ANNOUNCER: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD" IS
MADE POSSIBLE BY NSF,
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION,
WHERE DISCOVERIES BEGIN.
ABDALATI: OUR WORLD IS AWASH IN DATA,
POWERING THE ECONOMY AND EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS,
BUT EVERYWHERE, THERE ARE IMPORTANT GAPS
ABOUT LIVING STANDARDS IN RURAL AFRICA
OR TEMPERATURES IN TURBULENT NEARSHORE WATERS.
THAT'S WHERE TECHNICAL INNOVATION
PLUS CITIZEN SCIENCE CAN PLAY A ROLE.
I'M WALEED ABDALATI.
I WORKED FOR NASA FOR MANY YEARS,
USING SATELLITES TO STUDY THE EARTH,
BUT IN THIS SERIES, I'VE MET SURFERS DEDICATED
TO PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT
AND BIRDERS WHO PURSUE THEIR PASSIONS
AND AT THE SAME TIME CONTRIBUTE KEY INFORMATION
TO A HUGE BIOLOGICAL DATABASE.
IN THIS EPISODE, A YEAR IN THE LIFE OF CITIZEN SCIENCE,
CAPTURING SEASONAL CHANGE FROM COAST TO COAST
AND GENERATING DATA THAT INFORMS CONSERVATION POLICIES
FOR TREES, BEES, BIRDS, AND BUTTERFLIES.
AS WE SAID WHEN WE BEGAN OUR JOURNEY
THROUGH CITIZEN SCIENCE IN THE DIGITAL AGE,
FOR YEARS YOU'VE WATCHED SCIENCE PROGRAMS ON PUBLIC TELEVISION.
NOW YOU'RE INVITED TO DO SCIENCE.
THE CROWD, THE CLOUD.
[WOMAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
[DIFFERENT WOMAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
DIFFERENT WOMAN: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD."
[DIFFERENT WOMAN SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
MAN: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD."
COMPUTERIZED VOICE: "CITIZENS4EARTH."
WOMAN: JUST BEING OUTDOORS IN THE HABITAT ITSELF,
EVEN WHEN NOTHING'S AROUND,
IT'S JUST BREATHTAKING, YOU KNOW?
ABDALATI: ANGEL AND MARIEL ABREU ARE SERIOUS BIRDERS.
I HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO JOIN THEM
IN EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK FOR THE AUDUBON SOCIETY'S
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT, CBC FOR SHORT.
ABDALATI: I FEEL LIKE I NEED SNOWSHOES HERE.
THE TRICK IS TO KEEP ON MOVING
OR TO HAVE WEBBED FEET OR LONG TOES
LIKE THESE BIRDS HAVE, YOU KNOW?
[LAUGHTER]
MAN: CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS ACTUALLY BEGAN
115 YEARS AGO.
THE TRADITION STARTED AS AN ALTERNATIVE
TO PEOPLE GOING OUT ON CHRISTMAS AND SHOOTING BIRDS.
THAT WAS ACTUALLY A CHRISTMAS TRADITION,
AND PEOPLE DECIDED, "LET'S TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT."
ABDALATI: ORNITHOLOGIST FRANK CHAPMAN ORGANIZED
THE FIRST CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT IN 1900.
IN THAT YEAR, VOLUNTEERS COUNTED BIRDS
IN JUST A HANDFUL OF PLACES.
[BIRDS SQUAWKING]
TODAY, VOLUNTEERS SPOT SPECIES AND NUMBERS
EACH WINTER AT THOUSANDS OF LOCATIONS
ACROSS NORTH AMERICA...
[CALLING]
AND THE CBC HAS GROWN INTO ONE OF THE WORLD'S
LARGEST ECOLOGICAL DATASETS.
ANGEL: SO THERE'S TWO SPECIES IN PARTICULAR
WE'RE LOOKING FOR NOW-- NELSON'S SPARROW
AND SALTMARSH SPARROW,
AND THOSE TWO SPECIES ARE ONLY REALLY FOUND
IN THIS--THESE TYPES OF HABITATS HERE.
HERE COMES A BALD EAGLE-- I'M SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF.
NO, NO, IT'S ALL RIGHT.
OUR NATIONAL BIRD, YES!
SO YOU NOTICE THIS GUY IS, UH,
ITS HEAD IS NOT VERY BOLD WHITE YET.
IT'S--IT'S ALMOST AN ADULT BIRD.
I WOULD SAY PROBABLY A 4-, 4 1/2-YEAR-OLD BIRD.
WOW.
ABDALATI, VOICE-OVER: SEEING A BALD EAGLE WAS A THRILL
FOR A BIRD-COUNTING NEWCOMER LIKE ME,
BUT THESE VETERAN BIRDERS WERE MORE INTERESTED
IN ONE OF THE UNIQUE LOCAL SPECIES.
I JUST SAW OUR FIRST NELSON'S SPARROW.
AWESOME!
ABDALATI, VOICE-OVER: YOU CAN SEE THAT THE PEOPLE ENGAGED
IN THE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT ARE HAVING FUN.
THEY LOVE BEING OUT IN NATURE
AND SPOTTING BIRDS,
BUT THE DATA GATHERED IN ONE OF NORTH AMERICA'S
OLDEST CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECTS HAVE BECOME
A UNIQUE AND VALUABLE RESOURCE
FOR UNDERSTANDING OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT.
RAPOZA: WE'RE HELPING SCIENTISTS TO UNDERSTAND
MORE ABOUT BIRDS.
THE SCIENTISTS CAN'T DO IT THEMSELVES
SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE'S NOT ENOUGH SCIENTISTS.
WHY SHOULD THOUSANDS OF SCIENTISTS BE COLLECTING
THIS DATA WHEN THERE'S THOUSANDS OF ORDINARY CITIZENS
THAT CAN DO IT JUST AS WELL?
WE DO IT FOR FREE BECAUSE WE LOVE TO DO IT,
AND WHY SHOULDN'T SCIENTISTS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT?
ABDALATI, VOICE-OVER: AMONG THE MANY RESEARCHERS USING
THE BIRD COUNT DATASET ARE THE AUDUBON SOCIETY'S
OWN BIOLOGISTS, BASED IN SAN FRANCISCO.
MAN: THE CBC ACTUALLY HAS REALLY GOOD COVERAGE
IN DENSELY POPULATED AREAS.
IN ADDITION, WE HAVE CIRCLES LOCATED
IN RURAL AREAS, AS WELL AS NATIONAL PARKS
AND NATIONAL FORESTS.
SO THROUGHOUT THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT,
THERE'S REALLY PRETTY GOOD COVERAGE
FROM THE CBC COUNTS.
MAN: WHO WAS THAT?
DOWNY? YEP, YEP. DOWNY WOODPECKER
JUST FLEW, LYNNE.
SEE THE FORK IN THE TREE THERE,
AND HE'S HOPPING UP? YEP.
FLICKER. YEAH, THERE GOES A FLICKER.
SO WE GOT 3 WOODPECKERS RIGHT HERE.
THE PROCESS FOR GETTING CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT DATA
INTO OUR SYSTEM INVOLVES MANY STEPS.
WHEN PEOPLE ARE IN THE FIELD COUNTING BIRDS,
THEY RECORD THEIR OWN CHECKLISTS.
THERE'S SHOVELERS IN FLIGHT.
THIS LITTLE GROUP HERE.
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WE'VE
EVER SEEN THEM HERE.
WHAT DID YOU GET? PHOEBE?
SOYKAN: THOSE CHECKLISTS ARE THEN PASSED ON
TO COMPILERS WHO COMPILE THE INFORMATION
AND SUBMIT A COMPLETE CHECKLIST
FOR A GIVEN YEAR.
MAN: HORNED LARK?
YES. YES!
TREE SWALLOW?
COMMON MOORHEN?
YES!
AMERICAN COOT.
YES! HOO!
SOYKAN: THAT INFORMATION IS THEN PASSED ON
TO A REGIONAL EDITOR.
IF THEY SEE A VERY UNUSUAL SPECIES RECORDED,
THEY MIGHT CHECK IN WITH THE COMPILER AND SAY,
"DID YOU ALL REALLY SEE THAT SPECIES?"
ABDALATI: ONCE THE DATA ARE QUALITY-CHECKED,
THEY'RE ADDED TO THE MAIN CBC DATABASE.
SOYKAN: IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ECOLOGISTS TO THINK BIG
BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS THE WORLD IS FACING ARE LARGE.
A GOOD DATASET IS GOING TO BE COLLECTED
OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME
AND BE SPATIALLY EXTENSIVE,
SO COVER A LARGE AREA.
FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, THIS CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT IS
AN EXCELLENT DATASET.
DUNN, VOICE-OVER: YEAH. IT'S REAL INTERESTING DATA TO LOOK AT,
AND PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO REALLY CRUNCH THE NUMBERS.
THERE'S ENOUGH DATA NOW AFTER 115 YEARS.
WILSEY: FRANK CHAPMAN IN 1900 COULDN'T HAVE IMAGINED
HOW USEFUL THE CBC DATASET WOULD BE.
HAVING THIS LONG-TERM DATASET ALLOWS US
TO IDENTIFY THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN BIRDS AND CLIMATE
AND THINK ABOUT HOW CLIMATE CHANGE
MAY IMPACT THOSE BIRDS.
"THE AUDUBON BIRDS AND CLIMATE REPORT"
IS A COMPREHENSIVE REPORT LOOKING
ACROSS 588 DIFFERENT SPECIES AND TRYING TO QUANTIFY
THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
ON THE DISTRIBUTIONS OF THOSE SPECIES,
AND WE FOUND THAT NEARLY HALF OF THOSE 588 SPECIES
MAY NEED TO MAKE DRAMATIC SHIFTS IN RESPONSE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
ABDALATI: ONE OF THOSE SPECIES AT RISK IS
THE NELSON'S SPARROW.
THAT'S ONE OF THE BIRDS I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO SEE
DOWN IN THE EVERGLADES.
SO NELSON'S SPARROW IS CLASSIFIED
AS CLIMATE-ENDANGERED FOR THE WINTER MONTHS BASED
ON MODELS BUILT WITH CBC DATA.
ABDALATI: BY LATE THIS CENTURY, NELSON'S SPARROW
IS PROJECTED TO LOSE MOST OF ITS WINTER HABITAT
AND BE FORCED TO SPEND WINTERS FURTHER NORTH
ALONG THE COAST.
WILSEY: WE KNOW THAT BIRDS ARE HIGHLY MOBILE,
AND SO WE WOULD EXPECT THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO SHIFT
THEIR DISTRIBUTIONS IN RESPONSE TO A CHANGING CLIMATE.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW IS WHETHER THEY'RE GOING TO
FIND ALL THE RESOURCES THAT THEY REQUIRE
TO LIVE AND SURVIVE.
IT MAY BE THAT THEIR SPECIFIC FOOD RESOURCES
OR NESTING RESOURCES ARE NOT FOUND OR WON'T SHIFT
AT THE SAME RATE THAT THE BIRD IS CAPABLE
OF SHIFTING IN.
IT'S THOSE ECOLOGICAL MISMATCHES
THAT ARE POTENTIALLY THE MOST THREATENING COMPONENT
OF CLIMATE CHANGE.
EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT A BIRD LOVER
OR AN ENVIRONMENTALIST,
UNDERSTANDING THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS
OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON BIRDS IS IMPORTANT
BECAUSE BIRDS ARE A SURROGATE
FOR ECOSYSTEMS IN GENERAL,
AND SO IF BIRDS HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO BE THREATENED BY CLIMATE CHANGE,
NATURAL ECOSYSTEMS IN GENERAL ARE LIKELY TO BE AT RISK
DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE.
WITH THE LONG-TERM PERSPECTIVE
THAT THE CBC PROVIDES,
BIOLOGISTS CAN UNDERSTAND HOW BIRD POPULATIONS
CHANGE OVER TIME.
SOYKAN: FOR ME, PART OF IT IS JUST FEELING LIKE YOU'RE
A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER,
OF KNOWING THAT THERE'S THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
ACROSS THE WORLD DOING THE SAME THING.
ABDALATI: THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD,
ALL COUNTING BIRDS,
AND THIS YEAR, I WAS ONE OF THEM,
BUT CAN CITIZEN SCIENTISTS CONTRIBUTE DATA
THAT CAN BE TRUSTED?
SOYKAN: ONE OF THE CONCERNS WITH THE CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
DATA IS THE FACT THAT IT'S COLLECTED
BY CITIZEN SCIENTISTS RATHER THAN PROFESSIONALS,
BUT SKILLED BIRDERS ARE OFTEN AS GOOD OR BETTER
AT IDENTIFYING BIRDS AS PROFESSIONAL SCIENTISTS.
ABDALATI: I WITNESSED THIS FIRSTHAND
IN THE EVERGLADES.
ONE OF THE BIRDERS I MET THERE, PAUL BITHORN,
KNEW THE BIRDS HE WAS COUNTING
LIKE THEY WERE OLD FRIENDS.
ABDALATI: I FEEL LIKE MY BLOOD PRESSURE'S GONE DOWN 10 POINTS
JUST BEING HERE.
JUST SPECTACULAR.
SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DOING THIS?
BITHORN: WELL, THIS PARTICULAR COUNT,
I'VE BEEN CANOEING DOWN THIS TRAIL
FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS.
30 YEARS?
I WAS A, UH, PLUMBER FOR 41 YEARS.
I'M NOW RETIRED.
BUT YOU'VE BEEN BIRDING LONGER THAN YOU'VE
DONE ANYTHING, HUH?
I HAVE BEEN BIRDING FOR OVER 50 YEARS.
I STARTED AS A CUB SCOUT.
WE HAD TO IDENTIFY 10 SPECIES OF BIRDS,
AND I'VE BEEN BIRDING EVER SINCE.
ONCE YOU GET THE BUG, YOU'LL HAVE IT FOR LIFE.
I'VE GOT A TIGHT-KNIT CIRCLE OF FRIENDS HERE
IN MIAMI THAT, UH, WE ALL BIRD TOGETHER.
WE'RE LITERALLY FAMILY.
THAT'S A FACT.
SO HOW MUCH LONGER DO YOU PLAN ON DOING IT?
I'LL BE DOING IT AS LONG AS I'M ALIVE.
BUT WHILE BIRDING HAS A LONG HISTORY
OF CONTRIBUTING TO CITIZEN SCIENCE ACTIVITIES,
ANOTHER OUTDOOR ACTIVITY IS JUST GETTING STARTED.
ONCE AGAIN, IT HAS THE CAPABILITY OF FILLING
IMPORTANT GAPS IN THE DATA,
BUT THIS TIME, INSTEAD OF FEATHERS FLYING HIGH
IN THE SKIES, IT'S FINS SLICING THROUGH THE OCEANS.
6 A.M., A SOMEWHAT CHILLY DECEMBER MORNING
ON A BEACH NEAR SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA,
BUT FOR THESE MEN AND WOMEN,
THE DAY STILL BEGINS WITH THEIR USUAL MORNING RITUAL.
MAN: ONE OF THE STEREOTYPES THAT'S REALLY UNFORTUNATE
ABOUT SURFERS IS THEY'RE SORT OF THESE LAZY,
BURNED-OUT, DROPOUT PEOPLE FROM SOCIETY,
AND IT COULDN'T REALLY BE FARTHER
FROM THE TRUTH.
WE WERE DOWN HERE AT SUNRISE THIS MORNING,
AND THE ONLY PEOPLE STIRRING ON THE BEACH
AT 5:30, A QUARTER TO 6:00 WERE A BUNCH OF SURFERS
WHO GOT UP IN THE DARK TO COME SURF BEFORE WORK.
EVERY DAY, THEY WAKE UP,
AND THEY READ THE NOAA OFFSHORE BUOYS
THAT TALK ABOUT SWELL DIRECTION, PERIOD, WAVE HEIGHT.
THEY COME DOWN TO THE BEACH,
AND THEY'RE PAYING ATTENTION TO THE TIDE.
AS A SURFER, YOU'RE ACTUALLY IN THE OCEAN,
AND YOU EXPERIENCE WHAT THE OCEAN IS DOING
AT THAT MOMENT VERY VISCERALLY.
ABDALATI: I USE SATELLITES TO STUDY EARTH,
AND A LOT OF WHAT YOU SEE FROM SPACE,
OF COURSE, IS OCEAN,
BUT WE KNOW OUR SEAS ARE CHANGING IN IMPORTANT WAYS.
THEY'RE WARMING, AND SEA LEVEL IS RISING,
AND AS THE OCEAN ABSORBS MORE AND MORE CARBON DIOXIDE,
IT'S ALSO GETTING MORE ACIDIC.
THAT THREATENS CORAL REEFS AND THE FISH
AND THE FISHERMEN WHO DEPEND ON THEM,
SO WE ALSO NEED MEASUREMENTS OF WHAT'S CALLED pH,
AN INDICATOR OF WATER'S ACIDITY.
SATELLITES AND SOPHISTICATED SENSORS
DO A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF GENERATING DATA
ON WHAT'S HAPPENING FAR OUT AT SEA,
BUT CLOSE TO SHORE, IT CAN COST AS MUCH
AS $1 MILLION TO STUDY A SINGLE BAY,
AND THEN THERE ARE THOSE WAVES.
THEN I SAW A MAP OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD
OF THE UNITED STATES, AND ALONG THE COAST,
THERE WAS FUZZINESS.
ABDALATI: ANDY STERN IS A RETIRED NEUROLOGIST.
HE'S FOUNDER OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL NGO
CALLED THE LOST BIRD PROJECT,
WHICH COMMISSIONS LARGE SCULPTURES
OF EXTINCT SPECIES.
HE'S ALSO WORKING TO HELP GENERATE DATA
TO PREVENT MORE DAMAGE TO THE OCEAN.
ANDY HOPES THERE WILL BE NO NEED FOR A LOST CORAL PROJECT.
STERN: THERE WAS A LOT OF GOOD, PRECISE DATA
IN THE OCEAN,
AND I WAS TOLD THAT THE FUZZINESS
ALONG THE COAST, WHAT'S CALLED THE NEARSHORE,
IT WAS REALLY A DATA GAP.
CYRONAK: TO PUT SENSORS IN SOMETHING LIKE
THE SURF ZONE IS DIFFICULT FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS,
ONE OF WHICH IS IT'S JUST A VERY DYNAMIC ZONE
WHERE THERE'S LOTS OF WAVES BREAKING,
A LOT OF ENERGY BEING RELEASED,
SO TO PUT SOMETHING OUT THERE THAT WILL STAY THERE
AND NOT GET DAMAGED IS DIFFICULT.
STERN: SO I THOUGHT, "THAT'S INTERESTING.
"SURFERS ARE AT THE NEARSHORE.
THEY'RE THE ONES WHO REALLY KNOW THE OCEANS."
SOMETHING LIKE HALF OF MANKIND WORLDWIDE LIVES
ON THE COASTS, AND THAT'S WHERE THE DATA
ISN'T SECURE.
SO I SAID, "WE'RE DOING IT."
I REACHED INTO THE SURFER COMMUNITY
HERE IN SAN DIEGO AND FOUND BENJAMIN THOMPSON.
THEN I SAID, "HEY, BENJAMIN,
CAN YOU MAKE A SURFBOARD FIN THAT MEASURES OCEAN CHEMISTRY?"
AND HE SAID, "SURE."
AS TIME WENT BY, I REALIZED THAT
HAD I ASKED HIM TO MAKE A SURFBOARD
THAT WOULD TAKE ME TO THE MOON, HE WOULD HAVE SAID, "SURE!"
I LIKE HOW THE ROCKER SEEMS FURTHER BACK AND FARTHER OUT.
HE BROUGHT A TEAM OF ENGINEERS TOGETHER,
AND 3 YEARS LATER, WE HAVE SMARTFIN.
THIS IS WHAT THE SMARTFIN LOOKS LIKE ON THE OUTSIDE.
THE ONLY THING YOU SEE IS AN L.E.D.
AND THE LITTLE HOLE FOR WATER TO MOVE THROUGH.
ON THE INSIDE, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS.
RIGHT HERE, THERE'S A BATTERY.
THIS IS A CIRCUIT BOARD.
THIS IS AN INDUCTIVE CHARGER,
AND HERE WE HAVE
OUR pH SENSORS.
ABDALATI: CONTRAST THE SMARTFIN WITH THE SIZE AND COST
OF THE INSTRUMENTS WHICH SCRIPPS RESEARCHERS
CURRENTLY USE BOTH TO CAPTURE OCEAN DATA
AND TO CHECK THE ACCURACY OF THE SMARTFINS.
WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IN THIS TEST TANK IS
COMPARE THE MEASUREMENTS THE SMARTFINS ARE MAKING,
WHICH ARE TEMPERATURE, SALINITY, AND pH,
TO MEASUREMENTS MADE ON STATE-OF-THE-ART SCIENTIFIC EQUIPMENT
THAT IS ACTUALLY DEPLOYED BY OCEANOGRAPHERS
OUT IN THE OCEAN.
ABDALATI: THESE KINDS OF SENSORS CAN COST UP TO $20,000 EACH.
BY CONTRAST, SMARTFIN'S DEVELOPERS ARE AIMING
FOR A COST OF LESS THAN $200 PER FIN.
THOMPSON: IT'S PRETTY RAD BECAUSE IT ALL FITS IN A FIN.
AT THE LEVEL OF PRECISION AND ACCURACY
THAT WE HAVE FOR BOTH SALINITY AND pH,
THE CURRENT STATE OF THE ART IS LIKE A MASSIVE
BENCHTOP DATA ACQUISITION SYSTEM THAT YOU HAVE TO
PLUG INTO 120 VOLTS.
ABDALATI: ONCE THE SURFERS ARE BACK ON SHORE,
THEY DOWNLOAD THE DATA TO THEIR SMARTPHONES.
THOMPSON: THE DATA WILL MOVE FROM THE FIN TO YOUR PHONE
AND THEN FROM THE PHONE TO OUR SERVERS,
AND THEN IT'S PROCESSED,
AND THERE YOU HAVE A SURFER JUST HITTING
A FEW BUTTONS HAS DONE LEGITIMATE SCIENCE.
NELSEN: THE ACT OF RIDING A WAVE REALLY SORT OF IS
TRYING TO GET AS CLOSE AND TAP IN TO THAT SORT OF
OCEAN ENERGY IN THE OCEAN AS POSSIBLE,
YOU KNOW, EVEN TRYING TO GET UNDER AND INSIDE OF IT,
AND THE FIN IS ALONG FOR THAT RIDE,
SO I THINK THERE'S A REALLY INTERESTING COMPATIBILITY
BETWEEN THE FIN THAT'S COLLECTING
ALL OF THIS INFORMATION
AND--AND THE SURFER WHO'S, YOU KNOW, SO IN TUNE
AND IN TOUCH WITH THE OCEAN.
FOR ME AS A SCIENTIST, I GET TO GO SURFING FOR SCIENCE.
HA HA HA!
THERE'S NOT MUCH BETTER THAN THAT.
I LOVE SURFING, I LOVE SCIENCE,
AND PUTTING THEM TOGETHER AND BEING ABLE TO INTERACT
WITH PEOPLE AND TRY TO BRING THAT SAME STOKE TO THEM
FOR SCIENCE AND SURFING IS--IS REALLY GREAT FOR ME.
ABDALATI: A SMALL GROUP OF SURFERS HAVE BEEN
COLLABORATING IN A PILOT STUDY WITH SCRIPPS TO SEE
HOW DATA GATHERED IN THE LAB COMPARES
TO DATA COLLECTED OUT IN THE SURF.
MUMMA: THE BETA TESTING PROGRAM IS TWOFOLD.
ONE IS TO SEE HOW WELL THE FIN ACTUALLY WORKS
AS FAR AS UPLOADING DATA AND FUNCTIONALITY
OF THE ACTUAL FIN,
AND THE SECOND IS JUST TO COLLECT MORE DATA
TO ACTUALLY SEE HOW THE FIN IS OPERATING
WITH REGARD TO THE SENSORS.
ABDALATI: CLIFF KAPANO, ORIGINALLY FROM HAWAII,
WHERE SURFING WAS BORN, IS A BETA TESTER FOR SMARTFIN.
HE'S ALSO A Ph.D. STUDENT AT SCRIPPS.
IF WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE SOURCE DATA, RIGHT,
FROM THE REEF, YOU KNOW, WE UNDERSTAND
THE COLLECTIVE, HUGE DATABASE OF WHAT'S THE SALINITY,
WHAT'S THE TEMPERATURE, AND WHAT'S THE pH,
WE CAN PROFILE THE CHEMISTRY ON THE REEF
A LOT MORE EFFECTIVELY.
AND, YOU KNOW, IF WE-- IF WE REMOVE OURSELVES
FROM THE PLACES WE ARE TRYING TO PROTECT,
I THINK WE'LL ALWAYS FALL SHORT OF OUR GOAL.
NELSEN: SURFERS TRAVEL ALL OVER THE WORLD.
THEY GO TO ALL THESE PLACES WITH THESE SENSITIVE CORAL REEFS
IN INDONESIA, AND, YOU KNOW, ALL OVER THE SOUTH PACIFIC,
AND, UH--AND SO I THINK THAT SURFERS PROVIDE
A REALLY--A SORT OF A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND
THE DATA COLLECTION IN A WAY THAT RESEARCH DOLLARS--
IT WOULD JUST TAKE SO MUCH MONEY TO GET DONE.
ABDALATI: THE UNITED STATES HAS SOME 3 MILLION SURFERS.
AUSTRALIA, DESPITE ITS SMALLER POPULATION,
HAS ALMOST AS MANY.
THERE ARE EVEN HALF A MILLION IN GREAT BRITAIN.
WORLDWIDE, IT'S ESTIMATED
THAT SOME 23 MILLION MEN AND WOMEN SURF.
CYRONAK: WHEN YOU LOOK AT SURF BREAKS
FROM AN AERIAL POINT OF VIEW,
YOU CAN START TO SEE HOW MANY SURFERS
ARE ACTUALLY OUT IN THE WATER,
AND YOU CAN START TO REALIZE HOW MUCH OF AN IMPACT
THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL TO MAKE.
ABDALATI: BUT FOR SMARTFIN'S CREATORS, THE FIN IS NOT
JUST ABOUT COLLECTING HIGH-GRADE SCIENTIFIC DATA.
STERN: FOR THE CITIZEN, YOU'VE CONTRIBUTED
TO UNDERSTANDING OUR OCEANS,
AND IT MAKES THE SCIENCE MORE ACCESSIBLE.
YOU CAN ACQUIRE ENORMOUS AMOUNTS OF DATA
FOR NEXT TO NOTHING, AND OFTEN THE DATA
CANNOT BE OBTAINED ANY OTHER WAY.
I THINK OF SMARTFIN AS A CITIZEN SCIENCE PROJECT
WHICH IS SEEING THE OCEAN NOT ONLY
AS A VERY, VERY COOL PLAYGROUND,
BUT ALSO AS A FRAGILE AND CRITICAL PART
OF THE EARTH'S ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM.
SO SOCIAL MEDIA AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES
CAN MAKE LIFE BETTER FOR PEOPLE EVERYWHERE,
BUT CAN CITIZEN SCIENCE AND APPS ALSO PROTECT
THE SPECIES WITH WHOM WE SHARE THE PLANET?
RESEARCHERS TALK ABOUT PHENOLOGY,
STUDYING HOW PLANTS AND ANIMALS RESPOND
TO SEASONAL CHANGES, AND, YES, AS WE'LL SEE,
THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT.
WE'RE GOING TO JOURNEY THROUGH A YEAR IN THE LIFE
OF CITIZEN SCIENCE AND TRAVEL ACROSS THE NATION
FROM COAST TO COAST.
LET'S START IN LATE SUMMER/EARLY FALL
WITH FLOWERS BLOOMING BUT WITH CONCERNS
ABOUT THE NUMBER AND HEALTH OF POLLINATORS.
YEAH, THIS IS WITCH HAZEL NUMBER ONE.
KERISSA, VOICE-OVER: MY NAME IS KERISSA BATTLE.
WE ARE RIGHT NOW IN A PLACE CALLED BEARSVILLE
IN THE HEART OF THE CATSKILLS.
I GREW UP IN JAMAICA, QUEENS,
WITH NO REAL CONTEXT FOR THE NATURAL WORLD
REALLY AT ALL.
AS A YOUNG ADULT, WHEN I DID DISCOVER
THAT IT EXISTED, UH, I FELL IN LOVE
PRETTY--PRETTY HARD AND FAST, AS YOUNG ADULTS DO.
ABDALATI: KERISSA AND HER HUSBAND KEMP BATTLE
DOCUMENT SEASONAL CHANGE USING A SMARTPHONE APP.
THE NATIONAL PHENOLOGY NETWORK HAS CREATED
THIS INCREDIBLE RESOURCE, THIS OBSERVING PLATFORM
CALLED NATURE'S NOTEBOOK.
WE WALK THE TRAIL FREQUENTLY,
PRETTY MUCH EVERY DAY, TAKE MY DOGS OUT,
AND HIT THE TRAIL AND MAKE MY OBSERVATIONS ON MY iPHONE.
LET'S START WITH QUESTION ONE.
"DO WE HAVE BREAKING LEAF BUDS STILL?"
KERISSA, VOICE-OVER: AND MY OBSERVATIONS ARE INCLUDED
IN THE DATASET, JUST LIKE ANYONE ELSE.
ABDALATI: KERISSA WAS SO IMPRESSED WITH NATURE'S NOTEBOOK
THAT SHE FOUNDED THE NEW YORK PHENOLOGY PROJECT
WITH A SPECIAL FOCUS ON PLANTS AND POLLINATORS.
KERISSA: ONE OF THE MAIN FOCUS
OF THE NEW YORK PHENOLOGY PROJECT IS
PLANT/POLLINATOR SYNCHRONIZATION.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT THE TIMING OR THE MISMATCH
OF TIMING BETWEEN PLANTS AND THE POLLINATORS
THAT DEPEND ON THEM FOR NECTAR,
AND THE PLANTS THAT DEPEND ON THE POLLINATORS
FOR EFFECTIVE POLLINATION.
THIS IS A LATE-SEASON FLOWER,
SO IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT IN TERMS OF ITS NECTAR VALUE
FOR A LOT OF POLLINATORS.
QUITE A NUMBER OF OUR SITES, UH, HAVE IT
ON THEIR OBSERVATION LISTS.
JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE REFUGE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS A SITE.
ABDALATI: THIS WILDLIFE REFUGE IS WORKING
WITH BOTH ADULT AND TEENAGE CITIZEN SCIENTISTS
NOT JUST TO SUPPORT THE HEALTH OF PLANTS AND POLLINATORS,
BUT ALSO TO RESPOND TO THE IMPACTS
OF SUPERSTORM SANDY.
MAN: WE'RE HERE IN JAMAICA BAY.
THIS IS A PART OF GATEWAY NATIONAL RECREATION AREA,
AND THE SPECIFIC SPOT WE'RE AT
IS THE JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE REFUGE.
WOMAN: WE'RE ABOUT 45 MINUTES FROM MANHATTAN
IN THE LARGEST URBAN NATIONAL PARK IN NEW YORK.
MEHARG: DURING HURRICANE SANDY, WE HAD A 14-FOOT TIDAL SURGE.
THE SEAWATER CAME IN THROUGH THE ENTRANCE
FROM THE ATLANTIC OCEAN INTO JAMAICA BAY.
FANO: WE RECRUITED SCHOOLS IN BROOKLYN AND QUEENS
THAT WERE DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY SUPERSTORM SANDY.
THEY SUFFERED THE EFFECTS FIRSTHAND
OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM,
AND WE WANTED THEM TO COME AND SEE
NOT ONLY WHAT HAPPENED IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS,
BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE LOCAL ECOLOGY HERE
IN THEIR BACKYARD.
BOY: I LIVED THROUGH SANDY.
UM, IT WAS COLD, AND THERE WAS NO LIGHTS,
NO HEAT, NOT REALLY NOTHING.
BOY: IF YOU WERE OUTSIDE, YOU COULD SEE THE WATER LEVEL
ACTUALLY RISING TO ITS PEAK,
AND THEN IT WENT OVER THE BOARDWALK,
AND IT WAS--IT WAS JUST CRAZY.
GIRL: IT WAS VERY SCARY AND, LIKE, YOU--
LIKE, IT JUST HAPPENED SO QUICK, YOU DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO
AND, LIKE, HOW TO REACT TO WHAT HAPPENED
IN THE SITUATION YOU WERE IN.
ABDALATI: THE PARK SERVICE STARTED WORKING
WITH THE NEW YORK PHENOLOGY NETWORK TO MAKE RECOVERING
FROM SANDY ALSO SUPPORT HABITAT RESTORATION.
SO WHAT WOULD WE HAVE TO DO TO TRANSFORM
THIS AREA THAT WAS DAMAGED BY SANDY INTO A PLACE
THAT'S GOING TO ATTRACT MORE POLLINATORS?
WHAT--WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
WITH MORE SEEDS, THERE'S MORE BIRDS.
THERE'S MORE BIRDS, THERE'S MORE PLACES
FOR THE, UM, PLANTS TO GROW.
YES, RIGHT. SO YOU NEED, LIKE--
WE'RE TRYING TO, LIKE, START UP
THAT WHOLE ENGINE THAT'S SORT OF BEEN
BROKEN BY SANDY.
FANO: WHAT WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT IS THE DECLINE
OF POLLINATORS NATIONWIDE AND ALSO GLOBALLY,
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT THE DECLINE OF THEIR FOOD SUPPLIES,
THE DECLINE OF THEIR HABITATS.
JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE REFUGE NOW IS STARTING TO DO
A LOT OF INCREDIBLE WORK WITH POLLINATORS
AND NATIVE PLANET RESTORATION.
SO IF YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, THAT
A PARTICULAR BUMBLEBEE IS MISMATCHED
WITH THE PLANTS THAT IT VISITS, YOU CAN FOCUS
CONSERVATION EFFORT, BUILDING NATIVE HABITAT.
FANO: POLLINATORS ARE ESSENTIAL TO OUR SURVIVAL.
THEY'RE RESPONSIBLE FOR A THIRD OF EVERY BITE
OF FOOD WE TAKE,
AND THEY'RE AS IMPORTANT IN URBAN SETTINGS
AS THEY ARE IN RURAL OR SUBURBAN SETTINGS.
SOME OF THE TEACHERS THAT I MET ARE
AT JAMAICA BAY WILDLIFE REFUGE TO BUILD NATIVE BEE HOTELS,
SO TO CREATE HABITAT THAT YOU CAN PUT IN BACKYARDS.
MEHARG: WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOK REALLY CLOSELY
TO SEE IF WE SEE ANY POLLINATORS RIGHT NOW.
UM, YOU'RE JUST GOING TO COUNT HOW MANY
POLLINATORS WE SEE IN ONE MINUTE.
SO I'M GONNA TELL YOU WHEN TO START,
AND SOMEBODY'S ALREADY SPOTTED ONE.
SO WHEN WE REPORT DATA, THE OTHER PEOPLE
IN THE NETWORK GET TO BE PART OF THE DATA
THAT WE'RE COLLECTING.
KERISSA: STUDENTS WILL BE COMING OUT AND COLLECTING
THE SEEDS TO PLANT IN MORE PATCHES LIKE THIS.
SO THAT'S ONE OF THE CONSERVATION EFFORTS
AROUND INCREASING HABITAT FOR POLLINATORS
WHERE ANYONE CAN ACTUALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
FANO: BECAUSE WE'RE TEACHING STUDENTS THAT EVEN SMALL ACTIONS
CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR POLLINATORS, EVEN IN CITIES.
SOMETIMES, WE HEAR ABOUT STUDIES THAT ARE
VERY LARGE IN SCALE, BUT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW
LOCALLY WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR OWN COMMUNITIES,
AND IT'S THE CITIZEN SCIENTISTS THAT ARE
GATHERING THAT DATA AND HELPING US UNDERSTAND
WHAT'S HAPPENING ON A VERY MICRO LEVEL,
AND THAT'S ALMOST AS IMPORTANT
AS WHAT'S HAPPENING ON--ON VERY LARGE SCALES.
IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD BECAUSE I KNOW I'M DOING
SOMETHING GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT,
AND IT MAKES ME REALIZE THAT, YOU KNOW,
I'M ACTUALLY HELPING.
YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT-- IT MIGHT BE IN A SMALL WAY,
BUT I'M STILL MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
MEHARG: IF YOU WERE A BUMBLEBEE, AND YOU WERE FLYING
AROUND HERE AND YOU'RE LOOKING AT THIS AREA RIGHT NOW,
WHAT--WHAT ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT THIS AREA?
WHY WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO BE HERE
IF YOU'RE A BUMBLEBEE?
NOT MANY FLOWERS!
YEAH, NOT A LOT OF FLOWERS.
IF WE'RE GONNA PUT PLANTS BACK HERE,
WE NEED TO PUT PLANTS THAT ARE RESISTANT
TO SALT SPRAY AND STORMS LIKE HURRICANE SANDY
BECAUSE WE'RE LIKELY TO GET ONE AGAIN.
SO ONE OF THE PLANTS I POINTED OUT TO YOU WAS
THIS ONE OVER HERE...
KERISSA: SOME OF THE SPECIES THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH
DON'T HAVE DATASETS, SO THIS IS BASELINE.
THIS IS JUST GETTING THAT FIRST LOOK
AT WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING PHENOLOGICALLY
WITH THESE SPECIES.
AND WHAT I ALWAYS SAY TO THE KIDS IS--IS
THE DATA THAT WE'RE COLLECTING IS REALLY IMPORTANT
TO MEMBERS OF THE PHENOLOGY PROJECT
SO THEY CAN COMPARE THEIR BLOOMING GOLDENROD
WITH THE TIME OUR BLOOMING GOLDENROD IS BLOOMING.
FANO: AND WE'RE MOVING STUDENTS FROM EDUCATION
TO ACTION, KNOWING THAT THEY CAN COLLECT DATA
AND ALSO THEN RESTORE HABITAT FOR POLLINATORS.
KERISSA: WHAT'S FANTASTIC ABOUT THE CITIZEN SCIENCE
MOVEMENT IS THAT YOU HAVE PEOPLE
WHO CAN STEWARD THESE SMALL GREEN SPACES
AND PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN THEM.
ARE THEY SEEING CERTAIN POLLINATORS THAT THEY
HAVEN'T SEEN BEFORE IN THAT PARTICULAR AREA?
ARE THEY MOVING FROM PATCH TO PATCH?
WHEN YOU EMPOWER PEOPLE IN THEIR OWN BACKYARDS,
AT THEIR SCHOOLYARDS, IN THEIR CITY PARKS,
IN THE PLACES THEY'RE ALREADY GOING,
IT'S MORE LIKELY THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY CREATE
CONNECTIVITY ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE.
WOMAN: WE'RE ON THE CENTRAL COAST
OF CALIFORNIA, WHICH IS REALLY THE HEART
OF WHERE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES SPEND THE WINTER.
THE MONARCHS THAT ARE OVERWINTERING HERE
HAVE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE,
THEY'VE NEVER BEEN TO THIS PART OF CALIFORNIA BEFORE.
WOMAN: THESE MONARCHS HAVE COME FROM ALL OVER
THE WESTERN U.S., SO THEY'VE COME FROM ARIZONA,
NEVADA, UTAH, WASHINGTON STATE, OREGON STATE.
THEY HAVE FLOWN HUNDREDS, MAYBE EVEN, YOU KNOW,
A THOUSAND MILES TO THESE EXACT SPOTS.
POWERS: THERE ARE ABOUT 200 LOCATIONS
ALONG THE CALIFORNIA COASTLINE WHERE THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES
OVERWINTER, AND THIS HAPPENS TO BE
ONE OF THEIR FAVORITE PLACES.
THE UNDERSIDE OF THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY IS
ACTUALLY VERY WELL-CAMOUFLAGED.
MAN: THEY'RE NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE IF YOU DON'T
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR,
BUT THEN YOU LOOK, YOU SEE, "OH, THAT'S A COUPLE HUNDRED
"BUTTERFLIES ALL TOGETHER.
"OH, THAT'S PRETTY AMAZING.
OH, COME LOOK! COME LOOK!" HA HA HA!
GRIFFITHS: BACK IN 1997, A GROUP OF CONCERNED CITIZENS
DECIDED THAT THERE NEEDED TO BE A BETTER, MORE STANDARDIZED WAY
OF KEEPING TRACK OF MONARCH BUTTERFLIES,
AND THEY NOTICED THAT MONARCH BUTTERFLIES TEND
TO PEAK IN POPULATION AT THE OVERWINTERING SITES
AROUND THANKSGIVING.
THUS WAS BORN THE WESTERN MONARCH THANKSGIVING COUNT.
POWERS: VOLUNTEERS GO OUT AND TRY TO FIND AND COUNT
THE MONARCH BUTTERFLIES.
TODAY, WE ARE COUNTING MONARCH BUTTERFLIES
AT PISMO GROVE.
THIS SITE IS THE LARGEST OVERWINTERING SITE
IN CALIFORNIA.
THERE'S NOWHERE ELSE THAT HAS MORE MONARCHS THAN THIS,
SO YOU GUYS ARE GETTING TRAINED AT KIND OF
THE--THE MOTHER SHIP RIGHT NOW.
GRIFFITHS, VOICE-OVER: CITIZEN SCIENCE IS MORE THAN
PEOPLE WHO ARE EXCITED ABOUT PARTICIPATING
OR WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
THERE HAS TO BE SOME SCIENCE BEHIND IT,
AND SO, IN THE CASE OF THE WESTERN MONARCH THANKSGIVING COUNT,
ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE RIGOROUSLY TRAINED
ON THE PROPER COUNTING PROTOCOL.
IT'S EASY TO LOSE YOUR PLACE.
I WILL ALWAYS GO, LIKE, SAY, LEFT TO RIGHT,
BOTTOM DOWN,
SO A PREDICTABLE ZIGZAG PATTERN.
WOMAN: AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO THE WHOLE SITE?
GRIFFITHS: YES. AT ONE TIME.
YES, YOU WANT TO COUNT--
NOT JUST DO A SECTION AND THEN THE NEXT DAY DO ANOTHER.
BECAUSE THEY MOVE.
WHOA! STUNNING! IT'S BEAUTIFUL!
GRIFFITHS, VOICE-OVER: TRAINING OUR CITIZEN SCIENTISTS
IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE DATA COLLECTION PROCESS.
IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY TRENDS AND TO BE ABLE
TO SAY SOMETHING ABOUT THE DATA
AND PROPERLY ANALYZE IT, THEN YOU NEED TO HAVE
STANDARDIZED DATA COLLECTION PROTOCOLS IN PLACE.
THRASHER: IT'S DONE IN THE MORNING BECAUSE
ONCE THEY GET WARM ENOUGH TO FLY,
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO COUNT THEM. HA HA HA HA!
SO YOU'VE GOT TO COUNT THEM WHEN THEY'RE CLUSTERING.
POWERS: WE ARE RECORDING THE LOCATION,
WE'RE RECORDING THE NUMBERS,
EXACTLY WHERE THE BUTTERFLIES ARE IN THE TREES,
WHAT THE ACTIVITY OF THE BUTTERFLIES ARE,
WHETHER THEY'RE SUNNING, WHETHER THEY'RE BY THEMSELVES,
WHETHER THEY'RE IN CLUSTERS.
THRASHER, VOICE-OVER: WHEN YOU'RE DOING THE COUNT,
YOU USUALLY COUNT A SMALL GROUP,
A GROUP OF 10, AND YOU GO ONE...
POWER: 2, 3,
4...
5, 6...
7, 8...
9, 10...
11, 12, 13, 14...
THRASHER: 65...75.
UH...THERE'S, UH, 95, ABOUT A HUNDRED.
POWERS: COUNTING METHOD IS BASICALLY LIKE COUNTING
JELLYBEANS IN A JAR.
I MEAN, THIS DOES LOOK VERY DAUNTING,
BUT BREAKING IT UP IS THE KEY
AND JUST--AND MAKING SURE YOU--YOU GUYS ARE
ON THE SAME PAGE WHEN YOU'RE-- WHEN YOU'RE COUNTING.
POWER: AND THIS INFORMATION IS ALL COMPILED
BY THE XERCES SOCIETY, AND IT CONTRIBUTES
TO OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S GOING ON
WITH THE POPULATION
OF THE WESTERN MONARCH BUTTERFLY.
GRIFFITHS: THE DATA THAT HAS BEEN COLLECTED BY HUNDREDS
OF VOLUNTEERS HAS REALLY ACTUALLY
HIGHLIGHTED THAT OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS
THE MONARCH POPULATION HAS DECLINED
IN THE WESTERN UNITED STATES BY ABOUT 90%.
THESE VOLUNTEERS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE COUNT.
IT'S BEING TURNED INTO MANAGEMENT
AND CONSERVATION RECOMMENDATIONS
THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED ON THE GROUND BY HOMEOWNERS,
CITIZENS, LANDOWNERS, LAND MANAGERS
TO BETTER PRESERVE MONARCH BUTTERFLY HABITAT
AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
ABDALATI: CHECK OUT THIS LINK TO FIND OUT ABOUT PLANTING
MILKWEED, THE MAYORS' MONARCH PLEDGE,
AND OTHER STEPS TO HELP PROTECT
THIS ICONIC SPECIES.
WOMAN: WE ARE IN THE DESERT SOUTHWEST,
AND WHEREVER THERE'S WATER,
THAT'S WHERE PEOPLE WANT TO BE.
PEOPLE STARTED SETTLING HERE IN THE ALBUQUERQUE AREA
AND REALIZED THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE
WHEN THE RIVER FLOODED.
THE PEOPLE HERE DECIDED THAT WE NEEDED TO
CONTROL THE RIVER AND KEEP IT WITHIN ITS BANKS.
WE KEPT THE RIVER FROM FLOODING,
AND THAT FLOODING WAS WHAT CREATED
THIS BEAUTIFUL COTTONWOOD FOREST.
WITHOUT THAT FLOODING, WHEN THESE COTTONWOODS
DROP THEIR SEEDS, THEY DON'T HAVE MOIST SOIL
TO GERMINATE IN.
ABDALATI: THE VALLE DE ORO REFUGE WAS PREVIOUSLY THE SITE
OF A DAIRY FARM.
TO RESTORE IT TO A MORE NATURAL HABITAT,
VOLUNTEERS FROM NEARBY PUEBLOS, LOCAL SCHOOLS,
AND OTHERS ARE DOCUMENTING WHEN BUDS
BURST AND SEEDS FALL.
THOSE DATA WILL HELP PROMOTE THE GROWTH
OF NATIVE COTTONWOODS
AND BEAT BACK THE INVASIVE SIBERIAN ELM.
GIRL: TODAY, WE WERE OBSERVING COTTONWOOD
AND SIBERIAN ELM TREE ON THE REFUGE
TO SEE WHAT THE GROWTH OF THE TREE IS LIKE
AND TO ENTER IT IN OUR NATURE'S NOTEBOOK.
NOTICE THAT, LIKE, THERE ARE LITTLE TINY, LITTLE BUDS
ON THE BRANCHES.
NO OPEN FLOWERS.
POLLEN RELEASE, NOT YET.
UH-UH.
NO FRUITS.
ABDALATI: THE PHENOLOGY APP PLUS CITIZEN SCIENCE
ARE DELIVERING HYPERLOCAL DATA
ABOUT SPECIES-SPECIFIC SEASONAL CHANGES
THAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE MISSING.
OWEN-WHITE: WHEN WE MONITOR THE COTTONWOODS,
WE'RE LEARNING ABOUT WHEN THEY ARE BUDDING,
WHEN THEY'RE DROPPING THEIR SEEDS,
AND THAT'S GOING TO HELP US WHEN WE RE-CREATE
FLOODING EVENTS.
WE CAN RE-CREATE FLOODING EVENTS
AT THE EXACT RIGHT TIME SO THAT THE COTTONWOODS
DROP THEIR SEEDS AND THAT THEY GERMINATE
SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO PLANT HUNDREDS
OF COTTONWOODS SO THAT THEY GROW ON THEIR OWN.
SO THAT'S A BIG PART OF WHAT WE'RE DOING
WITH NATURE'S NOTEBOOK.
SO I GUESS YOU CAN COMPARE THEM, LIKE, EAST REFUGE.
OWEN-WHITE, VOICE-OVER: WE ALSO HAVE OTHER PROJECTS THAT
WE'VE LINKED WITH NATURE'S NOTEBOOK,
LIKE THE BEMP PROGRAM,
THE BOSQUE ECOSYSTEM MONITORING PROGRAM,
WHERE THEY'RE STUDYING THE WATER LEVELS IN THE RIVER
AND THE GROUNDWATER, AND THAT'S GOING TO HELP US
WITH RESTORATION.
ALL RIGHT. LET'S SEE WHAT WE'RE SEEING.
OWEN-WHITE: IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO COLLECT THE ZERO DATA,
THE NO DATA, WHEN WE DON'T SEE THINGS,
BUT IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS
TO STAY ENGAGED AND TO STAY EXCITED
ABOUT THE PROJECT IF THEY DO GET TO SEE WILDLIFE.
REALLY QUICKLY, LET'S THINK
ABOUT WHAT COULD BE SOME SIGNS, UH,
THAT WE MIGHT OBSERVE, EVEN IF WE DON'T SEE
THE ANIMALS THAT ARE OUT HERE.
THE ROBIN IS ACTUALLY HERE FROM JANUARY
TO ABOUT SEPTEMBER.
OWEN-WHITE: SO WE WANT TO PICK SOME OF THOSE BIRDS
LIKE THE CANADA GEESE OR THE SANDHILL CRANES
THAT WE KNOW PEOPLE ARE GONNA SEE,
BUT THAT WILL ALSO INFORM US
ABOUT HOW OUR RESTORATION WORK IS GOING.
ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS IS THAT THE DATA
THAT WE COLLECT HERE ISN'T JUST USED
FOR VALLE DE ORO.
IT GOES INTO A NATIONAL DATABASE,
AND SCIENTISTS AND EDUCATORS ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY
CAN ACCESS THIS DATA.
AND I'M SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF THE VOLUNTEERS
WHO GIVE THEIR TIME AND THEIR ENERGY
TO COLLECT THIS DATA.
IT'S NOT EASY. IT'S NOT QUICK.
HAVE A COYOTE HANGIN' OUT IN THE FIELD OVER THERE.
WE'VE BEEN SEEING A LOT OF COYOTES LATELY,
ESPECIALLY THE PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS
IN THE WINTER, WHEN WE HAVE HAD
SO MANY SANDHILL CRANES AND GEESE ON THE PROPERTY.
THE COYOTES HAVE LOVED IT OUT HERE.
I THINK THIS IS A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP
WHERE THE VOLUNTEERS ARE LEARNING MORE
ABOUT WILDLIFE AND PLANTS IN THEIR COMMUNITY,
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GIVING BACK
TO SOMETHING BIG AND SOMETHING SPECIAL.
THEY'RE NOT JUST OUT THERE COLLECTING DATA,
ENTERING IT, AND THEN THEY SEE NOTHING OF IT.
THEY GET TO COME OUT HERE, AND THEY GET TO EXPERIENCE
HOW THEIR DATA IS BEING INCORPORATED
INTO THE REFUGE DESIGNS.
MAN: WE ARE HERE IN SOUTHERN NEW JERSEY
ON THE DELAWARE BAY, AND TONIGHT,
WE'RE DOING A HORSESHOE CRAB CENSUS.
IT HAS NOT STARTED RAINING!
WE DON'T TALK ABOUT THAT.
THIS IS--THIS IS OUR MOTIVATION TO HAVE
A QUICK AND EFFICIENT SURVEY TONIGHT.
SO, SHOW OF HANDS, WHO'S DONE A SURVEY BEFORE?
OK.
MAN: HORSESHOE CRABS ARE THOUGHT TO BE
BETWEEN 350 MILLION TO 400 MILLION YEARS OLD,
UH, REALLY WITHOUT ANY CHANGES,
SO THEY ARE OLDER THAN THE DINOSAURS.
THESE ARE TRULY ANCIENT CREATURES.
WHEN I FIRST CAME HERE 35 YEARS AGO,
YOU COULDN'T WALK ON THIS BEACH IN THE SUMMERTIME
AT THIS TIME OF YEAR WITHOUT STEPPING ON A HORSESHOE CRAB.
ABDALATI: SUMMER ALSO BRINGS MIGRATING BIRDS,
SUCH AS THE RED KNOTS,
WHO TOUCH DOWN TO FEAST ON CRAB EGGS.
RED KNOTS ARE LONG DISTANCE TRAVELERS,
FLYING 10,000 MILES
FROM THE TIP OF SOUTH AMERICA
ALL THE WAY NORTH TO THE ARCTIC.
THEY STOP HERE TO FATTEN UP ON THE WAY,
AND THEY FATTEN UP ON THE HORSESHOE CRAB EGGS,
WHICH, AT LEAST UNTIL GLOBAL WARMING STARTED,
HAPPENED AT THE TIME
THAT THE RED KNOT ARRIVED.
ABDALATI: HORSESHOE CRABS COME ASHORE TO SPAWN
AT HIGH TIDE, WHEN THE MOON IS NEW OR FULL.
A FEMALE LAYS SOME 90,000 EGGS EACH YEAR,
ATTRACTING MULTIPLE MALES,
ALL COMPETING TO FERTILIZE THEM.
ZITO-LIVINGSTON: MOST SPECIES THAT LAY A TON OF EGGS,
IT'S ONE OF THOSE ONE-IN-A-MILLION,
ONE-IN-A-BILLION CHANCES OF SURVIVING,
PARTLY BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN SPAWNING STRATEGY
AND THEN PARTLY BECAUSE OF THE SHORE BIRD BUFFET
THAT HAPPENS.
ABDALATI: HUMANS WERE ALSO HARVESTING THE CRABS,
USING THEIR BLOOD FOR MEDICAL PURPOSES
AND THEIR BODIES TO CATCH EEL AND CONCH.
ONE OF THE POPULAR USES OF HORSESHOE CRABS
IS TO ACTUALLY USE THEM AS BAIT.
SO MANY OF THOSE HORSESHOE CRABS
WERE HARVESTED THAT POPULATIONS STARTED
TO DECREASE.
IN THE EARLY 2000s, THE SHORE BIRD POPULATIONS
STARTED TO REALLY DECLINE RAPIDLY,
AND IT WAS THOUGHT THAT THE REDUCTION
IN HORSESHOE CRABS NUMBERS AND THE EGGS
THAT THEY REPRODUCE WAS PROBABLY THE ROOT CAUSE,
BUT THERE WASN'T A LOT OF DATA.
WHAT WE'LL BE DOING IS WALKING ALONG THE BEACH
AND PUTTING OUT SURVEY EQUIPMENT.
IT'S JUST THESE REAL SIMPLE PVC SQUARE
THAT WE PUT DOWN,
AND WE COUNT THE HORSESHOE CRABS
THAT ARE IN IT,
AND BY DOING THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN
ON A WHOLE BUNCH OF BEACHES
ALONG THE DELAWARE BAY,
WE CAN TRACK HORSESHOE CRAB POPULATIONS.
ZITO-LIVINGSTON: WE'LL NEED AT LEAST ONE PACER,
IDEALLY TWO PER TEAM.
YOU CAN EITHER COUNT THE NUMBER OF FOOTFALLS
IT TAKES YOU TO GO 10 METERS
OR EVERY OTHER STEP,
WHATEVER IS GOING TO BE EASIEST FOR YOU TO REMEMBER.
A LOT OF THINGS CAN AFFECT THE NUMBER
OF CRABS THAT ARE SPAWNING, SO WE RECORD
ALL THOSE THINGS ON OUR DATA SHEET,
THINGS LIKE WAVE ENERGY, CLOUD COVER.
WE GET THAT A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT WAYS.
A BUNCH OF CRABS ARE STARTING TO COME UP ON THE BEACH,
AND THE FEEDING FRENZY OF LAUGHING GULLS
TELLS ME THERE'S A WHOLE BUNCH
OF EGGS ACTUALLY OUT THERE ON THE SAND ALREADY.
SEE THE NUMBER OF LOOSE EGGS,
ALL WITH FRESH YOLK.
THE SHOREBIRD BIOLOGISTS ACTUALLY LIKEN IT
TO CHEESECAKE, IT IS SO HIGH
IN FAT AND NUTRITION.
THE DATA THAT YOU'RE GETTING,
THE NUMBER OF MALES AND THE NUMBER OF FEMALES,
WE'LL BE IDENTIFYING THEM BOTH BASED
ON POSITION AND ALSO SIZE.
MALES HAVE THESE BOXING GLOVE CLAWS.
THEY HAVE A HOOK ON THEM, AND THEY USE THAT HOOK
TO GRASP THE FEMALE RIGHT HERE.
SO, AGAIN, FEMALE UNDERNEATH
AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF MALES.
THIS IS A PRETTY HIGH SEX RATIO FOR HORSESHOE CRABS,
WHICH IS ANOTHER PIECE OF INFORMATION
THAT COMES OUT OF THE SPAWNING SURVEY.
SO KAREN'S FEELING TO SEE IF THERE'S A FEMALE,
AND SHE'S GONNA TRY TO FIND ANOTHER ONE.
A HEALTHY POPULATION IN HORSESHOE CRABS
SHOULD HAVE A FAIRLY HIGH SEX RATIO.
ABDALATI: STARTING IN 2006, THE DECLINE IN CRABS
AND SHOREBIRDS LED ENVIRONMENTAL AGENCIES
TO IMPLEMENT STRICT LIMITS ON CATCHING
HORSESHOE CRABS.
THERE'S BEEN A MORATORIUM.
NOW THIS IS THE EIGHTH YEAR OF THE MORATORIUM.
ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE LOOKING FOR IS
ARE THEY STARTING TO COME BACK?
A MALE HORSESHOE CRAB TAKES 7 YEARS TO REACH SEXUAL MATURITY.
WOMAN: SO THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR
SINCE THE MORATORIUM WAS PUT ON,
SO IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE IF THEY SEE
AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF MALES.
I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR TWO YEARS OR SO.
I LOVE THE ENVIRONMENT. I LIKE THE HORSESHOE CRABS.
I THINK IT'S COOL THAT THEY'VE PRETTY MUCH
BEEN HERE FOREVER;
A LOT LONGER THAN HUMANS HAVE BEEN HERE,
MILLIONS OF YEARS OR SO.
I MEAN, IF THEIR NUMBERS START DECLINING NOW,
THEN I THINK WE CAN CLEARLY SAY THAT PEOPLE
ARE THE ONES WHO ARE AT FAULT FOR IT,
AND I LIKE TO FEEL THAT I'M HELPING.
EVEN A LITTLE BIT, IT STILL MAKES ME FEEL
A LITTLE BETTER INSIDE.
17 MALES AND-- 3 FEMALES.
3 FEMALES. OK.
ALLEN: SO RIGHT NOW IN NEW JERSEY,
THERE'S NO HARVEST OF HORSESHOE CRABS ALLOWED,
AND IN ORDER FOR THAT TO BE CHANGED OVER TIME,
FOR HARVEST RESTRICTIONS TO BE LIFTED,
WE NEED TO KNOW THAT THE HORSESHOE CRABS
HAVE RETURNED TO SUFFICIENT NUMBERS
TO SUPPORT THE SHOREBIRD NUMBERS,
AND SO THE RESULTS OF SURVEYS LIKE
THIS CITIZEN SCIENCE SURVEY ACTUALLY INFORM
THE DECISION-MAKING ON WHETHER THE RESTRICTIONS
CAN BE LIFTED OR NOT.
THE ONLY WAY THESE KINDS OF SURVEYS HAPPEN
UP AND DOWN THE BAY IS WITH THE HELP OF VOLUNTEERS.
THERE'S JUST NO WAY THAT IT COULD BE COVERED
WITH PROFESSIONALS,
AND THE VOLUNTEERS DO AN AWESOME JOB
DOING THESE KINDS OF SURVEYS, SO IT'S FANTASTIC DATA.
MAN: WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR 5 YEARS...
WOMAN: FOR 5 YEARS. BECAUSE IT'S INTERESTING,
BUT WE WERE BOTH TEACHERS.
NOW WE'RE RETIRED, AND WE WANTED JUST TO SEE
WHAT WE CAN DO TO HELP OUT,
AND IT'S A VERY INTERESTING TOPIC
AND A LOT OF FUN.
IN THE DEVELOPED WORLD,
DATA ARE OFTEN AS PLENTIFUL AND VARIED
AS FOOD AT A FARMER'S MARKET.
IN DEVELOPING NATIONS, HOWEVER, IT'S OFTEN QUITE DIFFERENT.
THE DATA JUST AREN'T THERE,
BUT FOR FARMERS, KNOWING WHAT CROPS ARE SELLING WHERE
AND FOR HOW MUCH IS ESSENTIAL INFORMATION,
AND FOR GOVERNMENTS, KNOWING WHAT CROPS GROW WHERE
IS CRITICAL FOR DEVELOPING FOOD POLICIES
FOR ENTIRE NATIONS.
MAN: EVERY SINGLE DATA POINT HAS A HUMAN STORY.
THAT HUMAN STORY, THE STORY THAT TELLS ME
HOW AGRICULTURE IS LINKED TO NUTRITION OUTCOMES,
HOW PEOPLE MAKE EMPLOYMENT CHOICES,
WHETHER THEY HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTHCARE,
WHAT DETERMINES THAT?
BEING ABLE TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ARE IMPORTANT,
BUT FOR ME TO ABLE TO DO THAT,
I NEED TO BE HERE, I NEED TO BE ABLE TO OBSERVE IT.
I NEED TO GET TO THIS PLACE.
IT COULD BE 3 HOURS AWAY FROM THE ASPHALT ROAD.
IT COULD BE 15 MINUTES AWAY.
FOR US, IT DOESN'T MATTER.
WE NEED TO GET THERE, WE NEED TO GET IT DONE.
ABDALATI: IN UGANDA, TALIP IS WORKING
WITH LOCAL PARTNERS AT THE BUREAU OF STATISTICS
TO FILL A DATA GAP ABOUT LIVING STANDARDS
ALL ACROSS THE NATION.
I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH TALIP SINCE 2009.
IT ALL STARTED WITH A NEED TO HAVE
ROUTINE, REGULAR, AND RELIABLE STATISTICS.
IF YOU NEED TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE GOING
AND HOW YOU ARE MOVING THERE,
THEN YOU NEED STATISTICS.
ABDALATI: TALIP, JAMES, AND COLLEAGUES HAVE TRAINED
HUNDREDS OF UGANDANS TO COLLECT
ACCURATE DATA FROM THE HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS.
THAT MIGHT SOUND EASY, BUT IN A BUSTLING BIG CITY
LIKE KAMPALA WITHOUT STREET NAMES AND NUMBERS,
OR IN THE REMOTE COUNTRYSIDE,
CAPTURING THE DATA THAT CAN SHAPE
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT POLICIES IS NEVER EASY.
KILIC: WHEN WE THINK ABOUT A TYPICAL
HOUSEHOLD SURVEY INTERVIEW IN KAMPALA,
IN SOME SENSE, GETTING THERE IS A SENSORY OVERLOAD.
WHEN YOU'RE WALKING THROUGH THE STREET OF KAMPALA,
YOU WILL FIND TRAFFIC JAMS,
YOU WILL FIND PEOPLE ON MOTORCYCLES,
GETTING OFF TAXIS,
PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT WALKS OF LIFE,
DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES,
PEOPLE THAT SPEAK DIFFERENT LANGUAGES.
YOU MIGHT FIND YOURSELF IN A VERY BUSY MARKETPLACE
WITH ALL SORTS OF GOODS AND PRODUCE SOLD AROUND YOU,
PEOPLE DOING ALL SORTS OF JOBS.
SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, DOING SURVEYS
IN URBAN KAMPALA BECOMES QUITE DIFFICULT.
HERE IN UGANDA, UH, ROUGHLY 20% OF THE POPULATION
IS ESTIMATED TO BE LIVING IN POVERTY.
SO FOR US TO REALLY END EXTREME POVERTY,
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO BENCHMARK IT.
WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO MEASURE IT WELL
AND DO THAT IN A SUSTAINABLE FASHION.
MWONGE: MOST OF THE POPULATION IS LARGELY RURAL.
WE HAVE ABOUT 20% LIVING IN URBAN AREAS,
BUT 80% LIVE IN RURAL AREAS.
KILIC: GETTING TO OUR INTENDED DESTINATIONS
IS, UH--IS REALLY ONE OF THE MOST CHALLENGING PARTS
OF OUR JOB.
[MAN SINGING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
THE THRILL OF GETTING TO AN ENUMERATION AREA,
ONE OF 80,000 ENUMERATION AREAS
THAT WE COULD HAVE SAMPLED FROM, PICKING THAT ONE
AND SETTING THAT TARGET AND GOING THERE IS
A THRILL IN AND OF ITSELF,
AND ESPECIALLY IF YOU THINK ABOUT A LANDSCAPE LIKE THIS,
WHICH IS JUST SIMPLY EPIC, IS A ROMANTIC IDEA.
[GOATS BLEATING]
LOOKING BEHIND ME, IT REALLY GIVES YOU
THAT SENSE THAT AGRICULTURE IS A KEY CONTRIBUTOR
TO THESE PEOPLE'S LIVES.
IF YOU THINK BEYOND THIS COMMUNITY,
IF YOU THINK ABOUT UGANDA,
AGRICULTURE IS THE PRIMARY CONTRIBUTOR
TO THE GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT.
RIGHT NOW, UH, WE JUST GOT DONE MEASURING HER PARCEL.
UH, SO TO CAPTURE THE AREA OF THE PARCEL,
UH, THE ENUMERATOR IS FOLLOWING THE HEAD OF THE HOUSEHOLD,
UH, WALKING THE PERIMETER OF THE PARCEL
SO THAT WE CAN DEMARCATE, UH, THE PARCEL BOUNDARIES,
AND AS SHE'S DOING THAT, THE ENUMERATOR HAS
HER GPS UNIT ON, BASICALLY RECORDING HER TRACK.
ABDALATI: GPS SENSORS GET POSITION DATA FROM SATELLITES,
BUT JUST AS WITH SURVEYS OF TREES, BIRDS, OR BUTTERFLIES,
IT TAKES BOOTS ON THE GROUND,
FEET IN THE FIELD TO ADD THAT LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
WITHOUT WHICH THE DATA WOULD HAVE NO MEANING.
IT TAKES BOTH HIGH TECH AND HUMANS.
FROM THE MOMENT THE INTERVIEWER ASKS
A QUESTION, THE RESPONSE BECOMES
A NUMERICAL DATA POINT.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AND YOU CAN SEE
HOW THAT'S CHANGING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF AFRICA,
HOW THAT'S CHANGING
THE UNDERSTANDING OF THESE ECONOMIES
THAT DID NOT HAVE THESE DATA BEFORE.
MWONGE: WE'VE BEEN MONITORING POVERTY SINCE 1992,
AND IN 1992, 56% OF THE POPULATION
WAS POOR IN UGANDA,
AND THAT NUMBER HAS REDUCED TO 19.7%.
IT IS STATISTICS THAT INFORMED
POVERTY ERADICATION ACTION PLAN.
HOW FAR HAVE WE MOVED? WHERE ARE WE NOW?
EVEN WHEN WE ARE LONG GONE, YOU KNOW,
WHO--WHOEVER COMES TO TAKE OVER WILL BE ABLE TO USE
THESE METHODS TO MONITOR CHANGE
AND KNOW, WELL, THIS IS WHERE WE MOVED FROM,
AND THIS IS WHERE WE ARE,
AND SO, TO ME, COLLECTING INFORMATION
AND SEEING IT BEING USED, THAT'S THE SATISFACTION I GET.
ABDALATI: MY BACKGROUND AS A SCIENTIST,
WORKING FOR NASA AND UNIVERSITIES,
HAS SHOWN ME THE VALUE OF THE BIG PICTURE PERSPECTIVE
WE GET WHEN WE LOOK AT THE EARTH FROM SPACE,
BUT DIVING INTO THESE PROJECTS WE'VE COVERED
IN "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD,"
I'VE LEARNED THAT THE UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE,
PEOPLE COLLABORATING AND SHARING DATA
VIA THE CLOUD, IS AN EXCELLENT WAY TO GATHER
THE INFORMATION WE NEED TO HELP SOLVE
THE CHALLENGES WE ALL FACE.
FROM EARTHQUAKES TO EPIDEMICS,
FROM AIR QUALITY TO ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH,
FROM THE HEALTH OF OUR OCEANS TO THE SAFETY
OF OUR DRINKING WATER, CITIZEN SCIENCE
AND CROWDSOURCING DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE,
AND CITIZEN SCIENCE IS SCIENCE.
THE BETTER THE DATA, THE BIGGER THE IMPACT
FOR SCIENTISTS, POLICY-MAKERS, AND THE PUBLIC.
CITIZEN SCIENCE IS REVOLUTIONIZING THE WAY
THAT SCIENTISTS UNDERSTAND THE WORLD AROUND THEM.
CITIZEN SCIENCE ALLOWS US TO BRING TOGETHER
PEOPLE OF ALL CULTURES, MANY DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
ALL AROUND THE WORLD
AND BRING THESE DATA TOGETHER IN A WAY THAT ALLOWS US
TO UNDERSTAND THE WORLD IN A WAY
THAT'S NEVER BEFORE BEEN POSSIBLE.
KERISSA: I THINK A LOT OF SCIENTISTS ARE STARTING
TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE
AND THAT HAVING EYES ON THE GROUND
AND BOOTS ON THE GROUND IS REALLY THE ONLY FEASIBLE ANSWER
FOR THE TYPE OF DATA THAT WE ACTUALLY NEED TO COLLECT
TO ANSWER SOME OF THE MOST PRESSING QUESTIONS
WE HAVE ABOUT GLOBAL CHANGE.
IF EVERYBODY WOULD TAKE CARE OF THEIR OWN BACKYARD,
THE WHOLE PLANET WOULD LOOK A LOT BETTER.
WHEREVER YOU LIVE, YOU'RE THE ONE WHO NOTICES
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
YOU'RE THE ONE THAT SEES IT FIRST.
YOU NOTICE THE CHANGES IN YOUR ENVIRONMENT.
DENNY LARSON: AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT THE BUCKET BRIGADE IS,
THE COMMUNITY PARTICIPATING IN RESEARCH
IT'S CONDUCTING ON ITSELF,
RATHER THAN ALLOWING OUTSIDERS TO COME IN
AND DICTATE THE TYPE OF STUDY THAT'S DONE.
SO IF YOU CAN UNITE THE PEOPLE LIVING
ON THE GROUND AND THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE TRAINED,
IT'S A REALLY STRONG UNION BECAUSE YOU'RE
GETTING BOTH SIDES.
YOU'RE SEEING PEOPLE WHO RECOGNIZE
WHAT'S HAPPENING, AND THEN YOU CAN COMBINE THAT
WITH THE PEOPLE WHO KNOW HOW TO TEST THAT
AND--AND HOW TO ACTUALLY MONITOR IT
AND GET RESULTS.
IT'S SORT OF A NEW WAY OF THINKING ABOUT SCIENCE.
IT'S FUNNY TO SAY IT, BUT IT'S LIKE
IT'S SCIENCE SERVING THE PEOPLE.
SHANNON DOSEMAGEN: WE WANT IT TO BE A TWO-WAY STREET,
NOT JUST INFORMATION FLOWING ONE WAY.
IT'S THE ACT OF SAYING, "WE ALSO HAVE
"OUR OWN STORIES, AND WE ALSO HAVE INFORMATION
THAT CAN BE CONTRIBUTED."
WARREN: WE'RE LOOKING AT EXISTING INSTRUMENTS,
AND WE'RE SAYING, "ACTUALLY, WE COULD DO THIS A LOT CHEAPER.
WE COULD DO THIS A LOT BETTER,"
THAT WE COULD TAKE 10 TIMES OR A 100 TIMES MORE DATA
FOR A FRACTION OF THE PRICE,
AND WE'RE DOING IT MORE OPENLY.
WE'RE SHARING EVERYTHING OPEN SOURCE.
AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES
AND THE DEVICES TO PROVE YOUR POINT.
IT'S ABOUT THE ACTUAL PUTTING TOGETHER
AND ADVOCATING FOR SOMETHING
THAT'S PERSONAL OR INTERPERSONAL
TO AN INDIVIDUAL OR A COMMUNITY
THAT'S BEING IMPACTED,
BUT MOST CITIZEN SCIENCE-- WHEN YOU START
TALKING ABOUT CITIZEN SCIENCE--
THEY--THEY BE TALKING
ABOUT BIRDS AND FLOWERS AND TREES,
BUT WE BE TALKING ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS.
AMY ROBINSON: ALZHEIMER'S IS TERRIBLE.
IT'S HORRENDOUS,
AND IT IMPACTS ALMOST EVERYONE YOU KNOW,
NOT DIRECTLY IN THAT THEY HAVE IT,
BUT THAT ALMOST EVERYONE KNOWS SOMEONE OR WILL KNOW SOMEONE
WHO IS NEGATIVELY IMPACTED BY A NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASE
LIKE ALZHEIMER'S,
AND TO ME, YOU KNOW, IF WE CAN FURTHER RESEARCH
AND IF WE CAN ENGAGE THE WORLD TO MAKE
THESE DISCOVERIES, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT
YOU CAN'T EVEN QUANTIFY THE VALUE OF.
PIETRO MICHELUCCI: UP UNTIL RECENTLY,
WE DIDN'T HAVE A WAY TO COMBINE THOSE PLANETARY RESOURCES,
ALL TEAM HUMAN, IN GETTING EVERYONE
TO KIND OF SUPPORT THIS.
WE'RE TAKING THESE TASKS THAT THE TECHNICIANS DO
IN THE LAB, AND WE'RE PUTTING IT ONLINE
AND WE'RE GAMIFYING IT
SO ANYONE CAN GO ON AND USE
THIS NATURAL PERCEPTUAL PROCESS
TO ATTACK THIS PROBLEM.
CHRIS SCHAFFER: THE RESULTS ARE STUNNING.
THEY'VE, UH, DEFINITIVELY SHOWN THAT THE CROWD
CAN PRODUCE MEDICAL DIAGNOSTIC INFORMATION
WITH AS GOOD OF AN ACCURACY AND SENSITIVITY
AND SPECIFICITY AS A TRAINED PATHOLOGIST.
AND THOSE FEW MINUTES, MULTIPLIED
BY 10,000, 100,000, A MILLION PEOPLE
GETS THE JOB DONE VERY QUICKLY.
JANELLE ELI: WHEN A BIG DISASTER LIKE THE NEPAL EARTHQUAKE
HAPPENS, THE RED CROSS GETS INQUIRIES
FROM ALL OVER, ASKING WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO TO HELP.
WHAT'S AMAZING ABOUT OPENSTREETMAP IS
THAT PEOPLE CAN HELP RIGHT AWAY BY MAKING EDITS
TO OPENSTREETMAP.
SO, WITHIN 48 HOURS, 2,000 VOLUNTEERS
MADE EDITS TO OPENSTREETMAP TO HELP
DISASTER RESPONDERS ON THE GROUND DELIVER
RELIEF SUPPLIES.
WE LIVE IN THE CONNECTED WORLD.
SOMETHING GOOD HAPPENS SOMEWHERE,
PEOPLE CAN TAKE EXAMPLE.
"HEY, THIS HAPPENED IN NEPAL.
"YOU KNOW, WHY CAN'T WE DO THAT?
IF NEPAL CAN DO THAT, WE CAN DO THIS."
THAT WILL INSPIRE.
JACQUES COUSTEAU SAID, "PEOPLE PROTECT WHAT THEY LOVE."
SURFERS LOVE THE OCEAN,
AND I THINK THAT'S A LOT OF THE MOTIVATION
FOR THEM STEPPING UP AS CITIZEN SCIENTISTS.
I THINK THAT WE SHOULD ALWAYS QUESTION.
I DON'T EVER THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE A SOCIETY
OR A GROUP OF PEOPLE THAT JUST ACCEPTS
WHAT SOMEBODY TELLS US.
THAT'S NOT HOW WE MAKE PROGRESS.
THE FIELD IS GROWING, AND IT'S--IT'S CERTAINLY BECOME
A MOVEMENT, AND A MOVEMENT
THAT'S MAKING A DIFFERENCE.
WE HOPE YOU'VE ENJOYED THESE STORIES
OF PEOPLE JUST LIKE YOU ENGAGED IN GATHERING
AND MAKING SENSE OF DATA ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND THEM.
NEXT, WE INVITE YOU TO GO ONLINE,
FIND PROJECTS NEAR YOU,
AND JOIN IN THIS NEW WAY OF DOING SCIENCE.
TODAY'S CITIZEN SCIENCE IS SERIOUS SCIENCE.
IT'S PERSONAL AND POWERFUL.
IT'S A TOOL THAT'S AVAILABLE TO ANYONE,
AND ITS POTENTIAL IS AS LARGE AS THE WORLD AROUND US.
FOR "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD," I'M WALEED ABDALATI.
ANNOUNCER: "THE CROWD & THE CLOUD" IS
MADE POSSIBLE BY NSF,
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION,
WHERE DISCOVERIES BEGIN.