About

iSpotnature.org (iSpot) an award-winning online citizen science platform, for recording, identifying and learning about biodiversity, was developed and launched by the Open University (OU) in 2009. iSpot’s aim and vision has been to help bridge gaps in the general public’s identification skills and create a new generation of naturalists using a combination of social networking, access to expertise, and learning opportunities. This also includes the impact of iSpot’s unique reputation system, an important part of the platform, which has ensured the collection of reliable biological records.

As of June 2026, through the contributions made by the online community, iSpot marked 17 years of significant achievements as a citizen observatory facilitating science learning, species identification and biological data recording in the UK and globally.

Closure of the iSpotnature.org platform
The Open University made the decision that it can no longer provide the support required to maintain iSpot and as a result, iSpot was decommissioned on Thursday 11th June 2026. The official notice was posted on the website with the iSpot Team noting that they would have wished to give a longer notice period, but this was not in their hands.

Invitation: iSpot User Experience and Evaluation Consultation
Users are invited to take part in an iSpot User Experience and Evaluation Consultation Survey. This is an opportunity for members of the community to reflect on their journey with the iSpot platform and share feedback and insights.

By sharing this invitation, the iSpot Team note how much the support from the community is appreciated – the observations, identifications, friendships, learning, and shared passion for nature – shared over the past years.

“Just as your contributions over the years have enriched the iSpot online community – enhancing understanding of biodiversity, supporting learning, and fostering a deeper appreciation for nature – your input here will be invaluable in helping us capture user perspectives and document key lessons learned,” the iSpot Team.

iSpot closure – FAQs – Top questions
The iSpot Team are committed to ensuring the rich data collected is properly archived, which they are urgently focused on, by putting in place mechanisms to share this.

Please send any questions or queries to the Head of School for the Open University’s School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences: stem-eees-hos@open.ac.uk .

An FAQ list on associated matters is below which the iSpot Team will continue to update.

 1.      When will iSpot close?

iSpot closed on 11th June 2026. The iSpotnature.org website link will then redirect to this page where we will continue to provide details about the archiving process.

 2.      Can I still use the site until then?

No, the site is now closed. You cannot log in, view and post content, use the forums, etc. and will be redirected to this page.

 3.      What will happen to my data?

An iSpot data archiving plan is underway, and further details will be provided as this is accomplished.

 4.      How can I ask questions or give feedback?

Updates will be published here about the archiving process as well ss details on how users can provide feedback. As noted above, if interested, please complete the  iSpot User Experience and Evaluation Consultation Survey.

5.      Will the data make its way to external biological recording repositories i.e. NBN / GBIF?

Access like this is part of the data archiving plan which the iSpot Team are working on and will share more soon.