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suwo: access nature media repositories

The suwo package aims to simplify the retrieval of nature media (mostly photos, audio files and videos) across multiple online biodiversity databases. The five major media repositories accessed by this package (GBIF, iNaturalist, Macaulay Library, WikiAves, and Xeno-Canto) collectively host more than 250 million media files. Such media are increasingly used in diverse fields, ranging from ecology and evolutionary biology (e.g., trait evolution) to wildlife monitoring and conservation (e.g., for training species detection models). The ability to access and download large amounts of media files and their associated metadata from a single interface thus provides a uniquely powerful resource for facilitating research and conservation efforts.

The main features of the package are:

  • Obtaining media metadata from online repositories
  • Downloading associated media files
  • Updating data sets with new records

Installing suwo

Install the package from CRAN:

# install from CRAN
install.packages("suwo")

# load package
library(suwo)

Alternatively, the package can also be installed from R universe as follows:

# From R universe would be
install.packages('suwo', repos = c('https://marce10.r-universe.dev'))

# load package
library(suwo)

To install the latest developmental version from github you will need the R package remotes:

# install remotes if you don't have it yet
remotes::install_github("maRce10/suwo")

#load package
library(suwo)

Basic workflow for obtaining nature media files

Obtaining nature media using suwo follows a basic sequence. The following diagram illustrates this workflow and the main functions involved:

suwo workflow diagram

Take a look at the package vignette for an overview of the workflow and the core querying functions.

Intended use and responsible practices

The suwo package is designed exclusively for non-commercial, scientific purposes, including research, education, and conservation. Any commercial use of the data or media retrieved through this package is strictly prohibited unless explicit, separate permission is granted directly from the original source platforms and rights holders. Users are obligated to comply with the specific terms of service and data use policies of each source database, which often mandate attribution and similarly restrict commercial application. The package developers assume no liability for misuse of the retrieved data or violations of third-party terms of service.

Citation

Please cite suwo as follows:

Araya-Salas, M., J. Elizondo-Calvo & A. Rico-Guevara. 2025. suwo: access nature media repositories. R package version 0.1.0.