People-powered science will play a role in Australia’s bushfire recovery, with more than 20 projects underway involving citizen scientists of all ages.
CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is working with key agencies and community groups to support research underway throughout bushfire impacted areas.
The Citizen Science Bushfire Project Finder website allows members of the public to contribute to projects ranging from air quality, to identifying and confirming animal and plant sightings while maintaining safe social distancing practices.
People can also get involved online by identifying animals in camera images.
Announcing the new website today, CSIRO chief executive, Dr Larry Marshall said it drew on the passion and commitment of scientists and citizens alike to solve bushfire challenges.
However, the model is only as good as the data we feed it, and there is no substitute for the power of the people to keep us firmly connected with reality on the ground,” Dr Marshall said.
The website was developed in collaboration between CSIRO, the Atlas of Living Australia (a National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy capability) and the Australian Citizen Science Association.
The Project Finder also features a geographic filter enabling users to identify available projects in their area. It can be accessed at www.csiro.au/bushfireprojects.
