Night Lighting Groups- Fieldguide

We are organizing nightlighting groups (clubs) to develop moth image libraries through Fieldguide (Fg). Fieldguide has prepared for this for over four years, they have amassed over 2 million Lepidoptera images and refined their computer vision processes. Despite this progress, we still need more images to make more accurate identifications, especially live moths at rest. Our goal is to obtain over five thousand new images in 2019-20. If you do not have the Fieldguide app then grab your smartphone and download them here:
iPhone: Leps by Fieldguide on the App Store
Android: Leps by Fieldguide on Google Play

All you need to do is snap field images and upload them to Fg, they will be placed in both a Fg image database and an observation collection on SCAN-LepNet portal. We want to see if 30-50% of lep species can be identified at night light sheets. Ideally, participants would make a physical collection of specimens for cross-referencing with field images. Cross-referencing with vetted specimen identifications would increase the validity of the field image identification.

We will initiate our “Nightlighting” clubs on May 1, 2019. The key goal for the field season will be to upload as many images of moths from sheets, walls, wherever you set up night lights that attract moths. It can be a group effort at one site or a number of people with each person imaging moths at their porch lights.

After you download “Leps by Fieldguide” for Android or iOS then check out the how-to-videos.

HOW-TO VIDEOS

Search on website
https://youtu.be/sybG5LPRIGQ

Publish on website
https://youtu.be/_GFP6ySpHYA

Publish on mobile app
https://youtu.be/aVM50_LZG0U

Edit your figure on website
https://youtu.be/tfk_XovId0c

Edit your figure on mobile app
https://youtu.be/J7OFDhDeEpY

Then self organize. If you are already actively involved in iNaturalist, it is easy to share your images through Fg to your iNat account.

If you want to take images of other bugs you are welcome to upload any images you want.

We will set a number of goals for the year

1. Number of participants
2. Total images uploaded
3. Number of species imaged
4. Number of vetted identifications (either observer experience, location and appearance of moth resting, match between image and spread specimen)
5. whatever goal you want to achieve

Want to see your images make a difference? Go to the Fieldguide counter to see how many images there are for a species . Although, Fg has the largest image library of moths and butterflies, see if you can submit an image for a species that has no images!