# Obscured observations in location based project **URL:** \ **Category:** General\ **Tags:** question\ **Created:** [March 2, 2023, 1:26pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/obscured-observations-in-location-based-project/39717 "2023-03-02T13:26:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![atlas-alm](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/atlas-alm/32/32200_2.png) [@atlas-alm](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/atlas-alm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 1:26pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/obscured-observations-in-location-based-project/39717/1 "2023-03-02T13:26:57Z")
Hi there, I have a project that is based on the limits of a town. I chose to have the location of some of my observations obscured, wich locates them randomly in a square that can be off limits of the town. Is there any way to get the obscured obsevations taken within the limits of the project to appear in the project? In other words, i need the observation to appear as taken in this town (just not displaying the exact location). ---
**Author:** ![thebeachcomber](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/thebeachcomber/32/12748_2.png) [@thebeachcomber](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/thebeachcomber)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 1:35pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/obscured-observations-in-location-based-project/39717/2 "2023-03-02T13:35:29Z")
no, it’s not possible. If the project is a collection project with a place-based filter, and your observation does not fall within that place (whether due to being bounced out by obscuration or otherwise), it will not enter the project ---
**Author:** ![matthewvosper](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/matthewvosper/32/12194_2.png) [@matthewvosper](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/matthewvosper)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 2:15pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/obscured-observations-in-location-based-project/39717/3 "2023-03-02T14:15:45Z")
An alternative, if you don’t want to give away the location of (for example) your house, but you don’t mind the town being known, is to locate the observation unobscured in the centre of the town with a large uncertainty circle that includes the whole town - or at least the true location. Then it will be caught by the project filters, be strictly correct for location, but not give the exact true location. ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 4:01pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/obscured-observations-in-location-based-project/39717/4 "2023-03-02T16:01:30Z")
Did you try this project setting? (once you turn it on you have to adjust your personal user settings for the project too) ![Screenshot_20230302-100028](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/3X/2/1/212440dc7d9aa4537011de9b896f2b02670cb932.png) ---
**Author:** ![carnifex](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/carnifex/32/62_2.png) [@carnifex](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/carnifex)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/obscured-observations-in-location-based-project/39717/7 "2023-03-02T23:09:05Z")
I thought this was not possible, as obscured observations are prevented from entering the project in the first place (because of the boundaries), so the filter cannot include these. If this would be possible, however, I might find this concerning, as projects with small boundaries might then allow to find out the true location of an observation just by the fact that an observation is part of the project, even for non-project members ---
**Author:** ![bouteloua](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/bouteloua/32/1180_2.png) [@bouteloua](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/bouteloua)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 11:12pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/obscured-observations-in-location-based-project/39717/8 "2023-03-02T23:12:36Z")
The obscured observations are only shown as “included” in the project to the project admins and obscured observation owners (not other project members, other users, or people not logged into iNat at all). ---
**Author:** ![carnifex](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.inaturalist.org/carnifex/32/62_2.png) [@carnifex](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/carnifex)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2023, 11:37pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/obscured-observations-in-location-based-project/39717/10 "2023-03-02T23:37:44Z")
After so many years, still discovering new features. I directly had to test it out and it worked. However, I did not find this explained anywhere in the help section or while setting up a project. Is it written down somewhere? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/inaturalist/original/2X/7/7831452cf7f0d653ff1ffd34176334b7ef1b6a17.png) [@system](https://forum.inaturalist.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/obscured-observations-in-location-based-project/39717/11 "2023-05-01T23:38:34Z")
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