Dave Kilbey – Service Manager

What we doWhat we do

• Work with researchers and organisations to engage the public with data collection– Design bespoke smartphone applications – Innovate to take the technology in new directions– Provide data visualisation tools to enhance

feedback

Projects IncludeProjects Include

http://planttracker.naturelocator.org/

http://leafwatch.naturelocator.org/

The ProductsThe Products

Lat/Long obtained via phone’s GPS in the fieldNormal accuracy between 2 and 8m

51.391709743,-

0.170123657 Photo + Metadata

How the basics workHow the basics work

Making a difference…Making a difference…

Some Stats• Leaf Watch – 12,500 app downloads– 6,000 records in first 3 months of project– Featured on the One Show, in the Sunday Times…

• PlantTracker– 2,500 downloads– 1,600 records of invasive species since Aug 2012– Appearance on BBC Countryfile– Data has already enabled early intervention– Cost saving to the Environment Agency

Why it worksWhy it works

• Immediacy• Minimal effort• Usability (paramount for public engagement)• It appeals to the “geek” in us• I can use my phone to do something useful…• The apps are informative• Feedback loop

InnovationInnovation

• BatMobile (https://batmobile.blogs.ilrt.org/)

– A JISC funded project to automatically ID UK bat species using a phone app

– Lots of challenges– Exciting potential

It will hopefully be a bit more hi-tech and useful than my other one…

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QuestionsQuestions

d.kilbey@bristol.ac.uk

http://naturelocator.org/