Description
Biotadex is a mobile application designed to turn ordinary nature walks into an engaging and educational real-world collection game. Users simply photograph any living organism they encounter, and the app utilizes its identification scanner to name the species, provide relevant facts, and file it into a personalized digital field guide.
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The core gameplay loop involves three simple steps: Point, Name, and Keep. The in-app camera offers features like zoom, burst, and crop to help users capture elusive subjects. After scanning, Biotadex presents the top match with a reference photo, confidence level, and alternative suggestions, allowing users to confirm the correct identification. Once confirmed, the species, along with the photo, location, and time, is added to their field guide. The app also offers an optional audio feature, reading up to three "did you know" facts about each find in English or Spanish, ensuring it remains quiet unless prompted, so as not to disturb wildlife.
A key aspect of Biotadex is its scoring system, which heavily rewards rarity. Species are scored based on how often they are observed in the wild, with rarer finds yielding significantly more points. This encourages users to explore more thoroughly rather than just scanning common species. The app also incorporates a validation system: finds with lower confidence scores (between 65% and 85%) receive a partial payment, while those below 65% are put to a community vote, where other collectors confirm or flag the identification, adding a social and collaborative element to the game.
Biotadex introduces "Moments," which are time-sensitive windows based on real-world conditions like sunrise, sunset, weather, and tides. Catching species during these moments grants point multipliers and earns unique stickers. The app also features a robust progression system with two ladders: 'Rank' tracks distinct species collected, offering 20 named ranks up to 50,000 species and beyond, while the 'Leaderboard' ranks players globally and among friends by total points, factoring in rarity, verified finds, and moments. Additional engagement comes from daily, weekly, and monthly challenges, long-term milestones, and family-specific badges that level up as users collect more species within a group.
Biotadex is free to play on iOS and Android, offering 10 identification scans per week. Free users can access their field guide, map, validation features, trading, gifting, postcards, and challenges, plus open three to five crates daily. A Pro version provides unlimited scans, more crate slots, the ability to claim sanctuaries, view very rare species on the map, and host events. The app prioritizes privacy by snapping exact find locations to a roughly square kilometer before publishing them.
- CategoryEducation & Research
- Pricing ModelFreemium
- DeploymentCloud
- PlatformsiOS, Android
Biotadex's Core Features
Species Identification Scanner
In-app Camera with Zoom, Burst, and Crop
Digital Field Guide Collection
Audio Facts in English or Spanish
Rarity-Based Scoring System
Community Validation for Identifications
Time-Sensitive 'Moments' for Bonus Points
Sticker Album with Trading
Rank Progression by Distinct Species
Global and Friends Leaderboards
Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Challenges
Long-Term Milestones Tracking
Family-Specific Badges
Location Privacy (approximate mapping)
Free and Pro Membership Tiers
How to use Biotadex?
Photograph a Find: Use the in-app camera to scan any living organism you encounter.
Identify the Species: Review the top match, reference photo, and confidence score, then confirm the correct species.
Bank Your Find: Tap to add the identified species, photo, location, and time to your personal field guide.
Learn More: Optionally tap 'Listen' to hear up to three facts about your find, read aloud in your chosen language.
Earn Points: Collect rare species and participate in 'Moments' to maximize your score and climb the leaderboards.
Engage with Community: Validate other collectors' finds to earn points and contribute to accurate identifications.
Biotadex's Use Cases
- Nature Exploration & Discovery
- Gamified Learning
- Citizen Science Contribution
- Educational Tool for All Ages
- Outdoor Activity Motivation
- Personal Nature Journaling
- Competitive Nature Collecting
