Leafsnap
By Columbia University, University of Maryland, and Smithsonian Institution
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Description
Leafsnap is the first in a series of electronic field guides being developed by researchers from Columbia University, the University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution. This free mobile app uses visual recognition software to help identify tree species from photographs of their leaves.
Leafsnap contains beautiful high-resolution images of leaves, flowers, fruit, petiole, seeds, and bark. Leafsnap currently includes the trees of the Northeast and will soon grow to include the trees of the entire continental United States.
What's New in Version 1.05
- Fixed a major bug that crashes the app when using the Snap It! feature
iPhone Screenshots
Customer Reviews
Not ready for prime time
Oh, I wanted to like this so much, but there are too many things lacking to consider it useful. As others have noted, unless you're near wifi, be prepared to snap your picture and wait and wait and wait... for nothing to happen. Okay, so it's not useful as a field guide, but it's not useful at home, either. I took 18 pictures of 6 different types of leaves on my white kitchen counter, and not one of them returned any matches. Instead, I was reprimanded for not having taken a picture of a leaf, or for not having a white background. Okay, not reprimanded, but my point is that this is 0 for 18 as far as identifying a leaf, and isn't identification the whole point of the app? Also, because none of my 18 photos "snaps" were identified, none of them were saved in the "collection" folder. Well, as I wrote in my title, this isn't ready for prime time yet, although I appreciate the effort and am hopeful that its potential is reached one of these fine days.
Fun app!
Great app for reference! Also has a fun little game to quiz your knowledge. Hope to see continual updates on the collection database! Yes, you need wifi or 3G connection of some sort to fully take advantage of the app, but I'm sure you can store the snapped photos and have it match later once connected to the internet.
This isn't a compendium of botanical trees/shrubs. It's FREE and a good supplement. I find it fun and useful when visiting the parks in the city. I'm looking forward to updates and added content in the future.
Don't let "Perfect" be the enemy of "Good"
This effort by the three institutions is wonderful. There may be imperfections to date but the goal and the effort thus far will bring smiles, answer questions and peek curiosity. Leafsnap deserves all our appreciation. What a joyful "delivery system." If you care at all about learning and our miraculous, verdant planet, you will revel in this software. Thank you so much.
- Free
- Category: Education
- Updated: May 15, 2011
- Version: 1.05
- Size: 50.8 MB
- Language: English
- Seller: Peter Belhumeur
- © 2011 Columbia University, University of Maryland, and the Smithsonian Institution
Requirements: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.Requires iOS 4.2 or later.
