The iNat API now returns the original filename for uploaded photos and sounds. This could be used to attempt to match local and remote photos.
Limitations:
original_filename is only returned for your own photos for authenticated API calls
- Can't match filenames that changed after uploading
- May not be able to match duplicate filenames across multiple directories (if recursively scanning subdirs)
- But other metadata like timestamps may be able to identify one unambiguous match
- Doesn't capture non-iNat local photos of the same organism. I.e., iNat observation photos are a subset of my local photos.
- Might be possible to provide suggestions for other photos belonging to the same observation based on timestamps?
Prerequisites: user authentication is the biggest hurdle, which will require quite a bit of effort to make it both convenient for the user and reasonably secure:
The iNat API now returns the original filename for uploaded photos and sounds. This could be used to attempt to match local and remote photos.
Limitations:
original_filenameis only returned for your own photos for authenticated API callsPrerequisites: user authentication is the biggest hurdle, which will require quite a bit of effort to make it both convenient for the user and reasonably secure: