Boost: Speed, Depth and Reward

Every sighting you submit will be associated with an "equipment" in your collection. Each equipment type has Depth of ID and Response Speed values for a given number of sightings.

The higher the rating, the more likely you'll receive a quicker, higher quality response.

IMPORTANT: 'The ratings are not meant as absolute indicators''. '''A lot of factors can impact the speed and quality of a response.

 Depth of ID: In general, sightings submitted with higher Depth of ID equipment will likely receive identifications from higher ranked experts.

The depth of the ID sets a rough threshold for the taxon level (i.e family, genus, species) at which your sighting will likely be verified. For example, if the Depth of ID is just 1 star (out of 5), the sighting will be released as soon as it's verified to an Order taxon level. If the Depth of ID is 2.5 stars (out of 5), it's unlikely to be released until it's verified to the species level.

In general, the Depth of ID sets the following verification thresholds:

'''.5 Stars Depth = Category or Phylum 1 Stars Depth = Order 1.5 Stars Depth = Family 2 Stars Depth = Genus 2.5 Stars Depth = Species 3+ Stars Depth = Species + Bonus Information''' Of course, identification depends on a multitude of factors - such as the category, quality of the photos, type of specimen and much more.

IMPORTANT: If you submit a sighting with a low Depth, and identify the sighting yourself to a deep taxon level, the system will still set the threshold at the low depth level.

For example, if you submit a sighting of a Carpenter Bee with equipment that has a Depth level of just 1 star, and you identify the species of Carpenter Bee, the sighting will be released as soon as the Order level (Hymenoptera) is verified - even if your own identification is correct. (You will still receive the "correct ID" bonus, but only Hymenoptera is added to your collection).

That said, it often happens that a deep level taxon (e.g. species) is confirmed before a shallower ID (e.g. Order), in which case, if your ID is correct, the deeper level ID is added to your collection.

Response Speed: This rating helps determine how fast your sighting is likely to receive a response. The higher the rating (e.g. 5 stars) the higher the sighting will be prioritised. However, the response speed can also depend on other factors, such as the category selection (some categories are faster than others) or the Depth of ID. If the Depth of ID is high, then the identification may required high quality photos, or more detailed information to reach Boost:

You can "Boost" a pending sighting to increase its speed and depth (Menu > My Collection > Sightings > Boost). You can also boost the "reward" value, which raises the "Pays to Know Nature" value attached to the sighting on the BioExpertise Engine , and will likely draw more eyes to it.

​​​​​​However, it does cost gold to boost a sighting.