Delivering Citizen ScienceData to Citizens

Paul Allen

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Cornell Lab of Ornithology

… interpreting and conserving the earth’s biological diversity through research,

education, and citizen science …

Citizen Science

• Harness passion and expertise of contributors• Involves contributors in research• Provides tools that make contribution simple &

easy• Address large scale scientific issues • Promotes

• environmental awareness• conservation of biological diversity• scientific literacy

www.eBird.org

• Any bird, any where, any time

• Anyone can contribute their observation

• Required core fields:– Who– Where– When– Effort– Species

www.eBird.org

• Protocols– Casual– Stationary (Point Count)– Traveling (Transect)– Area Search

• Checklists by state/BCR• Review for:

– out of range– out of season– unusually high numbers

Mapping tool

map1

map2

topo

photo

closer

Even closer

eBird – Output & Reporting

• Using online tools, anyone can query the full eBird database

• Create maps, graphs, and tables of:– Abundance– Frequency– High Counts– Group Size– Species Totals

Bird Checklist Kiosk Project

Each kiosk:• Location-specific checklist program• A customized bird checklist and filters• The ability to submit checklists from

multiple locations • Mapping tool to locate specific reports• Internet uplink to centralized database• Information about the birds found at the

location• Email of observations directly to user

Kiosk Networks• Kiosks can be linked into a kiosk networks.

– e.g. state birding trail

• Each kiosk network may have multiple kiosk coverage areas.– e.g., a National Wildlife Refuge

• A kiosk coverage area may have one or more kiosk locations. – e.g., the north entrance of the National Widlife Refuge

• Results from any kiosk in the network are available at any kiosk in the network.

User ID

Mapping tool

map1

map2

topo

photo

closer

Even closer

effort

All the birds

Checklist

Checklist 2

Checklist 3

Summary

success