Community involvement in natural history: a growing opportunity for entomology and science

Abstract

Community involvement in science, driven largely by advances in digital photography and the widespread use of online databases, has experienced exponential growth over the past decade. This study focuses on potential opportunities in iNaturalist, the leading international platform for community science observations, covering all life-forms. It is essentially based on photographs, usually in the field. iNaturalist is now the largest global contributor of insect species records from community science observations; the surge in observational data offers the potential to address significant gaps in the scientific record. 
We analysed entomological data from the platform to evaluate the volume, growth trends, and quality of submissions. We also surveyed iNaturalist’s top insect identifiers to identify opportunities for enhancing data utility and community engagement. The survey responses explored the various reasons for many observations being unavailable to be identified to Research Grade status. 
Based on our findings, we propose a development framework to enhance the research utility of community science data in entomology and to better leverage its potential. This includes the establishment of an entomology “Community of Practice”, an advisory group comprising a diverse group of influential leaders within the stakeholder communities, to guide future initiatives. The objective would be to formulate actionable strategies for improving the use of iNaturalist and resolve the issues raised by the wider iNaturalist stakeholder community. While this paper focuses on iNaturalist, the findings may have applicability for other platforms.