Researchers can accomplish amazing things with data from satellites — they can study clouds and climate, forests and land use change and even bird migrations. But with so much satellite data, it can be hard to match up measurements from the sky above with information from the ground.
That’s why NASA launched GLOBE, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment program. With the GLOBE Observer app, citizen scientists around the world can take part in citizen science projects that will help NASA scientists studying climate change, the spread of mosquito-borne diseases and more.
There are many ways to engage with NASA GLOBE, no matter where you are — keep reading to find out how!
Cheers,
The SciStarter Team
The app is simple to use, and currently has four different projects that are looking for your observations of clouds, trees, mosquito habitat and land cover near you.
Each project asks you to take a few photos of things around you and answer a few questions about what you see.
Location: Global
When you’re ready to start submitting observations with the NASA GLOBE Observer app, you’ll want to be sure to connect the app to your SciStarter account so you’ll get credit on your dashboard!
Connecting is easy: Watch this short video from the GLOBE Implementation Office to get started.
Location: Global
Girl Scouts can use the GLOBE Observer app to complete their Think Like a Citizen Scientist Journey! The NASA GLOBE site has a resources page designed to help troop leaders lead the first meetings. You’ll find videos for each protocol, scripts you can follow, case studies and more!
For troop leaders
If you’re looking for something that doesn’t require leaving your house, you can still participate in NASA GLOBE! With NASA GLOBE Cloud Gaze, you can help identify cloud types, cloud cover and other phenomena captured in photographs of the sky submitted through GLOBE Observer: Clouds.
Location: Global, online-only
We’re excited to announce the launch of a brand new resource to help you easily find all kinds of science-related experiences: Science Near Me! On ScienceNearMe.org, a simple search tool lets you look for things like nearby science festivals, planetarium events, citizen science projects from SciStarter, science policy forums, star-gazing events and more.
Summertime blues? Not on our watch! In this Summer Fun podcast, learn how you can plate and serve an ant picnic fit for a queen; use spider webs as air quality monitors and help make cities around the world more accessible by strolling their sidewalks (virtually), looking for cracks, potholes and missing curb cuts that could stop a wheelchair, stroller or walker in its tracks. Featuring: Ant Picnic, Discover Ants, Project Sidewalk and Spidey Senser.
Events and Opportunities
GLOBE Mosquito Spare Tire Blitz
Did you know that spare tires are prime mosquito breeding sites? Now through the end of June, join citizen scientists using the Mosquito Habitat Mapper tool in the GLOBE Observer app to report the location of spare tires. Participants will submit a photo using the Mosquito Habitat Mapper tool within the app and follow up with the Land Cover tool to provide photos of the tire’s location.
Track Wildlife Migration and Seasonal Change with Journey North
Now through the end of June, be part of the incredible journey of migration! Journey North provides easy-to-use methods to report observations, view maps, take pictures and leave comments. Observations are mapped in real time as waves of spring arrivals move across the continent. Taken as a whole, these individual location pins create large-scale illustrations of migration patterns. Report your observations of monarch butterflies, hummingbirds, common loons and more today!
New on the Blogs:
Top 7 Citizen Science Problems (And How to Solve Them)
Citizen Science Month 2022: Turning Curiosity Into Impact Around the Country
Turn Community Curiosity into Real Scientific Impact with Community and Citizen Science Programs
Three Tips for a Successful Citizen Science Project: Lessons Learned from Chronolog
Keep Exploring
Discover more citizen science on the SciStarter calendar. Did you know your SciStarter dashboard helps you track your contributions to projects? Complete your profile to access free tools. Want even more citizen science? Check out SciStarter’s Project Finder! With citizen science projects spanning every field of research, task and age group, there’s something for everyone!
