Update a sample

Change metadata on a sample you can edit.

Send a PATCH to /api/samples/{igsn}/. You need a JWT and edit permission on that sample (you own it, or a team grants you permission). See Authentication.

Do not use PUT. You cannot change igsn or sesar_code.

Update a sample

curl -X PATCH "https://api.geosamples.org/api/samples/10.58052/YOURIGSN/" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer ACCESS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Updated name",
    "location_description": "Outcrop west of the road"
  }'

Only send fields you want to change. Omitted fields stay as they are.

Lists you do send are replaced, not merged: other_names, material_types, collectors, and non-image related_resources. Omit them to leave the existing lists alone.

Latitude and longitude:

• If they are already set, you cannot clear them (null is rejected).
• You can still PATCH a sample that never had coordinates (legacy records). Publishing a new sample still requires lat/lon; that rule does not apply to updates.

To publish a draft, PATCH "is_draft": false.