Include option to only show Research Grade observations on species maps

Platform(s) all

Description of need:
Currently species maps (as shown under the Map tab of a species description) include points for all observations, Needs ID and Research Grade. This leads to incorrect species maps every time someone incorrectly IDs something that is out of range.

Feature request details:
Add a toggle option to only show Research Grade observations on the species maps. This would not affect searches for all observations of a species, only the maps associated with the species description.

I’d be for adding an option to only include RG observations on taxon maps, but I think the default should be “Verifiable”.

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This has no effect on the CV filtering.

8 Likes

I’d love to be able to toggle off the obscured observations, so it was easier to see the actual observed range of a species. Maybe in combination with obscuring anything over a certain location uncertainty, say 500 meters. Maybe too hard to program, but the obscured points sure make the maps hard to view. (but i know some species have ONLY obscured points so this would be …pointless… in that case :D )

8 Likes

Here’s a related request: https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/option-to-always-show-gbif-data-on-maps/12451

1 Like

I really like the framing as GBIF network there!

Definitely don’t remove it completely, as I use that to find misidentified-out-of-range observations, but a toggle could be nice.

18 Likes

Okay, thanks for the correction! I’ll correct the original post.

1 Like

A toggle would be acceptable too. You can search for observations of the species and select to show them on a map, rather than a list of observations.

4 Likes

Cnidarians would miss many obs in at least the Pacific if only RG were included. Even more so for other marine invertebrates. I have no problem with a toggle.

2 Likes

I’d vote for this being an additional option to check, but not for it to be the only or default view.

In areas where there aren’t a lot of observers or identifiers it’s common to have accurate identification on observations, but no confirming ones, and in many developing nations it’s very common to find that certain species are found outside their “official” ranges.

I can’t support this feature request as it’s currently formulated, but if it were reworked to make it an addition to the view, then sure.

4 Likes

Is the visible distribution map not the source of data CV uses for Seen Nearby? Or at least what we users can easily access.
I struggle with

  1. CV offers it’s best suggestion.

  2. Identifier doesn’t check distribution and clicks suggestion.

  3. We have on the distribution map. A single obs. With a single not yet Research Grade ID.

  4. CV now offers that as Seen Nearby. (This is the step that needs to be corrected)

  5. Generating a cascade of wrong, which needs to be hammered painfully back into place.

Could we have a personal setting for the default view on distribution maps?
I already appreciate the Satellite view default.

I would like mine to default to Research Grade when identifying and uploading.
Unless and until I choose to check for Not Wild errors.

3 Likes

As everyone (myself included, now) seems to prefer the option of toggling between all observations and RG observations, I have updated the feature request to reflect that.

3 Likes

Yes! I’ve been wanting this functionality for years. I would go so far as to say that species maps should only show Research Grade observations by default, with the option of turning on a Needs ID layer.

2 Likes

i don’t think needs ID should default to off but either way, if it is viable coding-wise i think the selection you choose should be ‘sticky’ and remain over time. If i turn them on i would like them to stay on later for other maps as well.

4 Likes

The way I interpreted the orignal post is that the request was to only display RG observations on taxon maps on taxon pages, and that what’s displayed on the map is what determines “seen nearby” on CV suggestions. So my response was basically that what’s shown on the taxon map is not necessarily what used for “seen nearby” becuase currently the taxon page maps show all verifiable observations by default and “seen nearby” only uses RG observations or observations that would be RG if they weren’t captive (see this FAQ).

[quote=“dianastuder, post:11, topic:40046”]
Could we have a personal setting for the default view on distribution maps?
I already appreciate the Satellite view default.[/quote]

You’d like it to be separate from all the other map views on the site?

I agree with this. Could the toggle option, if implemented, be set as a preference or default per individual account? So that one person could default to all verifiable obs shown and a second person could default to only RG obs shown.

1 Like

(I will look out for the or captive option)
But I have definitely fallen over - Seen Nearby - where there is - only one obs with one ID so NOT Research Grade. Only a ‘maybe it’s this?’
Will bring an example back here when I see it happen again.

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If I remember correctly that is not a ‘live’ tool, so for your example you would need to consider and exclude cases where a taxon was RG and subsequently got corrected.
Don’t know how often the ‘seen nearby’ suggestions are refreshed

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@tiwane 's link to Help says - every 2 months ish.

1 Like