How the Crowd is Charting the Changing Landscape

September 9, 2015 By IdeaConnection

hampshireHampshire County Council in the UK is turning to members of the crowd to assist it in monitoring the ever changing landscape.

The information they provide could help prevent problems before they occur, such as flooding or changes that might threaten the natural habitats of local wildlife.

Studying landscape changes in the area is of vital importance, and involves checking through a vast archive of aerial photographs. But the local authority doesn’t have the facilities to do this continuously and this is where the crowd comes in.

How the Public is Helping

Aerial photographs from 2005 and 2013 have been divided into cells and each one covers an area of 4 hectares (9.8 acres). Participants compare the pictures to spot any differences, such as new river structures and woodland encroachment.

According to the council, computers are not up to the task of differentiating between the sometimes subtle changes in the landscape that have been captured by cameras.  Nor can they cope with the visual complexity. The human eye is best.

The overall aim is to produce the first detailed maps of Hampshire county’s terrain along with relevant statistics.

Specialist knowledge isn’t required to take part, just a keen eye and enthusiasm.  Guidance is provided to help volunteers spot the landscape features that are under scrutiny.

Recognition 

The crowdsourcing project is being held in conjunction with the University of Portsmouth, and to take part, volunteers log on to a specially created website. 

To encourage continued participation, points and badges are awarded and a leadership board is published.  The top ten largest contributors will be officially recognised by Hampshire County Council.

 

 


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