Terms of use

Spotanist is made by Brandon Almeda Consulting Inc. These are the terms for using it, in a browser or in the app. Starting a Field Guide or placing an order means you accept them. They are written to be read; the privacy policy says what happens to your data.

What Spotanist is

You photograph a plant, an AI model suggests a name, and the spot is kept in your Field Guide. Spotting is free. The only thing for sale is a print of a plant you found yourself.

Identification from one photograph is not always right. Readings are marked confident, likely or unsure so you can judge them. Never eat, handle or treat a plant on the strength of a name from Spotanist; it is not advice on edibility, toxicity, medicine or safety.

Your profile

• You need to be 13 or older to use Spotanist. A child under 13 may spot with a parent or carer using the adult's profile.
• A profile is a display name saved on your device, and optionally an account you sign in to so it follows you between devices. Pick a name you are happy to see next to your spots, on Top Spotters and on any species plate you were first to find. A nickname is fine.
• One person, one profile on Top Spotters. Duplicate profiles made to climb the board, or spots that are not your own photographs of a living plant, may be hidden or removed.
• You can delete your profile at any time from your Field Guide page. What stays and why is in the privacy policy.

Your photos

Your photos stay yours. By spotting you give Brandon Almeda Consulting Inc permission to store each photo, send it to the model that names the plant, and show it on your Field Guide, the species page and the home feed with your name, until you delete it. We do not use your photos for advertising and we do not sell them.

Only photograph what you may photograph. Do not upload pictures of people, the inside of private property, or anything that is not a plant. Reports are acted on within a day and a spot may be hidden while we look.

Plates, First Finds and Top Spotters

• Each species has one plate, drawn in the style of a nineteenth-century botanical print and shared by everyone who finds that species. The plates belong to Brandon Almeda Consulting Inc. You may share screenshots of your own Field Guide and its plates; you may not sell them or print them other than through the prints we offer.
• A First Find is a record, not a prize: the first person to log a species has their name, the date and the neighbourhood on its plate. If a First Find rests on a misidentification, we correct the record and the credit passes to the next earliest spot.
• Top Spotters ranks by species found, then First Finds. We may remove rows that break these terms.

Prints

• You may order a print of any species you have found yourself. Prices, sizes and framing are shown before you pay. Payment is taken by Stripe at checkout, and sales tax is added where we are required to collect it.
• Prints are made to order and shipped within the United States, usually within five to ten business days. Your order page shows the status and tracking.
• Damaged or misprinted: send a photo within 30 days and we reprint it at no cost, or refund you if we cannot. Because each print is made for you, we cannot accept returns for a change of mind. Nothing here limits the rights you have under the law where you live.
• The name, date and coordinates on a print come from your spot as it was when you ordered. Check them on the preview; we print what it shows.

Being fair to other spotters

No harassment, no impersonation, no names chosen to offend, no scraping of other people's spots or locations. Where you go to spot a plant is your responsibility; stay off land you have no right to be on. If a spotter's name or photo is a problem, use the Report link on their page. Blocking a spotter hides their spots from you.

What we do not promise

Spotanist is provided as it is. We do not promise that a name is right, that the service is always available, or that a species will stay unclaimed until you get there. To the extent the law allows, Brandon Almeda Consulting Inc is not liable for losses that come from relying on an identification or from an interruption of the service, and our total liability for a print is the price you paid for it.

Changes and ending

We may change these terms. If a change matters, the date above moves and the app says so on your next visit; keep using Spotanist after that and the new terms apply. We may suspend or remove a profile that breaks these terms, and you may stop at any time by deleting yours.

Law and contact

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, United States, and its courts have jurisdiction, except that you keep any right to bring a claim where you live. Questions: the Report link on any spot or profile reaches us.