iNaturalist, cloud and backups #
Important ENTOMONE features include local taxon dictionaries, iNaturalist, Catalogue of Life Extended Release, map-based locality names, Google Drive, private photo storage, backups and selected publication to iNaturalist.
Taxonomic sources #
ENTOMONE separates taxonomic sources by role. iNaturalist is needed for observation publication because iNaturalist requires its own taxon_id. It is not a complete or always-current taxon list.
Catalogue of Life Extended Release (CoL XR), also used by GBIF as the current COL XR taxonomy, is the reference for name completeness and the taxonomic tree. If iNaturalist does not contain a taxon, ENTOMONE automatically switches lookup to CoL XR to find the name and keep the local classification.
For specialist groups such as Cerambycidae, users may also work with a local expert layer. A useful control case is Agapanthia suturalis: CoL XR / GBIF COL XR places it through Agapanthiinae, while iNaturalist still shows the older path through Lamiinae.
How ENTOMONE chooses a taxon source #
ENTOMONE starts with the user's local dictionary. When publication mapping is needed, it checks iNaturalist. If iNaturalist returns an active and unambiguous taxon, the record can be published to iNat.
If iNaturalist does not find the taxon, ENTOMONE uses Catalogue of Life XR as the fallback source. The record remains valid locally: it has a name, rank and taxonomic tree, but it cannot be published to iNaturalist until that taxon exists in iNat.
If the taxon exists in iNaturalist but the iNat classification is older or different from CoL XR, publication remains possible. ENTOMONE can store both orders: the iNaturalist taxon_id for publishing and the CoL XR / local expert classification for the tree, exports and user work.
Map and locality names #
Maps can suggest locality names. Locality is a text description for one record and can always be edited manually.
User Google Drive #
ENTOMONE supports two free storage variants. Free works without Google Drive and is limited to 100 active full-size photos and 100 MB of files stored by ENTOMONE. After a private Google Drive is connected successfully, the account uses Standard. In Standard, full photos, exports and copies created by the app can be stored in the user's Drive. Google Drive is not required to begin using ENTOMONE.
Backups and publication #
Backup and export are separate mechanisms. A full private records database backup contains the SQLite database with all of the user's records from all Datasets (Databases). For Standard accounts, a copy can be stored in the user's private Google Drive. Available operations are shown in Settings - Export / import / backup.
A ZIP export covers one selected Database, while CSV covers selected records or the current report scope. ZIP and CSV support data transfer and review, but they do not replace the full SQLite backup. A full SQLite backup is not uploaded through either import form; controlled restoration is performed by an administrator after verification.
These mechanisms are important because entomological data has long-term value. iNaturalist publication is optional and should include only selected records.