That could actually hasten the end. Think of how difficult it is today to access the data stored on microfilm, microfiche, 8-inch, 5-1/4-inch, or even 3-1/2-inch floppy disks, or websites archived in the 1990s.
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Nothing, my friend, no matter how much we wish it. Is immortal, including our world and especially our lives.
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People are considering how to backup your data and preserve your stuff for yourself, etc. but I honestly think doing that because of iNat crashing is irrelevant. Might iNat crash out? Sure it is very possible. Within the next 50+ years? Probably not. I’d say.
Almight iNat Will Proserve
(With, the power of gerald of course which can single handedly crash any pc)
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There more platforms disappearing. Yahoo Groups, Panoramio, Hyves. It could also happen to iNaturalist. iNaturalist did eat other platforms, most of them disappearing because of funding, I expect. So if there is money, there are servers to host iNaturalist.
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At the point in the future where databases can no longer function (e.g. because of energy poverty), downloading your data will also be moot.
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Think of how difficult it is today to access the data stored on microfilm, microfiche, 8-inch, 5-1/4-inch, or even 3-1/2-inch floppy disks, or websites archived in the 1990s.
Great point!
I think the evolution of storage mediums have made very good progress in terms of capacity and reliability, and of course it is still evolving.
From punch cards, to rolling magnetic tapes, to spinning magnetic floppies, back to rotating magnetic tapes, to laser readable polycarbonate discs, to fast spinning multi-layer magnetic discs, to solid state circuits! Wow what a ride.
The upcoming technologies will likely involve glass, ceramic, and even DNA.
So it is imperative that the mastermind leadership think forward both in terms of membership health AND data storage adaptability.
Earlier I mentioned a lifecycle speculation of 10-20 years. This could be extended if the stored IP evolves alongside the storage advancements.
As a non-biologist, I’d assume that DNA storage would be the future of a winning iNat-like platform. If the right elements are reserved/implemented within the current architecture, the future adaptation would be much more feasible and smooth.
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…then we are down to the printed literature and physical museum specimens, which was all some of us grew up with. How quaint, right? Yet those things continue to be an indispensible foundation of our biodiversity knowledge, and have survived for centuries (not just decades).
Still I carry on with iNaturalist in the hope that its social impact and data end up surviving at least as long. What else can one do, given such an amazing platform?
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But even books and paper struggle. The paper disintegrates.
And book burning continues (yesterday I read about Ukrainian teenagers reading in Ukrainian while living under Russian occupation)
https://forum.inaturalist.org/t/duke-herbarium-closure/48997
I wonder how many herbariums will survive. The botany department I studied at is now ‘biology’
The biggest lesson out of this? Mentor the next, and the next, generation. To care about nature. And to learn about nature. Pass ON what you know.
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Exactly! Teach your children and grandchildren well! It is the love of nature and knowledge that will keep the information active.
This platform was designed for every person to engage with nature.
Storage formats have evolved since cave paintings and lines in the sand, way way before the aforementioned list that “started” with punch cards…
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OK, we have clay tablets.
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The reason MySpace ended is because Facebook entered the picture.
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What an odd first post for a new member to the forum.
Are you on a fishing expedition?
You didn’t respond when asked if you had an account with the actual app.
Have you ever even used iNaturalist?
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Benefit of the doubt?
Alexander is considering whether iNat is The Best place for his obs.
What could he be fishing for?
I still find it weird that a forum ‘for iNat’ is public and open to anyone. An iNat profile, whether active or not, is not required. But we are obliged to discuss iNat.
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with what username?
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Ooops. My mistake. Looked up different user than original poster. I’ll delete that comment. Thank you for bringing back to me.
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I think iNaturalist is incredibly useful to capture information and hopefully reorient people to the natural world. But I also think we need to consider a managed retreat from computer technology, which will become impossible to continue with in any case as we run out of economically viable oil.
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There are other potential sources of energy for producing abundant electricity, including renewables and possibly nuclear fusion.
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On the contrary, the reason I left MySpace is because they systematically eliminated all the features that made it fun.
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Interesting topic. Hmm…
Perhaps we need to modify the structural metaphors that are used for our accumulated taxonomic data.
Afterall, judging by the historical record, humanity’s respect for trees kinda scares me about the longevity of the Tree-of-Life model choice.
Do you think if we renamed it the ‘Kitty-Konstruct’ it would gather more popular respect and support?
What’s common about SM features is that most features are developed or suggested by the user base themselves.
The creative source of the platform’s success is then run through the monetization feasibility gears and trimmed or modified to suit, while the gazillionaire founders contribute to promote the mythology of their own divine (and deserving, right?), creative and innovative… brilliance.