Where do iNaturalist maps come from?

Modified on Thu, 13 Feb at 2:40 PM

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The maps that appear under observation points, species ranges, etc., do not come from iNaturalist. Rather, they are supplied by three map providers: Google Maps, Apple Maps, and OpenStreetMap.


iNaturalist website (and network websites): by default, the iNaturalist website uses maps from Google Maps. 


On just about any map pane, click on the "layers" icon to change your map tile preferences: default map view from Google Maps, satellite map view from Google Maps, or OpenStreetMap (sometimes shortened to OSM). This preference will be applied to all maps on the site when you're logged in to your account until you update this preference again. 


iNaturalist Android app: this app only uses maps from Google Maps. You can toggle between various map layers on some screens.


iNaturalist iOS/iPadOS apps: these apps only use maps from Apple Maps. You can toggle between various map layers on some screens.


If you see a label on an underlying map that you believe is incorrect or should not be there, this is not something iNaturalist can change. You will have to reach out to the map provider directly or, in the case of OpenStreetMap, potentially edit it yourself.

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