FlorID is a tool to automatically identify plant species of the Swiss flora. It takes into account both photos and the location and date of an observation. FlorID can be accessed via smartphone apps and API interfaces.
The plant identification tool FlorID was developed in close collaboration with the national data and information centre for Swiss flora (InfoFlora). During the development of the application software, the latest generation of artificial neural networks were trained with 1.5 million plant photos and over 6.5 million plant observations. FlorID makes it possible to identify Swiss plant species on the basis of photographs. More precise identifications can be achieved by providing the coordinates and date of observation. FlorID recognizes over 3000 plant species with high reliability, especially those that are naturally distributed in Switzerland, including rare and hard-to-identify species. FlorID is intended to serve both as a quality control tool for the biodiversity database of InfoFlora and as an identification aid for interested users in the field. FlorID is available in a WSL version and an InfoFlora version.
WSL-version ¶
The WSL version of FlorID consists of a publicly accessible API, which can be queried via the SpeciesID app. The WSL version of FlorID is part of a development environment where we will test extensions and improvements, and as develop identification tools for additional groups of species. The WSL version of FlorID provides detailed information on how photos and habitat information (based on coordinates and date) have contributed to an identification. These services are freely accessible and may be of interest to experts. However, the versions of FlorID offered via the WSL API are partially may not always be thorougly checked for errors, and the server is not designed for high demand.
InfoFlora-version ¶
The InfoFlora version of FlorID is integrated into the service environment of InfoFlora and equipped with an intuitively understandable and well-linked user interface. It consists of a website (https://florid.ch/) and a module in the popular FlorApp. Connected to the website is also a public API, which allows for easy integration of FlorID into other smartphone apps and can be used for free as long as the number of queries per time remains within a reasonable frame (see terms of use).
Publication ¶
Brun, P., L. C. de Witte, M. R. Popp, D. Zurell, D. N. Karger, P. Descombes, R. de Lutio, J. D. Wegner, C. Bornand, S. Eggenberg, T. Olevski, and N. E. Zimmermann. In review. FlorID – a nationwide identification service for plants from photos and habitat information. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4830448