iSpotnature.org (iSpot), developed and launched by the Open University in 2009, has now been decommissioned and the website has closed.
iSpot was an award-winning online citizen science platform, for recording, identifying and learning about biodiversity. Its aim and vision was 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.
As of June 2026, through the contributions made by the online community, iSpot marked 17 years of significant achievements in all of these areas.
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 11 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 being 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 notes how much the support from the community is appreciated – the observations, identifications, friendships, learning, and shared passion for nature – shared over the past years.
The data
The iSpot Team is committed to ensuring the rich data collected is properly archived, which they are urgently focused on, by putting in place mechanisms to share this.
Questions and further information
You can find FAQs and additional information to the above, on the Open University website.
Any questions or queries should be sent to the Head of School for the Open University’s School of Environment, Earth and Ecosystem Sciences: stem-eees-hos@open.ac.uk