iSpot uses the wisdom in the crowd, but is designed for learning so we expect the structure of the network to change over time
A name is the quantum of learning in biodiversity
A name is a key to knowledge
With a name you can share what you have seen & find out more about it
The process of discovering the correct name is a lightbulb moment
Now have nearly 17,000 registered users and over 90,000 observations
The quiz was launched in July 2013, since then around 350 people per week have taken one or more quizzes, so an average of around 50 people per day. The quiz is tailored to the level and subject area that people request when they start a new quiz on iSpot. The reputation level that iSpot provides is a good indicator of the level that people should take but there is no restriction on the level so, for example, a level five expert could take a level 1 quiz and vice versa. The data from the weekly logs shows however the people are averaging about 7 out of ten for quizzes across the skills levels which suggests that people are naturally finding a level which challenges them.
The quiz is open to both visitors to the website who have not yet registered, and also to registered users. Registered users have the benefit of being able to look back at previous quizzes they have taken to compare results. As part of the intelligence the quiz tries to select images which have been agreements and ones which are non-contentious, for example it will attempt to filter out hybrid types.