well as tutorial?

[arboretum_amy]

In the event that the user didn’t comply and it has been quite some time, what is the ID policy here? Should both/all photos be identified?

[Star3]

It’s best to put the lowest taxon that applies to both/all photos.

Unfortunately, that does mean some get stuck at SOML.

[arboretum_amy]

The case being discussed here is where photos of the same subject were uploaded separately as indipendent observations and the observer didn’t combine them when asked.

[Star3]

Oops.
Well, l don’t see anything in the TOS specifically regarding duplicates, so while it definitely goes against the “spirit of the law” (where an observation represents a single interaction), there doesn’t seem to be anything actionable about it.

Personally, I’d say if the observer doesn’t return, then go ahead and ID it in spite of it being a duplicate, to get it out of the Needs ID pool, but that’s just me.

[arboretum_amy]

@Star3

Personally, I’d say if the observer doesn’t return, then go ahead and ID it in spite of it being a duplicate, to get it out of the Needs ID pool, but that’s just me.

Yes I agree, but I receive flack from other users for doing this.

[roysh]

I’ve translated this tutorial in Spanish, this way when finding duplicates from Hispanic speaking countries IDers can comment the link for the observers.

I’m also planning to add subtitles to the videos linked here so the full resource is more accessible for those who don’t speak English.

I asked here before if there are any problems, but the post didn’t get much attention.

[ashley_bradford]

I’ve been searching for how to combine multiple observations into one, but so far I’ve only found that it isn’t possible. I know how to get around this for photos, but my particular case is that I’ve used the in-app Audio Recorder, I make a recording, and then I save it. This makes one observation. Then the hawk calls again and I think “Ooo, maybe this time it will be a better recording!” And I make another recording, but to my knowledge there is no way to then stick it to the existing observation, so it makes a new one. Now these recordings exist only within the iNaturalist system, and not on my phone, so I can’t go back, get the second file, and add it to the first observation. I also don’t see a way to go into the website on the computer and download the second recording so that I can then upload it to the first observation.

Is there an answer to this particular problem?

[thebeachcomber]

@ashley_bradford

I also don’t see a way to go into the website on the computer and download the second recording so that I can then upload it to the first observation.

@ashley_bradford Right click on the time stamp of your recording, and then click save as

[Star3]

@arboretum_amy

Yes I agree, but I receive flack from other users for doing this.

Sorry this reply is late but: I ignore them.
If they really have a problem with duplicates, then their beef is with the observer, not the identifier. My ID, by itself, doesn’t prevent the observer from removing a duplicate, nor is it an implicit encouragement to leave that duplicate in place.

But you do whatever you feel comfortable with. :)

[dianastuder]

But if it moves from Unknown to Plants … and dies there. What is gained? It is still, in practice, ‘UNknown’. But people who do ID Unknowns will never see it.

I prefer to cautiously push the ID as far as I can … or move on to the next.
But all our different approaches together do shift the Unknown Mountain.

Bottom line - it wastes skilled identifier’s time (not mine I’m middling) if they have to ID duplicates, instead of moving on to something which truly does Need their ID.

[Star3]

@dianastuder

But if it moves from Unknown to Plants … and dies there. What is gained? It is still, in practice, ‘UNknown’. But people who do ID Unknowns will never see it.

I’m confused. If it moves from Unknown to Plants and “dies there”…it is a plant, not an unknown.

Ther exact species might not be known, but it is at least something.

[dianastuder]

Follow your notifications, and see how many of your Plants move on a taxon level.

I know that birds, insects, fungi - are broad categories that do move smartly on. But plants are so many … Botanists tend to follow families or much smaller groups - they don’t have time to pick thru All the Plants sadly.