There is usually a flurry of comments nearer the upload time, and activity tapers off as time goes by. The odd spike as older observations are reviewed by new specialist attention. Moot point given the number of absentee accounts, especially from duress users…
It is interesting that you raise what iNat has become. It would be very interesting indeed if iNat were forked and one of those forks went on to focus more aggressively on the data point collection aspect. My impression is that iNat could take a much harder line on it’s “policy” of only personal observations, but instead finds a reasonable middle ground between the two extremes. I also believe it’s success to date has largely been because of it’s focus on community. I liken it to computer development in history, where I think it was IBM(?) once predicted a worldwide need for 5 computers. Every major leap forward in computer development seems to have come with an increased “focus” on community… The Altair in university circles, Apple and Microsoft, Arpanet, Internet, Facebook… I think if you take that community focus aspect out of iNats history, then it wouldn’t have become what you refer to.In other words, iNat has such a rich data source precisely because it was not driven with data point collection as the primary goal.
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/what-inaturalist-is-for/2995/2