18 Oct 2019
I’ve been using Pl@ntNet on the desktop and as an app on my phone (download here) for a couple of years. You just take a photo of (one of, or all) the flower, leaf, fruit, bark (aspect) and the app returns a selection of potential matches. Sometimes just a photo of the leaf is enough. This app came in handy when I did my course in horticulture and I carried on using it. When I started using it the database was nowhere near as immense as it is now and since then the app’s accuracy has improved a lot.
Pl@ntNet is free AND there are no adverts. However, they have grown so much that they need to invest, to cope with the demand. They are asking for donations and I fully support them!
So, please, donate here (via PayPal): https://plantnet.org/en/donations/
Here’s the email they have sent their users explaining why they need donations.
Today we need your help.
From its design in 2009, it was decided that PlantNet would be free of use and exempt from any advertisements. Indeed, our primary goal has never been to make money. PlantNet is above all a citizen science project, with which we hope to improve our knowledge of the plant world, through the voluntary contributions of as many citizens as possible.
Today, we are proud to say that PlantNet exceeds our 2009 expectations, with more than 10 million downloads and 100,000 to 150,000 daily users!
However, this very rapid growth is leading to increasing IT infrastructure costs that our limited funding can no longer cover.
Making PlantNet a commercial application would be an easy solution, but, as you certainly do, we want to preserve the financial independence of this wonderful project and its openness to all.
The only solution we have left is to call for your solidarity.
If each PlantNet user donates just a little today, the project could run for at least another 3 years. We could even develop new features such as cartographic visualization of observations, or contribute to new citizen science projects.
Help us to pursue this educational, scientific and societal adventure with complete freedom.