it would more be convenient for me if the location “range” circle was bigger since i can never remember exactly what was where, but i suppose this has been optimised for “citizen science” data collection. doesn’t the narrow range just incentivise inaccurate location data though? i know i’m very lazy…

[image] jdmore: The “default” circle size on iNaturalist is zero (blank, none). I’m finding this curious because it doesn’t match what I’ve experienced. I use whatever location and accuracy my phone gives except when it’s clearly wrong, but recently that’s been happening more and more of the …

the default being referred to in that quote is when you upload a record without any spatial information, eg a photo taken with a DSLR camera that doesn’t have geotagging, or photos that have been geotagged using certain programs vs the location services of mobile phones which apply a non-zero value …

From my experience iPhones automatically include a precision value that gets imported into the map, but Android phones don’t. I haven’t used many cameras that automatically geotag photos so I don’t know if they do, but yeah if you used software to geotag them with a GPS track file then they won’t ha…

Meaning that the default if there’s no location chosen is to have no circle around the missing location? I mean, I guess that makes sense, but it seems fairly meaningless. Thanks for clarifying, though. :-)

sorry, I didn’t explain that well If you take a photo and it does not have spatial data automatically embedded (and by that I mean like what happens when eg taking a photo with an iPhone with location services turned on, it will return coordinates and an accuracy value), and you manually enter the …

So entering coordinates manually as distinct from putting a pin on the map? Okay, that makes more sense - I understand now. Thanks.

[image] grampianshiker: I’ve been needing to correct around 50% of locations, with some being up to 100km away - very, very frustrating If you haven’t already tried this, I suggest using the phone app in Airplane Mode, with a pure GPS app of some kind also running in the background (to keep t…

[image] jdmore: I always get a precision value when using the Android app. It may have to do with the fact that I always use the in-app camera, instead of pulling photos from the gallery. In this case I think it’s because the app is getting its own location and precision instead of pulling it…

[image] upupa-epops: I think it’s because the app is getting its own location and precision instead of pulling it from the photo? I expect you are right, but I don’t know the inner workings of the app well enough to verify. [image] upupa-epops: I’ve found the process of using the in-app …

I think your experience is probably more representative than that of the ultra-engaged iNat power users populating this forum. I myself am a biogeographer who needs at least some high-precision coordinate data for some of my work, and I often despair of the enormously imprecise (or “Accuracy not re…

Location precision

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syd6o6 May 2, 2025, 11:38am 33

on the social frontline, sometimes when you mess up in ways like forgetting a name or not noticing you tagged it as a question until too late, it’s necessary to pick you’re moment such that the injury is minimised.

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Location precision

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