This is a question about a function of the iNat app in general.
I want to enable a goup of project members to use the mobile app and add their observations to a project while in the field (independent of whether they are online or offline). It’s a traditional project with about 15 observation fields / 3 of these field are obligatory.
… well the project is set up, members have been added etc. Should i now expect this to work (and fill a bug report if it doesn’t)? Or am i expecting a functionality that was not intended for the app (that would probably mean i need to request a feature).
I am using Android iNat app version 1.30.15 (608) / other members of the project might wish to use newer / other versions of the iNat app.
When using the iNat app in the field during the last fieldtrip (offline / not logged in) i could not add observations to the traditional project, as no projects were shown in the dropdown list. After going online in the field (didn’t login though) the dropdown list remained empty.
Now at home reconnected / online and logged in: The dropdown list and the project are available again…
Tried to reproduce field conditions and logged out by going offline, reproducing field conditions worked! Again no projects in the dropdown menue. See screenshot:
I think, but am not sure, that the project list is fetched dynamically (ie, only when a user asks for it). I just tested this in a browser and it is the case. Interestingly, observation fields do appear when offline.
I don’t think the project list would ever load when you aren’t logged in - there’s no way for the system to know which project’s a user has joined.
I would like to make this thread a feature request then:
Data collection in the field, often requires information that goes beyond location and date. iNaturalist already has the projects feature and observation fields which allow for effective data collection, while online and logged in.
Unfortunatelly patchy net coverage in many areas (especially in tropical mountain areas where biodiversity is high) does currently limit the use of iNaturalist and its projects for data collection in the field.
I therefore request a feature that allows the app to save a choosen project and display the projects observation fields for offline data entry.
The project feature on iNat is currently limited by the fact that one can’t collect and enter data without a net connection / being online. The requested feature would solve that flaw and make the iNaturalist app an ideal field data collection tool for biologists and zoological and botanical institutions.
Picture shows the data enty / observation fields view, of a project designed to support a botanical garden to catalog new aquisitions (these are often wild plants or seeds of wild plants from remote areas without online access)
It seems like the above request (which you can vote for) addresses your needs. I will note that the new iNat app is currently in active development and generally combines the functionality of the iOS and Android apps. But I’ve no idea whether this specific feature is included or not.
