README.md

---
dataset_info:
  features:
  - dtype: string
    name: observation_uuid
  - dtype: float32
    name: latitude
  - dtype: float32
    name: longitude
  - dtype: int64
    name: positional_accuracy
  - dtype: int64
    name: taxon_id
  - dtype: string
    name: quality_grade
  - dtype: string
    name: gl_image_date
  - dtype: string
    name: ancestry
  - dtype: string
    name: rank
  - dtype: string
    name: name
  - dtype: string
    name: gl_inat_id
  - dtype: int64
    name: gl_photo_id
  - dtype: string
    name: license
  - dtype: string
    name: observer_id
  - dtype: bool
    name: rs_classification
  - dtype: string
    name: ecoregion
  - dtype: bool
    name: supervised
  - dtype: string
    name: rs_image_date
  - dtype: bool
    name: finetune_0.25percent
  - dtype: bool
    name: finetune_0.5percent
  - dtype: bool
    name: finetune_1.0percent
  - dtype: bool
    name: finetune_2.5percent
  - dtype: bool
    name: finetune_5.0percent
  - dtype: bool
    name: finetune_10.0percent
  - dtype: bool
    name: finetune_20.0percent
  - dtype: bool
    name: finetune_100.0percent
  - dtype: image
    name: gl_image
  - name: rs_image
    sequence:
      sequence:
        sequence: int64
---

# Nature Multi-View (NMV) Dataset Datacard
To encourage development of better machine learning methods for operating with diverse, unlabeled natural world imagery, we introduce Nature Multi-View (NMV), a multi-view dataset of over 3 million ground-level and aerial image pairs from over 1.75 million citizen science observations for over 6,000 native and introduced plant species across California.

## Characteristics and Challenges
- Long-Tail Distribution: The dataset exhibits a long-tail distribution common in natural world settings, making it a realistic benchmark for machine learning applications.
- Geographic Bias: The dataset reflects the geographic bias of citizen science data, with more observations from densely populated and visited regions like urban areas and National Parks.
- Many-to-One Pairing: There are instances in the dataset where multiple ground-level images are paired to the same aerial image.
  
## Splits
- Training Set:
  - Full Training Set: 1,755,602 observations, 3,307,025 images
  - Labeled Training Sets:
    - 20%: 334,383 observations, 390,908 images
    - 5%: 93,708 observations, 97,727 images
    - 1%: 19,371 observations, 19,545 images
    - 0.25%: 4,878 observations, 4,886 images
- Validation Set:
  - 150,555 observations, 279,114 images
- Test Set:
  - 182,618 observations, 334,887 images

## Acquisition
- Ground-Level Images:
  - Sourced from iNaturalist open data on AWS.
  - Filters applied:
  - Vascular plants
  - Within California state boundaries
  - Observations dated from January 1, 2011, to September 27, 2023
  - Geographic uncertainty < 120 meters
  - Research-grade or in need of ID (excluding casual observations)
  - Availability of corresponding remote sensing imagery
  - Overlap with bio-climatic variables
- Aerial Images:
  - Sourced from the 2018 National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP).
  - RGB-Infrared images, 256x256 pixels, 60 cm-per-pixel resolution.
  - Centered on the latitude and longitude of the iNaturalist observation.

## Features
- observation_uuid (string): Unique identifier for each observation in the dataset.
- latitude (float32): Latitude coordinate of the observation.
- longitude (float32): Longitude coordinate of the observation.
- positional_accuracy (int64): Accuracy of the geographical position, measured in meters.
- taxon_id (int64): Identifier for the taxonomic classification of the observed species.
- quality_grade (string): Quality grade of the observation, indicating its verification status (e.g., research-grade, needs ID).
- gl_image_date (string): Date when the ground-level image was taken.
- ancestry (string): Taxonomic ancestry of the observed species.
- rank (string): Taxonomic rank of the observed species (e.g., species, genus).
- name (string): Scientific name of the observed species.
- gl_inat_id (string): iNaturalist identifier for the ground-level observation.
- gl_photo_id (int64): Identifier for the ground-level photo.
- license (string): License type under which the image is shared (e.g., CC-BY).
- observer_id (string): Identifier for the observer who recorded the observation.
- rs_classification (bool): Indicates if remote sensing classification data is available.
- ecoregion (string): Ecoregion where the observation was made.
- supervised (bool): Indicates if the observation is part of the supervised dataset.
- rs_image_date (string): Date when the remote sensing (aerial) image was taken.
- finetune_0.25percent (bool): Indicates if the observation is included in the 0.25% finetuning subset.
- finetune_0.5percent (bool): Indicates if the observation is included in the 0.5% finetuning subset.
- finetune_1.0percent (bool): Indicates if the observation is included in the 1.0% finetuning subset.
- finetune_2.5percent (bool): Indicates if the observation is included in the 2.5% finetuning subset.
- finetune_5.0percent (bool): Indicates if the observation is included in the 5.0% finetuning subset.
- finetune_10.0percent (bool): Indicates if the observation is included in the 10.0% finetuning subset.
- finetune_20.0percent (bool): Indicates if the observation is included in the 20.0% finetuning subset.
- finetune_100.0percent (bool): Indicates if the observation is included in the 100.0% finetuning subset.
- gl_image (image): Ground-level image associated with the observation.
- rs_image (sequence of sequences of int64): Aerial image data associated with the observation, represented as a sequence of pixel values.

## References
- iNaturalist: www.inaturalist.org
- United States Department of Agriculture: NAIP Imagery. www.naip-usdaonline.hub.arcgis.com.