The location of your find is one of the most valuable parts of a record. It shows where species grow and places your record in its vice county.
Location From Your Photos
If your photos contain GPS data, the location is filled in automatically from your first photo, along with the address and vice county. This works on the website and in the app.
- If you’ve placed a pin on the map first, your pin is kept.
- Private observations don’t use photo GPS data, and it’s removed from the stored photos.
Always check a location filled in from a photo before submitting, especially if you took the photo somewhere you’d rather not share.
Setting the Location on the Website
- In the Location section of the observation form, click the map where you found the fungus.
- Drag the pin to adjust it, and zoom in for accuracy.
- The address, coordinates and vice county update automatically.
Setting the Location in the App
- Tap Current to use your phone’s GPS. This is best when you’re at the site.
- Tap Pick on Map to choose the spot yourself, for example when you’re recording at home. Tap the map to adjust the pin.
The app shows the coordinates and address so you can check them.
what3words
You can add a what3words address (for example ///filled.count.soap) as well as the map pin. It’s checked as you type. what3words addresses are only shown to others on Open observations.
Vice Counties
A Watsonian vice county, for example VC16 West Kent, is added automatically from your pin. Vice counties are the fixed recording areas used in UK biological recording since the 1850s, so records can be compared over long periods. If you move the pin, the vice county updates. Vice counties are included when records are shared with the NBN Atlas.
Location Privacy
Choose how precisely others see your location:
- Open: the exact spot.
- Obscured: an approximate spot a few kilometres away. It’s always placed on land, so coastal finds don’t appear in the sea.
- Private: no location shown.
See Understanding Geoprivacy. Some protected species are automatically hidden or obscured. See Protected Species and Location Privacy.
Tips for Accurate Locations
- Record at the site when you can.
- Zoom in before placing the pin.
- Check that the address and vice county look right.