FAQ

User account How can I register?

On the mobile version, you just have to go to the Profile section of your app then click on Log in.

On the Web version, simply click on the green Register button.

User account Can I change the username, e-mail address, last name, first name or avatar of my account?

Yes, you can make these changes. On the mobile version, you just have to go to the Settings section of your app, then click on Edit profile.

User account How can I ensure that my first and last name do not appear in my shared observations?

On the mobile version, simply go to the Settings section of your app, then click on Edit Profile. Delete your last name and / or first name, then click on Update. Your username will then appear instead on your next shared observations.

User account How do I retrieve my username or password?

On the mobile version, simply go to the Profile section of your app and click Log in, and then click Forgot password?.

On the Web version, simply click on the blue Login or Register, then click on Forgotten Password.

User account Can I delete my account?

Yes. In the mobile app, go to your profil edition, then Delete my account. On the web version, go to your Profile, and on the My data tab.

Observations Can I edit an image or observation I have shared?

You can change the identification of a shared observation by clicking on the details button of your observation, then by proposing a new plant name by clicking on Specify species. The initially proposed species name will then be updated after clicking on validate. You can also modify the locality and comments fields of your observations.

Observations Can I delete an image or observation I have shared?

It is not currently possible to delete an image from a shared observation. However, you can delete an observation. In the mobile app, open the observation and press on the "..." button at the top right, then on "Delete". On the web, once logged into your account, go to the My data page, select the observation to delete and click on "delete" button at the bottom of the page.

Observations Can I submit an observation composed of several images?

Yes, you can submit an observation composed of several images. You can:

• turn off the "autosearch" option in the app parameters,
• or "go back" from the identification result to edit your observation. This will allow you to produce observations with up to 4 different images before contributing or trying to identify them. Be careful to produce only observations of the same plant, and not to mix images of different species in the same observation.

Community How to see the feedback from the community?

To benefit from the community's feedback, it is necessary to share your observation. These feedbacks will then be visible in the details of each of your observations, present in the Shared tab of the Profile section.

Community Why are my observations marked as "invalid"?

Observations are indicated as invalid, as long as they do not have sufficient votes for:

• the pictures quality,
• the quality of species determination.

Community How long does it take to review an observation?

The duration of evaluation / revision of an observation is very variable. This depends on the quality of your observation, the difficulty of the species to be recognized, the number of connected users, etc. We do our best to improve collaborative review processes and ensure that they are as short as possible.

Data How are the observations validated?

Observations are reviewed by users who have an account. To be validated, an observation must have a sufficient number of votes for the quality of its images, and the proposed determination.

Data How are my votes taken into account?

Votes are used to evaluate the status of each image and each observation shared by the network of authenticated users.

Data How to access Pl@ntNet data?

• On mobile, you can view your data in the Profile section of the mobile app, once you are logged in. The Statistics page, accessible thanks to the icon on the top right in the Profile section, allows you to see the map of your observations.
• On the Web version, you can download all your observations to perform analyses with other tools, or to share them in batches with collaborators, from the My Data section: identify.plantnet.org. All you have to do is click on Export my observations to csv format to download them.
• The visual data produced by Pl@ntNet, are annually shared with the international scientific community through the LifeCLEF initiative (lifeclef.org). LifeCLEF is an international evaluation campaign, which makes it possible to know and advance the state of the art in the field of automated plant species identification. Pl@ntNet contributes to this every year, since 2011 by organizing a specific task on plant identification.
• For research purposes, Pl@ntNet occurrences 2017 - 2018 are available through the publication of the following data set: Botella C., Bonnet P., Joly A., Lombardo J.-C., & Affouard A. (2019). Pl@ntNet queries 2017-2018 in France (Version 0) Data set. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2634137
• To date, there is no API to explore all the data produced by the user community. This type of IT service is part of the list of developments we wish to undertake and propose in future versions of the platform.

Data How is my ranking calculated?

The rankings of users are calculated daily, based on the number of species they illustrate with their observations validated by the community. This ranking is reviewed daily, based on contributions and collaborative reviews.

Data How to access additional information available on a species?

To do this, simply click on the underlined name of a species. You arrive on a page containing all the information available for a species, namely:

• all images of flowers, leaves, fruits, stems, habits validated,
• the Wikipedia Webpage,
• the additional information accessible via the i on this page, containing the family name, genus name, common names in the language of the app, synonyms, links to Google, Wikipedia, and the Websites of our partners (Prota, Prosea, Endemia, Cabi, etc.), the list of known uses.

Data What is the purpose of my data?

Shared data are used to:

• improve the performance of Pl@ntNet services,
• contribute to computer science and ecological research,
• enable large-scale plant biodiversity monitoring.

Identification Why doesn't Pl@ntNet recognize my photo?

Two possible explanations:

• The species searched for is not or only slightly illustrated in Pl@ntNet.
• Your photo is unsuitable to be correctly used by the visual identification service. In this case, you can take one or more new photos, following the following recommendations:
  • Take an isolated, well-developed, close-up photo of a flower, leaf or fruit in the center of the image.
  • Avoid photographing your fingers or any other object / or plant not belonging to the desired species (pot, ruler, etc.).
  • Make sure that the focus is on the photographed organ and not on the background of the image.
  • Combine potentially several images of the same plant before submitting your observation.

Floras What is the flora "World Flora"?

This flora is not the sum of all the other available floras on Pl@ntNet but an independent flora, based on a World flora checklist: The Plant List.

Language How can I change the language of the app?

You must go to the app settings section, then click on Parameters and language.

Language Can I participate in the translation of the app into my language?

Yes! The app is mainly translated thanks to the good will of several users, to whom we warmly thank. To participate in this collective effort, you can visit this link.

Web Can I use Pl@ntNet on my computer?

Yes! the Web version of Pl@ntNet is available at the following address: identify.plantnet.org. It uses the same data and recognition algorithms and will allow you to identify plant images that you have taken with digital cameras or downloaded to your computer.

Issue How can I report a bug?

All you have to do is write to us by e-mail, indicating:

• the model of your smartphone,
• the Android or iOS version installed,
• the version of the Pl@ntNet app used, that you will find at the bottom of the Parameters section of the app,
• the description of the bug you encounter (possibly with a screenshot illustrating it). A big thank you in advance for your contributions on this subject, knowing that we are doing our best to handle these returns with the means at our disposal.

Feature How can I propose a new feature?

All you have to do is write to us by e-mail, indicating as precisely as possible the type of functionality you would like to provide. The ideas we receive enrich the list of evolutions that we plan on an ongoing basis, and that we do our best to implement.

Mobile offline Can I use the mobile app in offline mode?

The mobile versions of Pl@ntNet (iOS and Android) allow you to perform plant observations in the field, possibly geolocated (if your GPS is activated and you agree to share your location with us) without a mobile connection. If you want to identify plants without an internet connections (embedded mode), you can follow this article.

Collaboration How to collaborate with Pl@ntNet?

Several possibilities:

• As an individual, you can:
  • participate in the collaborative review of already validated data by "cleaning" data illustrating species in the flora explorer,
  • participate in the collaborative review of recent data shared by the user network, in the flow of the latest contributions,
  • share your identified observations (based on a botanical expertise), via the mobile app or the Web version of Pl@ntNet,
  • participate in the translation of the app into a language that is not yet available.
• As a research or teaching institute, you may be interested in improving the recognition system with your data and / or expertise, to benefit your network. If this is the case, we invite you to contact the team by e-mail.
• As an association or local authority, you may be interested in contextualizing the use of Pl@ntNet to a flora of interest to you as a micro-project. Please refer to the FAQ section on this point.
• As a company involved in the digital economy, you may be interested in using the Pl@ntNet API, please refer to the FAQ section on this point.

Collaboration How to implement a micro-project on the flora that interests me?

If you are a representative of a garden, an association, a foundation, a local authority, an educational institution, the implementation of a Pl@ntNet micro-project on your species of interest can help to contextualize Pl@ntNet's services to your activities. To do this, here is the procedure to follow and the information to know:

1. The implementation of a micro-project requires access to the list of species of interest for this micro-project. This list, including the Latin names of the families, genera, and species involved, will provide information on the number of species already illustrated in Pl@ntNet. It is an essential prerequisite for this work.
2. The creation of a micro-project requires a significant investment on our part, we propose to our partners to co-finance the implementation costs, by co-financing this work according to the number of species covered, and their rate of use. The calculation method is as follows: total cost = implementation cost ⁱ + annual maintenance cost ⁱⁱ.
   • ⁱ Implementation cost: 2K euros + (5 euros x number of species). For example, the implementation of a micro-project on 200 species will cost 3K euros (i.e.: 2000 + (5 x 200)). This investment, which is necessary to start the micro-project, covers in particular the engineering time required to format and integrate data.
   • ⁱⁱ Annual maintenance cost: this is based on the number of species for this micro-project. As species-rich micro-projects require a more substantial IT infrastructure, the cost grid below aims to ensure that maintenance participation is proportional to the volumes of species. The minimum annual maintenance cost is 1K euros, according to the following bands: a. 1K euros per year (up to 1K species); b. 1 euro per additional species (e.g.: a micro-project with 2K species - maintenance cost of 2K euros / year). These costs are estimated in order to ensure the best compromise for the accessibility and sustainability of Pl@ntNet. They are applied regardless of the status of your structure and its geographical location.

Collaboration How can Pl@ntNet be adapted to the plants of my country or region?

If you have extensive botanical expertise, a vast network of experts, and / or a large volume of visual data to adapt Pl@ntNet to your region, here is the information you need to know:

• Adapting Pl@ntNet to a new territory requires access to the exhaustive list (with the exception of lichens, mosses and algae) of the plant species in the new territory.
• The adaptation of Pl@ntNet to a new territory requires the mobilization / production of a significant volume of visual data on the species of this territory. It is therefore necessary to identify the important partners for this work of aggregating quality visual data.
• Adapting Pl@ntNet to a new territory is a long-term task. This type of adaptation takes time, from several months to years. It is therefore necessary to plan your investment on this achievement over the long term.
• Adapting Pl@ntNet to a new territory requires the investment of expertise, human resources and an infrastructure with limited capacity. It is therefore important to identify the funding mechanisms to ensure the development of this adaptation of Pl@ntNet in the long term.

API Is it possible to access the Pl@ntNet identification API?

To access it, you must create an account on the following space: my.plantnet.org.

• The "my.plantnet.org" service allows app developers to identify plants using the Pl@ntNet AI models.

User account How can I register?

On the mobile version, you just have to go to the Profile section of your app then click on Log in.

On the Web version, simply click on the green Register button.

User account Can I change the username, e-mail address, last name, first name or avatar of my account?

Yes, you can make these changes. On the mobile version, you just have to go to the Settings section of your app, then click on Edit profile.

User account How can I ensure that my first and last name do not appear in my shared observations?

On the mobile version, simply go to the Settings section of your app, then click on Edit Profile. Delete your last name and / or first name, then click on Update. Your username will then appear instead on your next shared observations.

User account How do I retrieve my username or password?

On the mobile version, simply go to the Profile section of your app and click Log in, and then click Forgot password?.

On the Web version, simply click on the blue Login or Register, then click on Forgotten Password.

User account Can I delete my account?

Yes. In the mobile app, go to your profil edition, then Delete my account. On the web version, go to your Profile, and on the My data tab.

Observations Can I edit an image or observation I have shared?

You can change the identification of a shared observation by clicking on the details button of your observation, then by proposing a new plant name by clicking on Specify species. The initially proposed species name will then be updated after clicking on validate. You can also modify the locality and comments fields of your observations.

Observations Can I delete an image or observation I have shared?

It is not currently possible to delete an image from a shared observation. However, you can delete an observation. In the mobile app, open the observation and press on the "..." button at the top right, then on "Delete". On the web, once logged into your account, go to the My data page, select the observation to delete and click on "delete" button at the bottom of the page.

Observations Can I submit an observation composed of several images?

Yes, you can submit an observation composed of several images. You can:

• turn off the "autosearch" option in the app parameters,
• or "go back" from the identification result to edit your observation. This will allow you to produce observations with up to 4 different images before contributing or trying to identify them. Be careful to produce only observations of the same plant, and not to mix images of different species in the same observation.

Community How to see the feedback from the community?

To benefit from the community's feedback, it is necessary to share your observation. These feedbacks will then be visible in the details of each of your observations, present in the Shared tab of the Profile section.

Community Why are my observations marked as "invalid"?

Observations are indicated as invalid, as long as they do not have sufficient votes for:

• the pictures quality,
• the quality of species determination.

Community How long does it take to review an observation?

The duration of evaluation / revision of an observation is very variable. This depends on the quality of your observation, the difficulty of the species to be recognized, the number of connected users, etc. We do our best to improve collaborative review processes and ensure that they are as short as possible.

Data How are the observations validated?

Observations are reviewed by users who have an account. To be validated, an observation must have a sufficient number of votes for the quality of its images, and the proposed determination.

Data How are my votes taken into account?

Votes are used to evaluate the status of each image and each observation shared by the network of authenticated users.

Data How to access Pl@ntNet data?

• On mobile, you can view your data in the Profile section of the mobile app, once you are logged in. The Statistics page, accessible thanks to the icon on the top right in the Profile section, allows you to see the map of your observations.
• On the Web version, you can download all your observations to perform analyses with other tools, or to share them in batches with collaborators, from the My Data section: identify.plantnet.org. All you have to do is click on Export my observations to csv format to download them.
• The visual data produced by Pl@ntNet, are annually shared with the international scientific community through the LifeCLEF initiative (lifeclef.org). LifeCLEF is an international evaluation campaign, which makes it possible to know and advance the state of the art in the field of automated plant species identification. Pl@ntNet contributes to this every year, since 2011 by organizing a specific task on plant identification.
• For research purposes, Pl@ntNet occurrences 2017 - 2018 are available through the publication of the following data set: Botella C., Bonnet P., Joly A., Lombardo J.-C., & Affouard A. (2019). Pl@ntNet queries 2017-2018 in France (Version 0) Data set. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.2634137
• To date, there is no API to explore all the data produced by the user community. This type of IT service is part of the list of developments we wish to undertake and propose in future versions of the platform.

Data How is my ranking calculated?

The rankings of users are calculated daily, based on the number of species they illustrate with their observations validated by the community. This ranking is reviewed daily, based on contributions and collaborative reviews.

Data How to access additional information available on a species?

To do this, simply click on the underlined name of a species. You arrive on a page containing all the information available for a species, namely:

• all images of flowers, leaves, fruits, stems, habits validated,
• the Wikipedia Webpage,
• the additional information accessible via the i on this page, containing the family name, genus name, common names in the language of the app, synonyms, links to Google, Wikipedia, and the Websites of our partners (Prota, Prosea, Endemia, Cabi, etc.), the list of known uses.

Data What is the purpose of my data?

Shared data are used to:

• improve the performance of Pl@ntNet services,
• contribute to computer science and ecological research,
• enable large-scale plant biodiversity monitoring.

Identification Why doesn't Pl@ntNet recognize my photo?

Two possible explanations:

• The species searched for is not or only slightly illustrated in Pl@ntNet.
• Your photo is unsuitable to be correctly used by the visual identification service. In this case, you can take one or more new photos, following the following recommendations:
  • Take an isolated, well-developed, close-up photo of a flower, leaf or fruit in the center of the image.
  • Avoid photographing your fingers or any other object / or plant not belonging to the desired species (pot, ruler, etc.).
  • Make sure that the focus is on the photographed organ and not on the background of the image.
  • Combine potentially several images of the same plant before submitting your observation.

Floras What is the flora "World Flora"?

This flora is not the sum of all the other available floras on Pl@ntNet but an independent flora, based on a World flora checklist: The Plant List.

Language How can I change the language of the app?

You must go to the app settings section, then click on Parameters and language.

Language Can I participate in the translation of the app into my language?

Yes! The app is mainly translated thanks to the good will of several users, to whom we warmly thank. To participate in this collective effort, you can visit this link.

Windows Phone Can I use Pl@ntNet with my Windows Phone?

No, this is unfortunately not possible. The size of our team does not allow us to develop Pl@ntNet for all IT environments. However, you can use the Web version of Pl@ntNet, available at the following address: identify.plantnet.org.

Web Can I use Pl@ntNet on my computer?

Yes! the Web version of Pl@ntNet is available at the following address: identify.plantnet.org. It uses the same data and recognition algorithms and will allow you to identify plant images that you have taken with digital cameras or downloaded to your computer.

Issue How can I report a bug?

All you have to do is write to us by e-mail, indicating:

• the model of your smartphone,
• the Android or iOS version installed,
• the version of the Pl@ntNet app used, that you will find at the bottom of the Parameters section of the app,
• the description of the bug you encounter (possibly with a screenshot illustrating it). A big thank you in advance for your contributions on this subject, knowing that we are doing our best to handle these returns with the means at our disposal.

Feature How can I propose a new feature?

All you have to do is write to us by e-mail, indicating as precisely as possible the type of functionality you would like to provide. The ideas we receive enrich the list of evolutions that we plan on an ongoing basis, and that we do our best to implement.

Mobile offline Can I use the mobile app in offline mode?

The mobile versions of Pl@ntNet (iOS and Android) allow you to perform plant observations in the field, possibly geolocated (if your GPS is activated and you agree to share your location with us) without a mobile connection. If you want to identify plants without an internet connections (embedded mode), you can follow this article.

Collaboration How to collaborate with Pl@ntNet?

Several possibilities:

• As an individual, you can:
  • participate in the collaborative review of already validated data by "cleaning" data illustrating species in the flora explorer,
  • participate in the collaborative review of recent data shared by the user network, in the flow of the latest contributions,
  • share your identified observations (based on a botanical expertise), via the mobile app or the Web version of Pl@ntNet,
  • participate in the translation of the app into a language that is not yet available.
• As a research or teaching institute, you may be interested in improving the recognition system with your data and / or expertise, to benefit your network. If this is the case, we invite you to contact the team by e-mail.
• As an association or local authority, you may be interested in contextualizing the use of Pl@ntNet to a flora of interest to you as a micro-project. Please refer to the FAQ section on this point.
• As a company involved in the digital economy, you may be interested in using the Pl@ntNet API, please refer to the FAQ section on this point.

Collaboration How to implement a micro-project on the flora that interests me?

If you are a representative of a garden, an association, a foundation, a local authority, an educational institution, the implementation of a Pl@ntNet micro-project on your species of interest can help to contextualize Pl@ntNet's services to your activities. To do this, here is the procedure to follow and the information to know:

1. The implementation of a micro-project requires access to the list of species of interest for this micro-project. This list, including the Latin names of the families, genera, and species involved, will provide information on the number of species already illustrated in Pl@ntNet. It is an essential prerequisite for this work.
2. The creation of a micro-project requires a significant investment on our part, we propose to our partners to co-finance the implementation costs, by co-financing this work according to the number of species covered, and their rate of use. The calculation method is as follows: total cost = implementation cost ⁱ + annual maintenance cost ⁱⁱ.
   • ⁱ Implementation cost: 2K euros + (5 euros x number of species). For example, the implementation of a micro-project on 200 species will cost 3K euros (i.e.: 2000 + (5 x 200)). This investment, which is necessary to start the micro-project, covers in particular the engineering time required to format and integrate data.
   • ⁱⁱ Annual maintenance cost: this is based on the number of species for this micro-project. As species-rich micro-projects require a more substantial IT infrastructure, the cost grid below aims to ensure that maintenance participation is proportional to the volumes of species. The minimum annual maintenance cost is 1K euros, according to the following bands: a. 1K euros per year (up to 1K species); b. 1 euro per additional species (e.g.: a micro-project with 2K species - maintenance cost of 2K euros / year). These costs are estimated in order to ensure the best compromise for the accessibility and sustainability of Pl@ntNet. They are applied regardless of the status of your structure and its geographical location.

Collaboration How can Pl@ntNet be adapted to the plants of my country or region?

If you have extensive botanical expertise, a vast network of experts, and / or a large volume of visual data to adapt Pl@ntNet to your region, here is the information you need to know:

• Adapting Pl@ntNet to a new territory requires access to the exhaustive list (with the exception of lichens, mosses and algae) of the plant species in the new territory.
• The adaptation of Pl@ntNet to a new territory requires the mobilization / production of a significant volume of visual data on the species of this territory. It is therefore necessary to identify the important partners for this work of aggregating quality visual data.
• Adapting Pl@ntNet to a new territory is a long-term task. This type of adaptation takes time, from several months to years. It is therefore necessary to plan your investment on this achievement over the long term.
• Adapting Pl@ntNet to a new territory requires the investment of expertise, human resources and an infrastructure with limited capacity. It is therefore important to identify the funding mechanisms to ensure the development of this adaptation of Pl@ntNet in the long term.

API Is it possible to access the Pl@ntNet identification API?

To access it, you must create an account on the following space: my.plantnet.org.

• The "my.plantnet.org" service allows app developers to identify plants using the Pl@ntNet AI models.