Tagging an encounter allows you to group a number of (perhaps otherwise unrelated) encounters together. It is best to try to tag encounters as you record them, while the encounter memory is vivid/fresh in your mind.

Here are some ideas on how you could implement tags:

• Some fun tags: cool, scary, ugly-yet-cute, out-of-place
• When on a wildobsing trip group encounters with tags: yellowstone2009, ak-10-09
• Perhaps set personal tags: goal-2009
• Or use community ones: id-request, out-of-place, first-of-season

Some folks say “keep a short list of tags you use frequently/consistently” and “avoid adding the first 20 things that come to your mind” and adding to that others say “it is better to combine a lot of simple tags than dream up complicated ones”. I would add … try to avoid putting the location or date/time or species name (although latin is always fun into tags since those are already captured in the wildobs system.

Default Tags setting

Note: This feature is also incredibly useful for when looking up (say) a “goldfinch” but WildObs has it listed as either an “American Goldfinch” or an “European Goldfinch”, neither under “G”.

Go to the standard iPhone Settings app to access “Observer” settings. Scroll down to the bottom for this one:

How to turn on work-in-progress features...

Then, next time you start WildObs Observer you’ll notice a “search icon” on the toolbar:

Notice the search icon on the toolbar...

Pressing the search (or filter) icon will allow you to reduce the number of items in a list with jsut a few characters typed.

Search/Filter into a species list with a few characters...

There are a few things to work out with this mechanism (including does it move across lists, e.g. if selecting ‘gold’ when on birds and move to mammals does it reset of remain) but it is available. Please do provide us with feedback on how this works for you.

P.S. Also, even without this new “work in progress” feature there already is species search in the species tab:

Species search exist also.

Since then the database has grown, the species list is far wider and more exotic, and downloading all the images was taking way too much device resources (especially for the casual observer.) So, here we have WildObs Observer 1.4 with some new settings:

1. “Show Species Icons” shows you the thumbnail pictures when in the species pages. Turn this off to hide these images and significantly increase scrolling performance.
2. “Download Images” enables downloading for all images for offline use. It defaults to be off, and when off only those images of species you’ve reported, or use regularly, or are known to be around you are downloaded. All other images are downloaded on demand over WiFi or 3G or phone network.

Version 1.4: Lightening the image load...

WildObs Observer selecting Hedgehog

Press “show” to have a look at a picture…

Showing the Hedgehog

Press “info” to have WildObs lookup the species for your current location and return the closest encounter for that species…

Hedgehog information

North Table Mountain

I was preparing a guest posting for the excellent The Grass Stain Guru website and wanted an outdoors photo of WildObs Observer (iPhone application) for the posting. I was taking a hike in one of my current favorite open spaces North Table Mountain and so I took my iPod and my camera. I felt a little weird doing “a photo shoot for an iPod”, and I am no photographer, but I had a fun trip out. [Click any photo for a closer view.]

Perhaps it was because I was slowly moving (taking a photo here, another there) but I also had a very natureful trip. A skunk wandered by me uninterrupted by my presence. Massive bees buzzed past me going about their business. I discovered rock squirrel (a first for me.) I saw lizards and birds I had not seen this season. It was quite a memorable trip.

Colorado is living up to it’s “colorful” name right now with glorious wildflowers, and even a seasonal waterfall. Yes, this open space is one of my favorites right now.

At the start of the trip. I am sure there is a fly catching bird (perhaps Kingbird) in there somewhere, but clearly my arm isn’t long enough to get both the iPod and the critter in focus. [I tried with the skunk, even risking myself by getting close, but the photos just didn't work out.]

Photo Shoot for a Wild iPod

Ok, a rock … that seems a good place to try. Nice background w/ the mesa:

Rock iPod

Wildflowers, now there is some color.

Wildflower iPod

Here is what I really came for. Up on top of the mesa some flowering cacti:

Scenary iPod

Ok, the water “fall” is a trickle, but still worth a shot:

Waterfall iPod

More blooming cactus:

Flowering Cactus iPod

More color:

Wildflower iPod

Again, a bit of a daft endeavor but a fun way to get some exercise and be outdoors amongst nature.

First thing to highlight (from working with the users/observers so far) is:

To use WildObs Observer you’ll need a WildObs account. So Sign-up here.

If you cannot log into WildObs Observer using the username/password you signed-up with, the problem is most likely that you have not clicked on the confirmation link in the address confirmation e-mail that WildObs sends you. Maybe your spam filter ate it, maybe it is waiting for you. Please look for that e-mail and click that link (basically to confirm you aren’t a robot spammer.)

Once you have that:

• Let the application download it’s species lists. The initial download is long/slow, but needs to get done. Please do this while connected to a WIFI network if you can.
• To record an encounter pick the species (either from the main tab screen with picker, or from the species tab with table view of species) and then press “RECORD”.
• If you are on an iPhone the location ought be determined via GPS. If it cannot be, or you are on an iPod Touch, pick or enter a new location. WildObs attempts to geo-locate places (although this is imperfect for more remote locations) so enter an description address/placemark name.
• Press “SAVE” to record the encounter to the local database. The red circle w/ number is how many encounters are locally stored, ready to be uploaded to WildObs.
• Press “CONNECT” to synchronize your iPhone/iPod with WildObs.

• Create you own favorites/wish-list on WildObs if you want custom lists of your own picking.
• Set your Twitter username/password in your profile, and WildObs will tweet your encounters, and add them to the NWF Twitter Stream.

Here is the link to the application. It launches iTunes to view/install the application:

  http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=309451803&mt=8

Here is a recent screen shot of the application (there are more above):

Notice the NWF logo, that is a shout out to their wonderful Wildlife Watch program. WildObs encounters tweeted for the user by WildObs use the #nwf tag to stream into the NWF WildlifeWatch Twitter Timeline.

• Allow capturing an encounter with less clicks from application launch.
• Simplify the start-up (enter WildObs account, sync with server, get started)
• Allow easier access to a species (search, indexes, my lists.)

Ease of recording

The front page is now all about capturing an encounter. It presents your customized lists of species (recent entries, local species, favorites, wishlist and more) and allows you to quickly select a species and record your encounter. One can show/hide the lists as needed:

WildObs Observer Front Page

The front page does, also, remind you of recent encounters by selecting up to three at random to show you.

Don’t make me think so hard to get started

A start-up hint on how to use:

Start-up Tip

When there are lots of species, make access quicker:

Jump to a given letter (saving scrolling):

Species Index

Search for any word (or partial word) within a species name:

Species Search