Creativity Helps When Info is Needed

United States, World Gain When Water Expertise is Shared

So much water information, so little time, so few resources. Such is the dilemma confronting those needing data and information for research, planning and decision making. Useful and much needed facts, figures and information, although there for the taking, often remain out of reach for the lack of means for gathering or collecting it. Creative efforts are called for.

Bird Scientists
One such creative effort involves using pigeons to collect air quality information. In a project at the University of California, Irvine, pigeons will be outfitted with miniature backpacks stocked with a global positioning system monitor, pollution sensors, and cell phone transmitting equipment. Data will be sent directly to a blog where it will be overlaid on Google maps. Anyone interested can roll over the maps to learn about air pollution in an area.

The birds’ airborne overland flights will cover areas beyond the scope of the stationary monitors researchers now rely on. Air pollution information will be available from a much greater range.
Further the researchers hope the data-gathering pigeons will pique public interest in air quality issues and debates. The data and information gathered by the birds will be transmitted in real time and available to the public.

Wanted: Citizen Scientists
The above concept, without the birds, is behind an effort at the University of Arizona to recruit citizen scientists to collect simple rainfall observations in their backyards. The gathered data will provide high temporal and spatial resolution information needed for drought monitoring and hydrologic modeling across the Southwest.

Citizen scientists have an important role to play. Additional observations are critical in tracking highly variable precipitation across the southwestern United States. Highly localized summer thunderstorms can produce rainfall amounts in excess of one inch within an hour. These rainfall events often occur between official National Weather Service meteorological stations and go unobserved. Citizen scientists are helping to close these observational gaps through Rainlog.Org.

Recruitment is underway. If you are a resident of the Southwest and have a backyard rain gauge, you can become a citizen scientist by participating in Rainlog.org. Web site registration includes a Google map utility to pinpoint the latitude and longitude of gauge locations, plus guidance on selecting and installing rain gauges. Also included is information on collecting high quality observations.

Uploading data after rain events is a simple, straight-forward process using web forms. Those who have had rain gauges for years are invited to upload historic data in their own personalized “My Data” section of the site. Now numbering over 400, the ranks of citizen volunteers is growing.

Rainlog.Org is a partnership between the National Science Foundation’s Sustainability of semi-Arid Hydrology and Riparian Areas Center and the University of Arizona’s Cooperative Extension.

Fewer Citizen Scientists?
The results of a study for The Nature Conservancy has likely implications to such efforts as recruiting citizen scientists. The study found that Americans’ interest in visiting natural areas like national forests and parks is waning due to increased time committed to television viewing, video games and the Internet.

According to the study per-capita visits to national parks have been on a downward trend for years. Examining data starting from 1930, the report found a visitation highpoint in 1987, with 1.2 visits per person per year. It had declined by 25 percent by 2003, with 0.9 visits per person per year.

To determine the cause of the decreased visits the researchers looked at over two dozen possible explanations, narrowing them down to video games, movie rentals, going to movies, Internet use and higher fuel prices. The researchers found that these account for 98 percent of the decrease in national park excursions.

According to the study its results do not bode well for environmental stewardship when delight and interest in the natural environment is trumped by the ubiquitous draw of the electronic media.

The role of a citizen scientist recording rainfall, even if the Internet is involved, might likely seem dull and stodgy to those valuing the glitz and glitter of the electronic media.

Water Center Home -- AWR Home -- Search