Observation.org

The history of Observation International started in 2003 with the website Waarneming.nl. In 2017 Waarneming.nl counted 50 million observations.{{Cite web |date=2017-10-08 |title=50 miljoen waarnemingen op Waarneming.nl - Vroege Vogels - BNNVARA |url=https://www.bnnvara.nl/vroegevogels/artikelen/50-miljoen-waarnemingen-op-waarneming-nl |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Vroege Vogels |language=nl}} Waarneming.be followed in 2008. There were 5000 daily visitors and a total of 1.5 million after 5 years.{{Cite web |last=Vanreusel |first=Wouter |date=2012-12-03 |title=Waarnemingen.be rondt de kaap van 10 miljoen |url=https://www.naturetoday.com/intl/nl/nature-reports/message/?msg=18626 |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=www.naturetoday.com |language=nl}} During the COVID-19 pandemic location data of observations were hidden to prevent gathering of bird watchers.{{Cite web |last=van den Buijs |first=Dennis |date=2020-03-26 |title=Natuurpunt verbergt waarnemingen zeldzame vogels:"Samenscholing spotters vermijden" |url=https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2020/03/26/natuurpunt-verbergt-waarnemingen-zeldzame-dieren/ |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=vrtnws.be |language=nl}}

Quality assurance measures on Observation.org is managed by established species experts responsible for curating the reference set of observations.{{r|obs-validation}} Automated validation, supported by artificial intelligence, uses this reference set to aid validators in managing the extensive dataset. However, human experts retain final authority in all validation matters.{{r|pub-impact-data-quality}}{{r|biodiversitaetsdaten-online}}

File:Obs-GBIF-map-2023-12-24.png

The observations that have been approved are shared as open data on Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).{{r|gbif-observation-org}} The dataset comprises approximately 82 million occurrences, 19 million annotated photos{{r|gbif-obs-photos}} and 69,000 annotated sound recordings.{{r|gbif-obs-sounds}} Observation.org is the third largest publisher of the world on GBIF.{{r|gbif-occurrence-datasets}}

As of December 2023, more than 1,700 research results have been published that cite the Observation.org dataset on GBIF{{r|gbif-obs-citations}}, often in the fields of ecology, conservation, and climate change. This research includes for example the discovery of new species for a country {{r|natuurpunt-trithemis-kirbyi}}{{r|spoorkrekel-be}}{{r|nieuwe-sprinkhanen-nl-2022}}, documentation of changes in behavior{{r|pub-aglais-io-bivoltine-be}}{{r|red-rumped-swallows}}, monitoring invasive alien species{{r|pub-citizen-science-invasive-species}}{{r|vespa-velutina-nl-discovery}}{{r|vespa-velutina-nl-spread}}{{r|sevgili}}{{r|sceliphron-caementarium-be}}, finding causes of local extinction {{r|aridity-local-extinction-es}} and tracking zoonoses such as Avian influenza{{r|pub-citizen-science-avian-influenza}}. Other examples are the integration of nature data into national research programmes{{r|cbs-dragonflies}}{{r|saba-records}} and European biodiversity projects{{r|fao-ebba2}}{{r|ebp-partners}}. The annotated Observation.org photos are used to train automatic species recognition models.{{r|species-identification-schermer}}{{r|machine-learning-nl-be}}

Users of Observation.org regularly participate in Bioblitzes to collaboratively collect nature observations. Examples of these Bioblitzes are the City Nature Challenge{{r|city-nature-challenge}}{{r|bioblitz-salzburg-2021}} and the Biomaratón de Otoño in Spain{{r|biomaraton-otono-2022}}.

• The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology recommends the app ObsIdentify beside others for detection of alien species.{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Peter |date=2023 |title=Using Citizen Science with alien Species |url=https://www.ceh.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2023-02/alien-csi-dissemination-materials-a-best-practice-guide.pdf |access-date=2023-12-28 |publisher=UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology }}
• As apps for identification NatureSpot recommends Seek and ObsIdentify.{{Cite web |title=Apps for Identification |url=https://www.naturespot.org.uk/ID-apps |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=www.naturespot.org.uk}}
• The Sussex Wildlife Trust finds that ObsIdentify works particularly well with invertebrates.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-14 |title=The good, the bad and the middling - ID apps |url=https://sussexwildlifetrust.org.uk/news/the-good-the-bad-and-the-middling-id-apps |access-date=2023-12-28 |publisher=Sussex Wildlife Trust}}
• ObsIdentify, iNaturalist, Seek, iRecord and Picture This are the favorite identifying apps for the Natural History Society of Northumbria (NHSN){{Cite web |last=Coleman |first=Ellie |date=2023-11-29 |title=Helpful Apps for Identifying Wildlife |url=https://www.nhsn.org.uk/apps-wildlife/ |access-date=2023-12-28 |website=Natural History Society of Northumbria |language=en-GB}}
• Birdwatch (magazine) UK draws a positive conclusion after testing ObsIdentify. It is easy to use and provides a lot of information.{{Cite web |last=Jones |first=Josh |date=August 2020 |title=The ideal companion - ObsIdentify app for IOS and Android |url=https://pubhtml5.com/mxdt/lgra/Birdwatch_UK_08.2022_downmagaz.net/59 |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Pubhtml5 |page=49 |language=en}}

In the Netherlands, Observation.org is primarily known as Waarneming.nl{{r|overmeerse-vogels-hisko}}. In the Dutch Caribbean, the name Observation.org is used{{r|dcna-observation-org}}. In Belgium, the platform is primarily known as Waarnemingen.be{{r|natuurpunt-waarnemingen-be}} (Flanders) and Observations.be{{r|natagora-observations-be}} (Wallonia).

{{reflist|refs=

{{cite web

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|title=Validation

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{{cite web

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{{cite web

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{{cite web

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{{cite journal

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{{cite journal

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{{ cite web

|title="OBSERVATIONS.BE", UN PORTAIL D'ENCODAGE POUR TOUS

|url=https://www.natagora.be/observationsbe-un-portail-dencodage-pour-tous

|website=natagora.be

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{{ cite web

|title=Interview with Hisko de Vries

|url=https://www.overmeersevogels.com/hisko-de-vries-waarnemingnl.html

|website=overmeersevogels.com

|language=nl

|access-date=2023-12-25

}}

{{ cite web

|title=Observation.org

|url=https://dcnanature.org/observation/

|website=dcnanature.org

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{{ cite web

|title=Biomaratón de otoño 2022

|url=https://www.miteco.gob.es/es/ceneam/formacion-ambiental/congresos/biomaraton-otono.html

|website=miteco.gob.es

|language=es

|access-date=2023-12-26

}}

{{ cite web

|title=City Nature Challenges in Österreich

|url=https://www.citynaturechallenge.at/info/

|website=citynaturechallenge.at

|access-date=2023-12-26

|language=de

}}

{{ cite journal

|title=Der Bioblitz Salzburg 2021 auf Observation.org – eine Citizen Science Bestandserfassung der urbanen Biodiversität Salzburgs

|journal=Mitteilungen aus dem Haus der Natur Salzburg

|volume=28

|pages=5–20

|url=https://www.zobodat.at/pdf/HdN_28_0005-0020.pdf

|access-date=2023-12-26

|language=de

|last1=Kaufmann

|first1=Peter

|display-authors=etal

}}

{{ cite journal

|title=Aridity could have driven the local extinction of a common and multivoltine butterfly

|doi=10.1111/een.13200

|journal=Ecological Entomology

|volume=48

|issue=1

|pages=40–54

|url=https://eprints.ucm.es/id/eprint/75363/1/Gil%E2%80%90Tapetado%2C%20D.%20et%20al.%202022.%20Aridity%20could%20have%20driven%20the%20local%20extinction%20of%20a%20common%20and%20multivoltine.pdf

|access-date=2023-12-26

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|first1=Diego

|date=2023

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|display-authors=etal

|doi-access=free

}}

{{ cite web

|title=Libellenstatistiek

|url=https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/onze-diensten/methoden/onderzoeksomschrijvingen/korte-onderzoeksomschrijvingen/libellenstatistiek

|website=cbs.nl

|access-date=2023-12-27

|language=nl

}}

{{ cite web

|title=Contribution of Observation.org to Ebba2 (Second European Breeding Bird Atlas)

|url=https://agris.fao.org/search/en/providers/123417/records/6474613a79cbb2c2c1ac8190

|access-date=2023-12-27

|website=agris.fao.org

}}

{{ cite conference

|conference=Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 2

|doi=10.3897/biss.2.25268

|doi-access=free

|journal=Biodiversity Information and Standards

|title=Supporting citizen scientists with automatic species identification using deep learning image recognition models

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|first1=Maarten

|last2=Hogeweg

|first2=Laurens

|date=17 May 2018

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}}

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|conference=Biodiversity Information Science and Standards 3

|doi=10.3897/biss.3.39229

|doi-access=free

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|title=Machine Learning Model for Identifying Dutch/ Belgian Biodiversity

|last2=Schermer

|first2=Maarten

|last1=Hogeweg

|first1=Laurens

|url=https://zenodo.org/records/3485045/files/BISS_article_39229.pdf

}}

{{ cite journal

|doi=10.1080/09397140.2022.2145802

|journal=Zoology in the Middle East

|title=Contributions of citizen scientists to monitoring alien species: the case study on Giant Asian Mantes, Hierodula tenuidentata and H. patellifera (Mantodea: Mantidae)

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|first1=Hasan

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|date=2022

|volume=68

|issue=4

|pages=350–358

|s2cid=254638249

}}

{{ cite journal

|journal=Dutch Birding

|volume=42

|pages=111–113

|title=Are Red-rumped Swallows starting to winter in the Western Palearctic?

|last1=Dufour

|first1=Paul

|display-authors=etal

|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343627785

}}

{{ cite journal

|title=First observation of another invasive mud dauber wasp in Belgium: Sceliphron caementarium (Drury, 1773) (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae)

|journal=Bulletin de la Société royale belge d'Entomologie/Bulletin van de Koninklijke Belgische Vereniging voor Entomologie

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|date=2017

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|last2=Barbier

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|first3=Wim

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{{ cite journal

|title=New avifaunal records and checklist for the island of Saba, Caribbean Netherlands

|doi=10.55431/jco.2018.31.57-64

|journal=Journal of Caribbean Ornithology

|volume=31

|date=2019

|last1=Boeken

|first1=Michiel

|pages=57–64

|doi-access=free

}}

}}

{{Commons category|Observation.org}}

{{Wikidata property|P6105|P11247}}

• {{official website|https://observation.org}}
• [https://www.gbif.org/publisher/c8d737e0-2ff8-42e8-b8fc-6b805d26fc5f GBIF page for Observation.org]

{{CitizenScienceNavBox}}

Category:Biodiversity databases

Category:Citizen science