While we most commonly associate Google with its ability to search the Intertubes for our favorite science FAILs, the tech giant is also opening new doors for citizen science. A recent article in the Public Library of Science (PloS) ONE highlights a new mobile phone application, powered by Google Maps and Google’s Android operating system, that allows professional and citizen scientists to gather, submit, and access research data from the field.

The application, called EpiCollect, was initially designed for epedimiological and ecological studies but has potential for a number of other fields, including economics, public health, and resource allocation. Individual users can input data records (variables, photos, GPS location, etc) into EpiCollect from their mobile phone, which is synchronized to a central database. An accompanying web application, located at www.spatialepidemiology.net, provides a common location for mapping, visualization, and analysis of the data by everyone involved in the study. The two-way connectivity between the EpiCollect mobile application and the central database could increase the collection and collation of data for community projects, particular in resource-limited areas.

Importantly, EpiCollect was developed as a free software using Google’s open-source Android operating system. Anyone interested in using the software is encouraged to contact David Aanensen in the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Imperial College London.  The EpiCollect website also provides three sample epidemological datasets and a facility to geocode your own spatial data.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology presents this year’s contest in Celebrating Urban Birds, Funky Nests in Funky Places! Do some bird-watching and get creative with a photo, painting, quilt, sculpture, story…or any other medium that inspires you. And if the thought of getting outside and getting those creative juices flowing wasn’t enough, they’re giving away some great prizes like a digital camera, signed birding books, and HUMM hummingbird feeder!

PROJECT SNAPSHOT:

Topics: bird-watching

Location: anywhere

Duration: until July 31st, 2009

Cost: free

Gear: whatever you choose!

Level of Difficulty: easy

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has dedicated itself to interpreting and conserving the diversity of nature’s bird population through research, education, and citizen science projects.  Though I encourage you all to check out their website for more information on all of the exciting research going on in the Cornell laboratories, today I would like to highlight one of the ways you can help as citizen scientists.

One of the major projects at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology involves NestCams, which record live images of birds courting, mating, laying eggs, and raising young.  These cameras record a variety of bird species, including Northern Cardinals, Osprey, Blue Jays, and American Robins (to name a few).  As a scientist myself, I can attest that sometimes the hardest thing about science is not collecting data, but analyzing it.  And as you can imagine, with images recording around the clock, these scientists at Cornell collect a lot of data to classify and analyze!  This is definitely one way that citizen scientists continue to be essential for the success of the NestCam project.  The Cornell scientists have created CamClickr, which is a completely online-based citizen science project to help them classify their tremendous archives of video and still images.  Users simply log on to the CamClickr site and then choose the species and phase of the nesting cycle they want to start classifying.  It’s that easy!  User tagging and coding for species and nesting cycles occurs in two phases.  In phase one, users drag and drop images into photo albums that are classified according to presence or absence of nests, adult birds, eggs, or baby birds.  Once 99 images have been classified, users can then move on to phase two, where all images that passed through Level 1 are classified according to pre-defined behaviors.

Top “CamClickrs” are rewarded for their efforts – one point is awarded for every successful classification, and those points can add up to prizes!

P.S.  The image above is from a coloring book – happy coloring, kids of all ages!

Statistics from previous years:  Since 1999, NestCams have documented 90 nesting attempts by 17 bird species across North America.  That is a lot of data!  Hundreds of thousands of images have since been classified by citizen scientists like you and me.  Today’s top CamClickr is user name Claire K, with over 188,000 images classified!  Can you beat her?

PROJECT SNAPSHOT:

• Topics: birds, ecology, nesting cycle
• Location: at home or close to home
• Duration: a few minutes, whenever you can veg in front of your computer
• Cost: free or low cost
• Gear: a computer with internet access
• Level of Difficulty: easy

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. Free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds.

Statistics from 2008: Total Checklists Submitted: 85,787; Total Species Observed: 634;  Total Individual Birds Counted: 9,807,216

Project Snapshot

> Topics  Birds, Nature and Outdoors

> Location Close to home, Outdoors

> Duration  As little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event

> Cost  Free

> Gear  None needed but it helps to binoculars

> Level of Difficulty Easy

Hey, Citizen Scientists! Here’s another terrific activity for our  Project Finder. BioBlitz is a 24-hour event in which teams of scientists, volunteers, and community members join forces to find, identify, and learn about as many local plant and animal species as possible. National Geographic is “helping conduct a BioBlitz in a different park each year throughout the decade leading up to the U.S. National Park Service centennial in 2016.” The next annual National Geographic-National Park Service BioBlitz takes place at the Indiana Dunes BioBlitz, a 24-hour event from May 15 to May 16, noon to noon. The goals of the BioBlitz are “to record as many living organisms in Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore in 24 hours, to increase awareness of the diverse species in this urban setting and to better understand how to protect the natural environment in the future. Chicago Wilderness and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources are collaborating in the race to discover and document the 15,000-acre park.”      

“Explorers” of all ages are needed.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

 Topics: Animals, Birds, Ecology, Environment, Nature

 Location: Chicago, Outdoors

Level of Difficulty: Easy

Fee: No Costs

Gear: No special equipment required

Duration: 24 hours

Suitable for people of all ages!

I’m heading to Phoenix for a few days to meet with the Science Debate organizers. I won’t be there long enough to catch the big Eagles-Cardinals football show down on Sunday. If mascots have any influence on the outcome, the Cardinals are going down (says the Philly chick and former 76ers cheerleader). Check out these quirky science facts about the two birds:

Cardinal: The male cardinal is the defender of their breeding territory. In fact, it can spend long hours fighting his reflection he sees in glass surfaces.  (Note to Coach Reid: there’s got to be a way to weave this into an offensive plan.)

Eagle:The Bald Eagle, the living symbol of the U.S.A.’s freedoms, spirit and pursuit of excellence, is a strong bird that can live up to 28 years in the wild. Mating: during the Cartwheel Display a pair flies to great heights and then locks feet together as they go do “cartwheels” plummeting down towards the ground. They only break apart at the very last moment. (Here’s hoping the Eagles don’t break apart at the last moment on Sunday.)

All this talk about birds reminds me. Now’s the perfect time to participate in the 10- Minute Urban Bird Watch, a citizen science activity sponsored by Cornell University. “You become a citizen-scientist by observing birds in your neighborhood and sending the data to scientists at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.” And, you’ll learn how to protect birds from urban threats.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

Topics: Ornithology, Gardening

Location: Close to home; Outdoors.

Level of Difficulty: Very easy.

Fee: No fee. Free registration, kit and bonus sunflower seeds!

Gear: Pencil, paper, access to computer.

Duration: A little as 10 minutes, as often as you’d like.

Suitable for students as well. Website offers links to additional ornithology citizen science projects.

The 109th Christmas Bird Count “Citizen Science in Action.”
Sunday, December 14, 2008 to Monday, January 5, 2009

Volunteers across America are donning binoculars to track birds and contribute to the longest-running wildlife census effort to assess the health of bird populations.

“From feeder-watchers and field observers to count compilers and regional editors, everyone who takes part in the Christmas Bird Count does it for love of birds and the excitement of friendly competition — and with the knowledge that their efforts are making a difference for science and bird conservation. Find out how to get involved.“

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

> Topics:Birds, ornithology, environment, conservation.
> Location: 15 mile radius. If one radius is not near your home, there are other ways to participate.
> Duration: Count volunteers follow specified routes through a designated 15-mile (24-km) diameter circle, counting every bird they see or hear all day (24 hours).
> Cost: $5.00
> Gear:Binoculars, pencil, paper.
> Level of difficulty: Not difficult. For beginners and experienced bird and nest watchers.