Goal of the tool:
An interactive web application designed to help users test and improve their identification skills for local wildlife and plant species, weighted by real-world observation frequencies.
Niche it fills in the iNaturalist ecosystem:
Provides targeted regional, seasonal, and life-list-based species training.
Is there a commercial component, or do you plan into include one in the future? Are donations requested? (yes/no, explain):
No. The app is entirely free and open-source under the MIT License. There are no commercial components, monetization plans, or requests for donations.
What sort of data (if any) does your app collect from its users?:
None. The app is a static, client-side web application and does not collect or store personal user data on external servers. Preferences and daily challenge scores are saved strictly on the user’s local device via browser localStorage.
Link to your iNaturalist profile:
https://www.inaturalist.org/people/arthurdd
Description:
Local Biodiversity Trainer is a lightweight, zero-backend web tool that fetches research-grade observation data from the iNaturalist API to create customizable identification quizzes.
Key features include:
Seeded Daily Challenge: Standardized 10-question daily quizzes generated deterministically so users worldwide can test themselves on an even baseline.
Target Ecosystem Scope: Filter quizzes by place search or exact GPS coordinates/radius, specific taxon groups, media types (photos/audio), and seasonality/months.
iNaturalist Life List Integration: Enter an iNaturalist username to filter quiz pools by Observed Species Only (memory reinforcement) or Unobserved Species Only (focusing on target “lifers”).
Multiple Choice & Free-Text Engines: Play using a 4-option multiple-choice grid with distractors dynamically fetched from real-world community confusion counts, or free-text input with partial credit for correct taxonomic ranks.
Spoiler-Free Field Notes: Reveal observation notes as hints with an automatic redaction system that strips scientific and common name fragments.
Discussion questions or areas seeking feedback:
How intuitive is the quiz configuration and setup process?
Are the dynamic distractors in Multiple Choice mode authentic and helpful for species identification?
Is the field note spoiler redaction system functioning cleanly for observations in your region?
What additional features or filters would be most useful for your field training?
What additional accessibility features or keyboard controls would improve the quizzing experience for screen reader users?