#natureapps

Potential Con: The dangers of a false identification

In my research of smartphone species ID apps, I came across one type that experiences some controversy.  Apps centered on identifying mushrooms may aim to educate users on mushrooms and how to collect them, but experts are deeming them extremely dangerous (Rogers, 2017). Potential misidentifications could lead to consumption of toxic or hallucinogenic mushrooms (Mushrooms, n.d.).

While this controversy is centered around mushrooms, this danger can extend to plant ID’s when foraging for edible species.

Con: The lack of intimacy

This con is a bit more of my personal feelings on the apps, but hear me out on this one. As someone who has learned to identify species on sight through repetition and use of good old fashioned paper field guides, there is just something too impersonal and removed from the process in using a smartphone app. I feel less accomplished when an app guides me through the identification than when I am personally able to meet the challenge of finding a species in a paper guide. When we are confident that an app will give us the correct answer every time and make it easy for us to do so, why would we need to learn to remember the species? I liken this con to the debate over writing versus typing. While I can certainly type faster than I can write with a pen, studies have shown that typing results in lower comprehension and association of information (Aberšek, Aberšek, & Flogie, 2018). Furthermore, when an app allows users to send in images for expert identification there is no incentive for the user to constructively analyze the species. Even then, an accurate ID can be difficult depending on the quality of the image sent, and it may need multiple experts in order to validate it (Austen, Bindemann, Griffiths, & 

Pro: User-friendly

Smartphone apps have the flexibility of offering prompts to users to help them pick out the information needed to make an accurate species identification. These interfaces assist users unfamiliar with the nomenclature and specific characteristics that are used in the scientific field (Shrode, 2012).

An application can access location data and customize a subset of species for the user. While there are field guides available for different geographical areas, an app can contain large ranges and filter them down to suit the specific location of the user (Goldsmith et al., 2016). By only displaying relevant species, an app can increase the likelihood of an accurate species identification.

For apps like iNaturalist, users can even send in a picture of the species they are attempting to identify for identification by experts and citizen scientists (Van Horn et al., 2017).

Con: You’re using a cell phone

Yes, this was also listed as a pro, but here’s the other side of the coin.

Phones run on batteries. I can’t access my nature app if my phone is dead. My field guide would never fail me like that.

Apps need a connection. Whether I’m using Wi-Fi or a data plan, my mobile app can’t help me if I am disconnected. If I am out on a trail, I certainly won’t have Wi-Fi, and depending on my service provider, I might not have data available either. Also, data plans cost money and maybe I don’t have enough data to run my nature app and also use GoogleMaps to get home. You could get around this by downloading the database your app might run on, but it will probably cost you around $400 (Shrode, 2012).

Not all apps run on all operating systems. My phone is an Android, and a displeasing number of apps are only available for Apple operating systems, meaning I can’t even use them with my device.

While many apps are free and most others are reasonably priced, smartphones are becoming increasingly expensive, with the latest iPhone ringing in at $999.

What am I Looking At?

A closer look at a few tree smartphone apps

One way to get more connected with nature is to know what species you are looking at as you look out your window or walk along park trails.  Plants are extremely valuable to humans, and identifying them can help conserve them and help us overcome plant blindness.

First up, we have Leafsnap Leafsnap was the first smartphone app designed to identify tree species  (Zhao, et al., 2015).  Leafsnap is still a work in progress, as more tree species are still being added, only currently covering the Northeastern area of the US. Even so, the app has already been used to create lesson plans for city students to recognize the trees along their streets and consider their evolutionary history (Leafsnap.com) Unfortunately, Leafsnap is also only available on iOS, so it can only be used by Apple products  (Zhao, et al., 2015).  Luckily, because Android systems are believed to be more popular, there are scientists working to create a version for this system called “ApLeaf”  (Zhao, et al., 2015).  While it has already been a few years since the publication of this paper outlining how the application would work, a Google search for the app only generates references back to this paper, some parts from a liquid waste business, and an education program in Wisconsin. 

Up next, we have LeafNet. Before you get too invested, I do have to warn you that LeafNet is not available as an app yet, but I wanted to mention it so you can keep an eye out for it! A team of scientists wanted to create a tree identification app that didn’t just reference an algorithm of pre-determined common tree characteristics, but that learned from the data it was given (Barré,  Stöver,  Müller, & Steinhage, 2017). After testing their learning system against apps set to hand-crafted algorithms, they found that LeafNet more accurately recognized data  (Barré,  Stöver,  Müller, & Steinhage, 2017). This design for an identification app is of particular interest because it can be expanded and updated by simply inputting new training data rather than having to design new software for an algorithm  (Barré,  Stöver,  Müller, & Steinhage, 2017).

Lastly, I present Plant-O-Matic Right off the bat, one thing I love about this app that the others are a little lacking in is its comprehensiveness. Plant-O-Matic’s species catalog includes over 88,000 species spanning across the Americas (Goldsmith et al., 2016).  Having so many species across such a large area, this app has an excellent way of providing users with the species they are looking for without having to sift through all that data.  Plant-O-Matic utilizes the users location to display a subset of species commonly or likely to be found in the area  (Goldsmith et al., 2016). This way, users can find not only common plants with known existences, but rarer plants that models project would also occur in the area  (Goldsmith et al., 2016). Similarly to Leafsnap, however, Plant-O-Matic is currently only available on Apple operating systems.

With the obstacles of plant blindness and the perceived “boredom” of botany, apps like these can bring people back into touch with nature by putting a name to the thing. After all, when we first build a friendship with someone, we always start by exchanging names!

Here’s the Download

On Monday, June 26th I had the wonderful chance to head down to the Boston Public Market to partake in a couple of panel discussions hosted by the Trustees. The two sessions I attended were just two of a greater series, which is titled Guiding Voices: 2023 Strategic Planning Process Panel Discussion Series. The overall goal of the series is to create a platform for meaningful dialogue within the different themes of environmentalism to help spark new ideas and create potential goals for the Trustees. During the two panels, there was a diverse group of men and women putting in a variety of insight towards the conversation -- both in the panel as well as in the audience. I wanted to share a few of my thoughts and some key takeaway points that I got out of the talks! This entry is the first of two blog posts about these panel discussions. The first session I attended was titled, Getting Kids Outside. For the panelists, we had Judy Braus (Executive Director of North American Association of Environmental Education), David Elkind (Professor Emeritus of Child Development at Tufts, and author of The Power of Play), and Kyle Huetter (Education Manager of Animals, Science, and Environment at Walt Disney Parks and Resorts).

One of the opening remarks of the discussion addressed the desire to fully disconnect, both children and adults, from our "screens". Technology has become more and more ingrained in our lives. It has come to the point where it is nearly impossible to become 100% disconnected from all forms of technology. I mean, here I am writing about disconnecting from technology on my dual-screen laptop and desktop, not to mention my iPad and iPhone on my desk next to me (some role model I am). In fact, while I was at the event, I was looking around the small audience and I could see that almost every person had their cell phones either laying right on their laps or being gently cradled in their hands. It is hard to pull our eyes away from our brightly lit screens and loosen our grips to our cell phones. Now, I do have some hope that we can detach ourselves from technology, but this would require a larger societal cultural shift, which is a heavy challenge to take on. The panelist understood this reality, and as a response they emphasized intertwining the outdoors with our technology. One way to do this is to use up-and-coming nature apps that are providing resources and information to help people get outside. There are a variety of apps made specifically for children that challenge them to get outdoors, while also making it into a fun adventure! One app that was mentioned by the panelists was Islandwood which is a developing app that offers a Nature Passport for kids. With this app, the users, young and old, can travel around to different parks and while at each park you receive a stamp in your Nature Passport. The goal is for kids to grow their collection of nature stamps, all while enjoying and learning about the local environment. I have personally used a few different types of nature apps but after this panel discussion, I became more intrigued about what other apps existed and what adventures I may be missing out on. After doing a bit more research I found so many other apps that help you get outside! There are apps specifically geared towards outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and climbing. There are even apps that provide tools to help identify plants just by taking a picture of them. I recommend getting Alltrails, which is an app and/or website that maps out all of the parks and trails in your area. For each location, the app also provides pictures and descriptions of the park or trail to help you understand what to expect when getting there. I could go on forever about these apps… I attached some more information below about different nature apps and I challenge you to download one (or more) and see where they take you!

Swinging back to the panel discussion, the panelist went on to address the decreased amount of human presence within nature. There are many reasons why this could be occurring, however, they mentioned that the lack of knowledge about nature, strongly impacts a person's likelihood to explore the outdoors! Not everyone has extensive environmental education/knowledge offered to them…  Each of the panelists mentioned that many people (specifically adults) have strong fears and concerns with nature. This fear is known as ecophobia! This term refers to the many different fears that can be associated with the unknown forces of nature. In more times than one, parents play a huge influence in the development of ecophobia within their own kids. Kyle Huetter mentioned that kids have a natural instinct to explore! Their young minds are constantly wandering, searching, and exploring anything and everything… But it is the parents who are generally creating the boundaries for them. To combat this, each of the three panelists highlighted the importance of unstructured play for children. I was not very familiar with this term prior to attending this discussion… Isn't all play unstructured? You're just playing, right? But what I found was that there are many instances where the games children are playing are geared towards sparking development. Now, educational and developmental games are really beneficial don’t get me wrong! However, unstructured play allows children to simply play and relax. There is nothing wrong with kids putting down the structured games and going outside just to building or make up imaginary games. Our natural lands are the perfect place for kids to take part in unstructured play. Huetter explained that the Disney Parks are working to build more areas within the resorts that emphasize unstructured play and how parents shouldn’t be hesitant to let their sons and daughters run around outside and let nature teach them! More individuals and schools are understanding the benefits that can be found in nature and are pushing to get kids outside.

The Trustees discussion was a clear reminder that nature shouldn’t be seen as a dangerous place… It is a place that provides endless opportunities for kids (of all ages) to grow and learn. The more kids are involved in nature the more they will grow to love it and hopefully work to protect it when they are older. I left the panel feeling hopeful that they will be more growth in environmental education and more work to get kids outside and enjoying the beauties of nature. It is inspiring to see the work that these panelists are doing! Although our environmental crisis can be seen as a nearly impossible challenge to overcome, it is the little actions like getting outside, learning from the nature apps, or even just letting young kids running around in the woods or in fields that can make all the difference.

       Here are a few additional resources for popular nature apps that you can download. I just downloaded most of them… I hope you do too!

https://www.rei.com/h/national-parks

http://blog.nwf.org/2011/08/the-best-wildlife-and-nature-iphone-and-android-apps/

http://www.rd.com/advice/travel/6-iphone-apps-for-nature-lovers/