iNatSpectro by Japh

iNatSpectro v4.3.0 — Visualise Nature's Sounds on iNaturalist

This extension adds a dynamic spectrogram visualisation beneath audio recordings on iNaturalist observation pages. Whether you're identifying frog calls, bat echolocation, bird songs, insect stridulation, or cetacean vocalisations, iNatSpectro lets you see what you're hearing — instantly, in your browser, with no data sent anywhere.

🎧 Why use it?
Many wildlife sounds are far easier to interpret with visual context — especially in noisy environments or when calls are tricky to distinguish by ear. iNatSpectro helps researchers, identifiers, and curious naturalists analyse recordings at a glance, right where the observation lives.

🔬 How it works
The extension uses the Web Audio API to render a spectrogram whenever you play an audio file on an iNaturalist observation page. It loads automatically and blends seamlessly with the existing layout. All processing happens locally in your browser — nothing is collected or transmitted.

🔍 Features in v4.3.0:

• Automatic spectrogram loading on observation and Identify pages
• Eight perceptually uniform colour maps — Viridis, Magma, Plasma, Inferno, Cividis, Mako, Rocket, Turbo — plus Greyscale
• Full spectrum analysis including ultrasonic frequencies up to 384 kHz for bat research
• Automatic taxon-based profile selection (bat, bird, frog, insect, cetacean, general)
• Multiple frequency scales — logarithmic, linear, and mel (perceptual)
• Smooth zoom from 100% to 2000% with progressive high-resolution rendering
• Spectrogram export — save spectrograms as image files to share or annotate your findings 🖼
• Redesigned spectrogram panel with integrated audio, volume, and zoom controls in a cleaner toolbar layout
• iNaturalist Global Network support — works on New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay, BioDiversity4All, and more
• GUANO metadata support — reads embedded bat detector metadata from audio files
• Sound annotations saved as iNaturalist Observation Fields, keeping your work right on the observation record
• Edit mode for annotations — marks are protected from accidental changes until you explicitly enable editing, with confirmation required before any deletion
• Training dataset contribution (opt-in only) — help improve species detection models; nothing is ever sent without your action
• Configurable high-resolution rendering (50–800 pixels/second) with automatic performance optimisation
• Intelligent LRU caching for smooth performance across long sessions
• Peak decimation rendering — no signal energy is ever dropped, even for very short calls
• Percentile-based normalisation for robust dynamic range across varied recordings
• Sharp rendering on high-DPI and retina displays
• No tracking, lightweight — built specifically for the iNaturalist community 🌿

🧬 Perfect for:
• Citizen scientists and professional biologists
• Bat, frog, bird, insect, and cetacean call analysis
• Educators and ecoacoustics enthusiasts
• Research-grade bioacoustic work up to 384 kHz
• Anyone who wants to bring audio observations to life visually

🚀 What's New in v4.3.0:
• Edit mode for annotations — marks no longer change accidentally; a dedicated Edit mode toggle must be on before you can adjust, retype, or delete a mark, and deletions now ask for confirmation first 🛡
• Tidier toolbar — zoom controls, the render engine badge, and settings icon have moved to the top playback row, freeing up space in the bottom row so labels never wrap awkwardly
• Welcome modal improvements — restructured copy with bold section headings, a "Learn more" link straight to the usage docs, and a fix for a CSS layout issue that caused horizontal scrolling on some observations
• Annotation type now always recorded correctly, even when not saving to Observation Fields
• Documentation refreshed with annotated screenshots and numbered callouts throughout

iNatSpectro integrates seamlessly into iNaturalist, respects your privacy, and helps you get more from every audio observation. All audio processing is local — nothing leaves your browser unless you explicitly choose to contribute.