Transparency
How WildPins verifies wildlife information
WildPins separates identification results, live environmental data, community reports, and general reference facts so users can see what each claim is based on.
Source hierarchy
| Information type | Preferred source | Required label |
|---|---|---|
| Live bird movement | BirdCast live radar or local dashboard | Live or last-night movement, with timestamp |
| Migration forecast | BirdCast forecast model | Forecast—not an observation |
| Recent species presence | eBird recent checklists plus local confirmation | Reported nearby, with date range |
| Identification and life history | Cornell species accounts, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, state wildlife agencies, peer-reviewed sources | Reference fact |
| Community sighting | Member-submitted photo, sound, date, and location | Community report; verification level shown |
| Safety alert | Time-limited member report or official notice | Alert time, broad location, expiration |
What AI is allowed to do
AI may summarize approved sources, suggest a possible species, or draft an article for editorial review. It must not invent a current migration event, claim a species is present at an exact location without evidence, hide uncertainty, or turn a reference image into proof of a sighting.
Publication checklist
- Use at least one authoritative source for stable facts.
- Use a time-stamped source for anything described as current.
- Cross-check surprising or rare claims with a second source.
- Record the region and date reviewed.
- Label community data separately from verified reference facts.
- Correct or remove stale information.
Photo transparency
Every map popup should distinguish the member’s original image from a generic species reference image. The date the sighting was reported is not automatically the date the photo was taken, and the interface should say so when capture metadata is unavailable.