A New Way to Add Observations

Adding observations to the website can be harder than it has to be, particularly when your photos contain so much useful information before you ever even upload them to the site. That's why we built http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/upload. The uploader makes it super easy to add observations to iNaturalist by allowing you to simply drag and drop photo files from your computer into the browser window, and then trying to extract as much information as possible from the photos themselves so you don't have to enter it manually. If you haven't tried it, give it a shot.

We released the new uploader a few weeks ago, but now we want to go one step further and make the uploader the primary way to add observations to the site. That means linking to the uploader instead of to http://www.inaturalist.org/observations/new, and perhaps even removing the latter way to add observations all together. We realize this will change the workflow for a lot of you, but we think the uploader is a better experience for almost all existing users, and a WAY better experience for new users.

However, we want to hear from you after you've tried out the new uploader. Are there things the old observation form does for you that the new uploader does not? Are there ways we can make the new uploader better before replacing the old observation form? Let us know in the comments below or in the Google Group.

From the Herps of Texas Project -

Currently, you have to upload your recording to SoundCloud, and then add the recording to the observation online. SoundCloud has a great app that you can use to record sounds with your smartphone, but you can also upload any recording from any device to your SoundCloud account. We hope that sounds will eventually be incorporated into the iNaturalist mobile app, but for now the easiest way to document sounds is with the SoundCloud app.

Suggested steps for adding a sound to an observation:

1. Sign up for a SoundCloud account: www.soundcloud.com

2. Download a sound recording app.
   -For Android you can use the Soundcloud App: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.soundcloud.android&hl=en
   -For iPhone: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audiocopy/id719137307?mt=8

3. Record a sound in the field. Be sure to name it with a unique name and location. The app does not automatically record the date, time, and location.
4. Add an iNaturalist observation to record the date, time, and location. Be sure to note the unique name of the sound recording.
5. When you get back to your computer, link your iNaturalist account to SoundCloud. There is a link to connect to SoundCloud when you edit your profile. If you are not linked to SoundCloud, you will be prompted to link to SoundCloud when you add a sound to an observation.
6. Edit your observation, and click on “Add sounds” in the upper right hand corner.
7. You should see a list of your sounds on SoundCloud. Click on the box next to your sound recording, and then “Save observation” at the bottom of the page.

Remember, you can post sounds in addition to photographs or based on sounds alone. Either way, we are excited about this new tool and looking forward to hearing some sounds!