Citizen Science

GLOBE Observer is an international network of citizen scientists and scientists working together to learn more about our shared environment and changing climate. To participate, just download the GLOBE Observer app and submit regular observations.

The GLOBE Observer Program currently accepts cloud, mosquito habitat, and land cover observations. In August of 2017 GLOBE Observer accepted air temperature measurements for the solar eclipse. (The solar eclipse occurred on Monday, August 21, 2017.)

The cloud observations help NASA scientists understand clouds from below (the ground) and above (from space). Clouds play an important role in transferring energy from the Sun to different parts of the Earth system. Since clouds can change rapidly, scientists need frequent observations from citizen scientists.

Mosquitoes are a serious health risk: millions of people die and even more are sickened each year from mosquito-borne disease. While climate and weather conditions can suggest to scientists where we can expect spikes in mosquito populations during the year, we don’t know for sure what is happening unless we make observations on the ground.

Scientists need detailed and regularly updated land cover maps because land cover is critical to many different processes on Earth and contributes to a community’s vulnerability to disasters like fire, floods or landslides.

Since GLOBE Observer is part of the GLOBE Program, citizen scientists are also providing data for student research, strengthening science education.

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