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Blog: Citizen Science Projects, People, and Perspectives
Future of crowdsourcing visual data for scientific study?
By Darlene Cavalier, Feb 19, 2012
How cool! Imagine if 1,000 people took a photo of the same landmark in a park, let’s say, over a set period of time. We’d realize what’s in that part of the park all the time and what’s there temporarily. Changes in nature (phenological changes, in particular) and other activities would be recorded and trended but what if near infrared filters were also placed on those cameras? We could then compare sensor data from the cameras to make good estimates about the temperatures in that park and compare that to usage statistics in that same park over the same time. We might be able to predict the day when leaves will fall from the park’s trees…and so much more.
Watch this short video to learn about other possible outcomes of using visual data for scientific study in the future. The possibilities seem endless.
From Intel Labs:
“In this video episode everyday photos are turned into visual data points to aid in the collection of data for scientific study. This segment is part of Vibrant Media, a series created by Intel Labs devoted to envisioning new ways to use Technology and Media.”
Darlene Cavalier is a professor of practice at Arizona State University's School for the Future of Innovation in Society and a Senior Global Futures Scientist, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory at ASU. Professor Cavalier is the founder of SciStarter (a popular citizen science portal and research platform connecting millions of people to real science they can do), founder of Science Cheerleaders (a non profit organization comprised of current and former NFL, NBA and college cheerleaders pursuing STEM careers), cofounder of ECAST: Expert and Citizen Assessment of Science and Technology and cofounder of ScienceNearMe.org. She is a founding board member of the Citizen Science Association, an advisor and Fellow at National Geographic, a member of the EPA's National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology, appointed to the National Academy of Sciences "Designing Citizen Science to Support Science Learning" committee and named cochair of America 250's Innovation, Science, and Entrepreneurism Advisory Council. She is the co-editor of "The Rightful Place of Science: Citizen Science," author of "The Science of Cheerleading," and co-author of the Field Guide to Citizen Science (Timber Press). Recently, ASU President Michael Crow awarded Cavalier and her team the prestigious Medal for Social Embeddedness.
