Since its launch in 2008, iNaturalist has become a key tool for researchers with over 5,000 peer-reviewed papers using data from the platform. In 2022 alone, more than 1,400 studies were published, a tenfold increase from just five years earlier.  

The platform allows users to submit photos or recordings of wildlife observations and has provided invaluable insights into species identification, invasive species monitoring and the effects of climate change. 

One notable example is the discovery of the mountain ghost stiletto fly in northern China. A nature photographer uploaded an image of this bumblebee mimic to iNaturalist, which led to its identification and description by an entomologist in 2020. This is just one of many instances where user-generated data has led to scientific breakthroughs.  

iNaturalist users contribute photos or sounds of plants and animals along with their location and time of observation. Once verified by the community, these observations are added to a global biodiversity database.  

This growing database currently has over 200 million entries from 3.3 million user, allowing researchers to study species across the globe and analyse trends in biodiversity and conservation. 

The platform has allowed for large-scale studies that were once impossible due to limited data. In Australia, researchers have used iNaturalist data to track invasive species, monitor wildfire impacts and predict climate change effects on endangered species. 

The data has even extended to deeper analysis as scientists are now examining the content of user-submitted photos, adding a new layer to biodiversity research. 

"iNaturalist is reshaping how scientists approach research and design studies," Corey Callaghan, an ecologist at the University of Florida said in a press release.  

"Your contributions are making a difference. Keep it up and we can only imagine where this will take us in the future." 

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