PlantNet vs Arbolapp

Pl@ntNet is an application that allows you to identify plants simply by photographing them with your smartphone. Very useful when you don't have a botanist on hand! Pl@ntNet is also a great citizen science project: all the plants you photograph are collected and analysed by scientists around the world to better understand the evolution of plant biodiversity and to better preserve it. Pl@ntNet allows you to identify and better understand all kinds of plants living in nature: flowering plants, trees, grasses, conifers, ferns, vines, wild salads, cacti (and many more). Pl@ntNet can also identify a large number of cultivated plants (in parks and gardens) but this is not its primary purpose. We especially need Pl@ntNet’s users to inventory the wild plants, those that you can observe in nature, but also those that grow on the sidewalks of cities or in the middle of your vegetable garden! The more visual information you give to Pl@ntNet about the plant you are observing, the more accurate the identification will be. There are indeed many plants that look alike from afar and it is sometimes small details that distinguish two species of the same genus. Flowers, fruits and leaves are the most characteristic organs of a species and it is them that should be photographed first. But any other detail can be useful, such as thorns, buds or hair on the stem. A photograph of the whole plant is also very useful information, but it is often not sufficient to allow a reliable identification. At present, Pl@ntNet makes it possible to recognize about 20,000 species. We are still a long way from the 360,000 species living on earth, but Pl@ntNet is getting richer every day thanks to the contributions of the most experienced users among you. Don't be afraid to contribute yourself! Your observation will be reviewed by the community and may one day join the photo gallery illustrating the species in the application. The new version of Pl@ntNet released in January 2019 includes many improvements and new features: -The ability to filter recognized species by genus or family. -The differentiated data revision that gives more weight to users who have demonstrated the most skills (in particular the number of species observed, validated by the community). -The re-identification of shared observations, whether yours or those of other users of the application. -The multi-flora identification that allows you to search for the photographed plant in all the flora of the application and not only in the one you have selected. Very useful when you are not sure what flora to look for. -The selection of your favorite floras to access them more quickly. -The navigation at different taxonomic levels in image galleries. -The mapping of your observations. -Links to many factsheets. The web version of the application is also available at the following address: https://identify.plantnet.org/

Arbolapp is a free app that anyone can use, based on the scientific research carried out at the CSIC's Royal Botanic Garden. Its contents include: - 143 species described on 122 information sheets: all the native trees as well as those that most frequently become established in the wild in Andorra, continental Portugal, peninsular Spain, and the Balearic Islands. Each species entry includes a distribution map, a brief description and one or more photos. - 2 ways to search (directed and open) to intuitively identify species. - More than 370 illustrations that facilitate species identification. - More than 500 photos showing the most characteristic details of each tree. - A glossary of around 90 terms. Arbolapp does not need an internet connection to work, making it really useful for trips into the natural environment. Its contents are aimed at anyone wanting to learn about or increase their knowledge of the trees they find in their surroundings. For this reason, an effort has been made to use understandable language and simple explanations without dumbing down the content. Arbolapp is an initiative of the most important Spanish research association, the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), driven by its Deputy Vice Chair of Scientific Culture and the Royal Botanic Garden. Felipe Castilla Lattke is responsible for the content. He has drawn up the species information sheets and identification keys, and has contributed most of the photos from his personal image bank. Additionally, the project has been funded by the Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT).