Introduction: The Crowd and the Cloud—Citizens4Earth (01:39)

FREE PREVIEW

Americans can now pursue passions while collecting science data. On this episode of "The Crowd and the Cloud," Waleed Abdalati will cover some environmental organizations that use technical innovations to monitor different conservation efforts. (Credits)

Christmas for the Birds: Counting Not Killing: Part One (04:53)

During the Christmas Bird Count (CBC), Abdalati and the Audubon Society search for the Nelson Sparrow and the Salt Marsh Sparrow in the Everglades. Scientists describe the importance of such a long term data collection set.

Christmas for the Birds: Counting Not Killing: Part Two (04:06)

The Audubon Birds and Climate Change Report explained that the Nelson Sparrow will need to relocated further north during winter months due to global warming. Because of the CBC, scientists can study bird populations and migration patterns over a long period of time.

Smartfin "Stoked for Science": Part One (04:01)

Oceans are warming and becoming more acidic. It can cost more than one million dollars to study a single bay, because sensors are easily damaged close to the shore. Andy Stern collaborated with Benjamin Thompson to create a surfboard fin that measures ocean chemistry.

Smartfin "Stoked for Science": Part Two (04:24)

Scientists compare the temperature, salinity, and pH levels from a Smartfin device and a state of the art sensor. After surfing, participants can download the data to their smartphones.

Fall: Plants, Pollinators, and Resilience (07:50)

Kerissa Battle and her husband walk trails in the Catskill mountains daily recording changes in the "Nature's Notebook" App. Dan Beharg works at the Gateway National Recreation Area educating high school students on how Super Storm Sandy damaged Jamaica Bay's wildlife.

Winter: Masses of Monarchs (05:08)

At the Western Monarch Thanksgiving Count Volunteers count the butterfly population in California. Jessica Griffiths teaches the citizen scientists the proper counting protocol. The Xerces society compiles the data.

Spring Timing Trees (04:30)

Citizen scientists use the Nature's Notebook App to collect data on cottonwood and Siberian elm trees at the Valle de Oro refuge. Using the information provided, workers will create a flooding event to germinate cottonwood seeds.

Summer Counting Crabs (05:50)

The Cape May Preserve Coordinator organizes citizen scientists to survey horseshoe crabs. Red Knots stop at the preserve to feast on eggs on its way to the Arctic Circle. New Jersey does not permit harvesting of the crabs.

Data for Development (06:06)

Talip Kilic works with the Bureau of Statistics to survey households in Uganda. James Mwonge explains how the data collected informs the government's poverty eradication policies. An enumerator walks a household's perimeter using a GPS locator.

Citizen Science in the Digital Age (00:58)

Citizen Scientists and Crowdsourcing efforts collect data that scientists cannot about epidemics, environmental concerns, and natural disasters.

Citizen Science for Scientists (00:50)

Scientists discuss how citizen science revolutionized data collection programs.

Citizen Science for Communities (01:49)

Activists discuss how citizen science creates an open dialogue with lawmakers and professionals. Volunteers can collect much more data than scientists can alone.

Crowdsourcing for Medical Research (01:10)

Developers create a game to help advance Alzheimer's research. Scientists describe how citizen scientists playing EyesonALZ are as accurate as trained pathologists.

Crowdsourcing for Disaster Response (01:39)

Emergency responders explain how crowdsourcing efforts helped during the Nepal Earthquake. Stern describes why surfers are passionate about the ocean. Abdalati summarizes the series.

Credits: The Crowd and the Cloud: Episode 4—Citizens4Earth (01:44)

Credits: The Crowd and the Cloud: Episode 4—Citizens4Earth