Nerding For Nature: Leveraging Open Source Technology for Eco-Research

Presented at Maker Faire Bay Area 2014 by Ken McGary, Andrew Thaler, and Sean Headrick, audio/video available on the Google Hangout.

Transcript

1. ... to help understand, protect, and revive the natural world. Bringing together technologists and environmental professionals, students and citizen scientists...
2. www.nerdsfornature.org www.speakerdeck.com @nerds4nature Find us on Meetup and Google Groups! Leveraging Open Source Technology Maker Faire Bay Area 2014 For Ecological Research
3. John McLaren Park ~ SF
4. ...grassroots bioblitz smartphone-powered…
6. flash mob for nature
7. thrill of discovery
8. what looks interesting? no knowledge needed...
9. blue-eyed grass ken mcgary
10. seaside wild buckwheat chris cook
11. sunburst lichen ken mcgary
12. black phoebe taj
13. pacific forktail ken-ichi ueda
14. umber skipper scott loarie
15. pug moth ken-ichi ueda
16. thinlegged wolf spider kaldari
17. jumping spider kaldari
19. Fort Funston ~ SF
20. red-tailed hawk sterling sheehy
21. california wild rose liam o’brien
22. acmon blue (aberrant) sterling sheehy
23. bottlenose dolphin ken-ichi ueda
25. Laurelwood Park ~ San Mateo
26. damselfly larva ken-ichi ueda
27. ichneumonid wasp ken-ichi ueda
28. glasswing moth ken-ichi ueda
29. sac fungi ken-ichi ueda
30. hooded rosette lichen ken-ichi ueda
31. western meadowlark donna pomeroy
32. wrentit donna pomeroy
34. Baylands ~ Palo Alto
35. bristle worm damon tighe
36. white-lined sphinx moth liam o’brien
38. Lake Merritt ~ Oakland
39. arboreal salamander damon tighe
40. fox sparrow donna pomeroy
41. monarch butterfly sea-kangaroo
43. Crissy Field ~ SF
44. powdery sea-fog lichen ken-ichi ueda
45. stealthy ground spider ken-ichi ueda
47. Tilden Park ~ Berkeley
48. stink bug eddie dunbar
49. pacific ninebark ken-ichi ueda
50. coyote liam o’brien
52. Green Hairstreak ~ SF
53. isopod ken-ichi ueda
54. sweat bee ken-ichi ueda
55. robber fly ken-ichi ueda
56. western tiger swallowtail donna pomeroy
58. average of 40 participants >1,500 confirmed species >8,000 observations
59. same geo-tagged dataset --> personal to global impact so what?
60. keep a life list
61. learn species
62. park e-guide
63. urban greenways
64. regional ecosystems
65. global migrations
66. EXTEND SCOPE & IMPACT
67. Change Brackets: Crowdsourced timelapse images for eco-research
68. A simple, elegant concept developed by Sam Droege, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center. monitorchange.org Nature Nerds added design and social media elements, and we’re now turning park visitors into a remote sensor network! inspired by...
69. Mt. Diablo Morgan Fire We're documenting habitat change after the Morgan Fire on Mount Diablo, which burned 3,100 acres in September 2013. We're collaborating with Mount Diablo State Park and the Wildlife Society, Western Section.
70. How It Works
71. Installation Four sign/bracket locations on hiking trail overlooks provide both close-up and distant views of the burn area.
72. February 15, 2014
73. May 3, 2014
74. The Future Monitor other natural areas • Aftermath of the Yosemite Rim Fire (second largest in CA history) • Aftermath of South Bay proscribed fires • We expect many other inquiries Develop better software • Computer vision (openCV) to stitch timelapse movies. EcoHack Success!!! • On-line web interface to set up programs and use analysis tools. Other uses • Public events like Maker Faire ! • Construction and habitat restoration sites • Potential pollution sites • Gardens, greenhouses, and farms
75. EXTEND CROWDS!
76. Mix and Mingle: “The IDEAS one hears in brainstorming shout- outs are fantastic, original and brave.” Liam O’Brien
77. Nerds For Nature Launch Party ~ Feb, 2013
79. We organize special field events like… NatureNerdFests @ Mare Island @ USGS Western Ecological Research Center
81. EXTEND COMMUNITY! Project Night in SF or Oakland every month Find us on Meetup & Google Groups!
82. openCTD: Oceanography for Everyone "The Ocean belongs to everyone. Shouldn’t we all have access to the tools needed to study it?" Dr. Andrew Thaler
84. assembling openCTD
85. EXTEND THRIFT & VALUE!
86. Robots for Nature: Using Drones for Ecological Research "If possible, correlate what you find with oxygen data at the depth sampled. Oxygen is a limiting factor in Lake Merritt." Dr. Bailey, Lake Merritt Institute
87. What Are Eco-Drones? Traditional remote sensing methods have become prohibitive due to expense and danger, yet researchers have urgently increasing needs to monitor sensitive and ever-changing coastal and inland areas, due to the impact of human development , sea-level rise and climate change on biodiversity and habitat health.
88. openROV
89. openROV
90. Vegetation & Landform Mapping Low-altitude high-resolution aerial photography, photogrammetry, and range mapping for comprehensive plant (maybe animal) and landform surveys. • Satellites are too distant to get the resolution required. • Small airplanes are too expensive and dangerous. • Tromping through on a regular basis is time-consuming and disruptive to habitat. • A general imaging goal is pixel resolution on the order of 1cm. Slide courtesy of Jeff Miller
91. Near-Infrared Imaging
92. orthomosaic photography
93. orthomosaic close-up
95. Ranging Technologies • LiDAR • Real Time Kinematic • Ultrasonic ranging • Photogrammetry Slides courtesy of Jeff Miller
96. 3D mesh extrapolated from over 140 images taken during the flight
97. Photo-textured mesh of the same area
98. Videography • Regular aerial video surveys to compare vegetation, landforms, and waterways over time • General videography for public outreach and education • Occasional targeted observations (surveying storm damage, etc.)
99. EXTEND REACH!
100. photo credits Ken-ichi Ueda Sterling Sheehy Jennifer Rycenga Eddie Dunbar Chris Cook Taj (Mr. Wolf) Alison Young Scott Loarie Ed Brownson Ken McGary Tamara Schwartz Kaldari Liam O’Brien sea-kangaroo Dan Rademacher Damon Tighe Donna Pomeroy Ken Schneider
101. partners & friends ManyLabs Aerotestra Sequoia Audubon Society California Academy of Sciences Nature In The City Wild Oakland East Bay Parks Mt. Diablo State Park Wildlife Society USGS Western Ecological Research Center Sudo Room Stamen Design Bay Area Citizen Science Coalition many others!
102. @KenMcGary kensanfran@gmail.com www.ksflabs.com sensors ~ circuits ~ systems ~ eco-drones
103. www.nerdsfornature.org www.speakerdeck.com @nerds4nature Find us on Meetup and Google Groups! Leveraging Open Source Technology Maker Faire Bay Area 2014 For Ecological Research