Observation.org

**Observation.org** is a website that scientists use to validate and exchange their scientific observations. The website and mobile apps, such as ObsIdentify, allow users to access this information. It has more than 238 million nature data entries and almost 82 million photos. It is operated by the non-profit organization Observation International.

## Data quality

Experts check if the data is correct. Artificial intelligence (AI) tools help handle a lot of data effectively. Human experts have the final say on all of the supporting paperwork.

## History

Observation International started in 2003 with Waarneming.nl and grew to 50 million observations by 2017. Waarneming.be launched in 2008 had 5,000 daily visitors, and reached 1.5 million different viewers after five years. Location data was hidden during the COVID-19 pandemic to keep bird watchers safe.

## Quality assurance

Species experts select and organize a reference set of observations to make sure the quality is consistent. Automated validation supported by artificial intelligence aids validators in managing the dataset, with human experts making the final validation decisions.

## Open data

Observations are shared as open data on Global Biodiversity Information Facility GBIF. This data has 82 million events, 19 million photos,, and 69,000 sound recordings. The organization is the third largest publisher on GBIF.

## Use of the data

By April 2024, over 48,000 studies had referenced the dataset, focusing on the study of how living things affect their environment and conservation. This has resulted in discovering new groups of similar living things (or species), new ideas of animal behavior changes, the watching and following of harmful species and sicknesses, as we as, supprt for national and European life where lots of different living things all exist together. This is known as biodiversity. Photos from Observation.org aid in improving species recognition technology. Users participate in events such as the City Nature Challenge and Biomaratón de Otoño to take photos of nature, record sounds, and record video.

## Views

- The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology suggests using the app ObsIdentify to find alien species.
- NatureSpot recommends ObsIdentify and seek for identification.
- ObsIdentify is effective for invertebrates, according to the Sussex Wildlife Trust.
- NHSN prefers ObsIdentify, iNaturalist, seek, iRecord, and Picture This for identification.
- Birdwatch UK magazine praises ObsIdentify for being user-friendly and informative.

## International names

The following is a list of countries and how the Observation.org platform is primarily  known:

|Country|Known as|
| --- | --- |
|Netherlands|Waarneming.nl|
|Dutch Caribbean|Observation.org|
|Belgium|Waarnemingen.be (Flanders) and Observations.be (Wallonia)|

## Other websites

- GBIF page for Observation.org

## Infobox (website)

- **name**: Observation.org
- **logo**: Obs-logo-observation-org.svg
- **screenshot**: Observation-org-screenshot-home-2023-12-19-09-42-48.png
- **commercial**: No
- **type**: Citizen science
- **area served**: Worldwide
- **registration**: Optional
- **current status**: Active