Information for moderators

NatureMapr moderators are experienced contributors and experts who help maintain the quality and accuracy of records submitted to NatureMapr.

Moderators review sightings within their areas of expertise, confirm or correct identifications, assist contributors and help maintain species and location information.

What do moderators do?

Depending on their area of expertise, moderators may:

• Review and verify records submitted by the community
• Confirm or correct species identifications
• Discuss difficult records with contributors and other moderators
• Help contributors improve their identification skills
• Maintain species and taxonomy information
• Manage sensitive species and conservation information where appropriate
• Help identify significant or unusual records

Moderators can focus on the species groups or locations they know best. There is no expectation that a moderator will review every observation.

Who can become a moderator?

You don't necessarily need formal qualifications to become a NatureMapr moderator.

Moderators may include professional scientists, ecologists, biologists, rangers, conservation practitioners, naturalists, or experienced contributors with substantial knowledge of particular species or locations.

What matters most is demonstrated expertise, experience and a commitment to maintaining the quality of NatureMapr's biodiversity data.

Types of moderators

Category moderators

Category moderators have expertise in a particular group of organisms, such as birds, mammals, reptiles, plants, fungi or insects.

They help review records across the regions where their expertise is relevant.

Location moderators

Location moderators have detailed knowledge of a particular region, reserve or locality and the species that occur there.

They can provide valuable local context when reviewing records and help support the local NatureMapr community.

Moderation is voluntary

First and foremost, NatureMapr moderators are volunteers.

There is no requirement to review a particular number of observations or maintain a particular schedule. Moderators contribute when they have the time and interest to do so.

As NatureMapr grows, additional moderators can be appointed to help share the workload within particular categories and locations.

AI-assisted moderation

NatureMapr may use artificial intelligence to assist with the identification and prioritisation of records.

Carbon AI can suggest possible identifications and help moderators focus their attention where it is most useful.

However, AI does not replace expert moderation.

The goal is to combine the scale and speed of technology with the knowledge and judgement of experienced people.

AI suggests. Experts verify.

Moderator responsibilities

Moderators are trusted with additional capabilities because their decisions can influence the quality of NatureMapr's biodiversity data.

Moderators are expected to:

• Make identification decisions based on the available evidence
• Seek additional information when an identification is uncertain
• Treat contributors respectfully and constructively
• Recognise the limits of their own expertise
• Seek assistance from other moderators when appropriate
• Take particular care when dealing with sensitive species and locations

The objective is not to be right about every record.

It is to work collaboratively to produce the best-quality data possible.

Interested in becoming a moderator?

If you have substantial knowledge of a particular species group or location and would like to help the NatureMapr community, we'd be happy to hear from you.

You don't need to know everything, and you can develop your moderation skills over time with support from other experienced moderators.

Contact us about becoming a moderator