[CAnet - news] Citizen Science - how you can make a contribution to study of climate change
"Bill St. Arnaud" <[email protected]> Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:22:09 -0400
| Newsgroups | gmane.culture.publications.news |
|---|---|
| Organization | CANARIE Inc |
| Message-ID | <[email protected]> |
This is a multipart message in MIME format. --===============1099404838== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_0648_01C9A884.F149B9E0" Content-language: en-us This is a multipart message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_0648_01C9A884.F149B9E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit For more information on this item please visit my blog at http://green-broadband.blogspot.com/ or http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com ------------------------------------------- [From Climate Progress - "the indispensable blog" - Tom Friedman, New York Times -BSA] http://climateprogress.org/2009/03/19/so-you-want-to-be-a-citizen-scientist/ [..] Online social networking is no longer just about tagging a picture of your dog on Facebook or announcing to the world what you're having for dinner on Twitter. Scientific institutions worldwide are beginning to harness the power of online social networking for scientific research. Online communities are an ideal vehicle for matching professional scientists with armies of enthusiastic amateurs. This corps of citizen scientists has the capacity to capture far more data over a vastly expanded geographical spectrum than professional scientists can on their own. The USA National Phenology Network <http://www.usanpn.org/> is one organization that is reaching out to citizen scientists via the Internet. People have used phenology, the study of the timing of lifecycle events of plants and animals, to detect the signs of spring since the early 18th century. The rising threat posed by global warming has spurred scientists to put phenology to another use: to detect the signs of climate change. Plants and animals are very sensitive to even the smallest changes in their climates. Shifts in the timing of their lifecycle events can therefore be an important indicator in the study of climate change and its effects. Slight changes can have huge repercussions; mutual relationships between species and even entire systems can begin to fall apart. USA-NPN is asking people across the country to record the phenology of their local flora and then report it online. Amateur hikers and photographers can also participate in NPN's Project Budburst. They are asked to identify the phenological stage of the flowers and plants they see using information provided by the project <http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst/> 's website. The participants record the location, longitude, and latitude of what they observe. Eventually, Project Budburst will use this information to include real-time mapping with Google maps. Relying on anonymous volunteers to collect data that will be entered into important scientific databases certainly raises questions about the reliability of the information gathered. Yet it turns out that most of the data <http://features.csmonitor.com/gardening/2008/04/10/citizen-scientists-watch -for-signs-of-climate-change/> is remarkably accurate, and researchers do perform checks on anomalous data. What's more, the large pool of samples collected by a large group of volunteers diminishes the impact of any faulty data. This creative new use for social networking also answers critics' accusations about the frivolity of Facebook, Twitter, and other sites with proof that online networking has the potential to mobilize users to actively participate in innovative programs. Jack Weltzin, executive director of NPN, has said <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101547333> that in the future NPN hopes to make it possible for people to submit their findings via Twitter. NPN, a nonprofit organization, also hopes that iPhone and Facebook applications might be created to more easily facilitate volunteer participation. Climate change scientists are not the only members of the scientific profession to tap into the potential of these online communities. In addition to tracking climate change, the information participants collect can help scientists predict <http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2009/2009-03-04-093.asp> wildfires and pollen production and monitor droughts as well as detect and control invasive species. Other online projects, such as "The <http://features.csmonitor.com/gardening/2008/04/10/citizen-scientists-watch -for-signs-of-climate-change/> Great World Wide Star Count," rely on volunteer participation to gauge the level of light pollution across the globe. Several websites are also dedicated to tracking the migratory and breeding patterns of animals such as birds <http://ebird.org/content/ebird> , frogs <http://www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA/> , and butterflies <http://monarchwatch.org/> . All of these observations will augment the databases available to scientists attempting to understand annual fluctuations. ------------------------------------- To subscribe or unsubscribe send e-mail to [email protected] These news items and comments are mine alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the CANARIE board or management. ------ [email protected] [email protected] http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/ ------=_NextPart_000_0648_01C9A884.F149B9E0 Content-Type: text/html; charset="us-ascii" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <html xmlns:v=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" = xmlns:o=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" = xmlns:w=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" = xmlns:x=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:excel" = xmlns:p=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:powerpoint" = xmlns:a=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:access" = xmlns:dt=3D"uuid:C2F41010-65B3-11d1-A29F-00AA00C14882" = xmlns:s=3D"uuid:BDC6E3F0-6DA3-11d1-A2A3-00AA00C14882" = xmlns:rs=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:rowset" xmlns:z=3D"#RowsetSchema" = xmlns:b=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:publisher" = xmlns:ss=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:spreadsheet" = xmlns:c=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:component:spreadsheet" = xmlns:odc=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:odc" = xmlns:oa=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:activation" = xmlns:html=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40" = xmlns:q=3D"http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/" xmlns:D=3D"DAV:" = xmlns:mt=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/meetings/" = xmlns:x2=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/excel/2003/xml" = xmlns:ois=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/ois/" = xmlns:dir=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/directory/" = xmlns:ds=3D"http://www.w3.org/2000/09/xmldsig#" = xmlns:dsp=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/dsp" = xmlns:udc=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc" = xmlns:xsd=3D"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema" = xmlns:sub=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/2002/1/alerts/"= xmlns:ec=3D"http://www.w3.org/2001/04/xmlenc#" = xmlns:sp=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/" = xmlns:sps=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/" = xmlns:xsi=3D"http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" = xmlns:udcs=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/soap" = xmlns:udcxf=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/xmlfile" = xmlns:udcp2p=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/data/udc/parttopart" = xmlns:wf=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/workflow/" = xmlns:dsss=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/digsig-setup" = xmlns:dssi=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2006/digsig" = xmlns:mdssi=3D"http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/digital-sig= nature" = xmlns:mver=3D"http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/markup-compatibility/2006= " xmlns:m=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" = xmlns:mrels=3D"http://schemas.openxmlformats.org/package/2006/relationshi= ps" xmlns:spwp=3D"http://microsoft.com/sharepoint/webpartpages" = xmlns:ex12t=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/types"= = xmlns:ex12m=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/exchange/services/2006/messag= es" = xmlns:pptsl=3D"http://schemas.microsoft.com/sharepoint/soap/SlideLibrary/= " = xmlns:spsl=3D"http://microsoft.com/webservices/SharePointPortalServer/Pub= lishedLinksService" xmlns:Z=3D"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:" = xmlns:st=3D"" xmlns=3D"http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"> <head> <META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; = charset=3Dus-ascii"> <meta name=3DGenerator content=3D"Microsoft Word 12 (filtered medium)"> <style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Calibri; panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;} @font-face {font-family:Consolas; panose-1:2 11 6 9 2 2 4 3 2 4;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";} a:link, span.MsoHyperlink {mso-style-priority:99; color:blue; text-decoration:underline;} a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed {mso-style-priority:99; color:purple; text-decoration:underline;} p.MsoPlainText, li.MsoPlainText, div.MsoPlainText {mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-link:"Plain Text Char"; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; font-size:10.5pt; font-family:Consolas;} p {mso-style-priority:99; mso-margin-top-alt:auto; margin-right:0in; mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto; margin-left:0in; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";} span.EmailStyle17 {mso-style-type:personal-compose; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; color:windowtext;} span.PlainTextChar {mso-style-name:"Plain Text Char"; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-link:"Plain Text"; font-family:Consolas;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapedefaults v:ext=3D"edit" spidmax=3D"1026" /> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:shapelayout v:ext=3D"edit"> <o:idmap v:ext=3D"edit" data=3D"1" /> </o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--> </head> <body lang=3DEN-US link=3Dblue vlink=3Dpurple> <div class=3DSection1> <p class=3DMsoPlainText>For more information on this item please visit = my blog at <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoPlainText><a = href=3D"http://green-broadband.blogspot.com/">http://green-broadband.blog= spot.com/</a> or <a = href=3D"http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com">http://billstarnaud.blogspot.co= m</a><o:p></o:p></p> <p = class=3DMsoPlainText>-------------------------------------------<o:p></o:= p></p> <p class=3DMsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoPlainText> <o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal> [From Climate Progress - “the = indispensable blog” — Tom Friedman, <em><span = style=3D'font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"'>New York Times –BSA]</span></em><o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal><a href=3D"http://climateprogress.org/2009/03/19/so-you-want-to-be-a-citizen= -scientist/">http://climateprogress.org/2009/03/19/so-you-want-to-be-a-ci= tizen-scientist/</a><o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p>[..]<o:p></o:p></p> <p>Online social networking is no longer just about tagging a picture of = your dog on Facebook or announcing to the world what you’re having for = dinner on Twitter. Scientific institutions worldwide are beginning to harness = the power of online social networking for scientific research. Online = communities are an ideal vehicle for matching professional scientists with armies of enthusiastic amateurs. This corps of citizen scientists has the capacity = to capture far more data over a vastly expanded geographical spectrum than professional scientists can on their own.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>The <a href=3D"http://www.usanpn.org/">USA National Phenology = Network</a> is one organization that is reaching out to citizen scientists via the = Internet. People have used phenology, the study of the timing of lifecycle events = of plants and animals, to detect the signs of spring since the early 18th = century. The rising threat posed by global warming has spurred scientists to put phenology to another use: to detect the signs of climate = change.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>Plants and animals are very sensitive to even the smallest changes in = their climates. Shifts in the timing of their lifecycle events can therefore = be an important indicator in the study of climate change and its effects. = Slight changes can have huge repercussions; mutual relationships between = species and even entire systems can begin to fall apart.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>USA-NPN is asking people across the country to record the phenology = of their local flora and then report it online. Amateur hikers and photographers = can also participate in NPN’s Project Budburst. They are asked to = identify the phenological stage of the flowers and plants they see using = information provided by the <a = href=3D"http://www.windows.ucar.edu/citizen_science/budburst/">project= 217;s website</a>. The participants record the location, longitude, and = latitude of what they observe. Eventually, Project Budburst will use this = information to include real-time mapping with Google maps.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>Relying on anonymous volunteers to collect data that will be entered = into important scientific databases certainly raises questions about the = reliability of the information gathered. Yet it turns out that most of the <a href=3D"http://features.csmonitor.com/gardening/2008/04/10/citizen-scient= ists-watch-for-signs-of-climate-change/">data is remarkably accurate</a>, and researchers do perform checks on = anomalous data. What’s more, the large pool of samples collected by a large = group of volunteers diminishes the impact of any faulty data.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>This creative new use for social networking also answers = critics’ accusations about the frivolity of Facebook, Twitter, and other sites = with proof that online networking has the potential to mobilize users to actively participate in innovative programs. Jack Weltzin, executive director of = NPN, has <a = href=3D"http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=3D101547333"= >said</a> that in the future NPN hopes to make it possible for people to submit = their findings via Twitter. NPN, a nonprofit organization, also hopes that = iPhone and Facebook applications might be created to more easily facilitate = volunteer participation.<o:p></o:p></p> <p>Climate change scientists are not the only members of the scientific profession to tap into the potential of these online communities. In = addition to tracking climate change, the information participants collect can = help scientists <a = href=3D"http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/mar2009/2009-03-04-093.asp">predi= ct wildfires and pollen production</a> and monitor droughts as well as = detect and control invasive species. Other online projects, such as “<a href=3D"http://features.csmonitor.com/gardening/2008/04/10/citizen-scient= ists-watch-for-signs-of-climate-change/">The Great World Wide Star Count</a>,” rely on volunteer participation = to gauge the level of light pollution across the globe. Several websites = are also dedicated to tracking the migratory and breeding patterns of animals = such as <a href=3D"http://ebird.org/content/ebird">birds</a>, <a href=3D"http://www.nwf.org/frogwatchUSA/">frogs</a>, and <a href=3D"http://monarchwatch.org/">butterflies</a>. All of these = observations will augment the databases available to scientists attempting to understand = annual fluctuations.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p> <p = class=3DMsoPlainText>-------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p>= <p class=3DMsoPlainText>To subscribe or unsubscribe send e-mail to <a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a><o= :p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoPlainText>These news items and comments are mine alone and = do not necessarily reflect those of the CANARIE board or = management.<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoPlainText><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal>------<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal>[email protected]<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal>[email protected]<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal>http://billstarnaud.blogspot.com/<o:p></o:p></p> <p class=3DMsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p> </div> </body> </html> ------=_NextPart_000_0648_01C9A884.F149B9E0-- --===============1099404838== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ news mailing list [email protected] http://lists.canarie.ca/mailman/listinfo/news --===============1099404838==--