Drones and smartphones are turning California residents into citizen scientists

[Wireless News]

http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/zBOz9JuQe1QvyDTyGFTEEw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3NfbGVnbztmaT1maWxsO2g9ODY7cT03NTt3PT EzMA--/http://media.zenfs.com/en-US/homerun/digital_trends_973/9e6dddc3b5d46aa0fa2610386505c616 (http://news.yahoo.com/drones-smartphones-turning-california-residents-020139585.html)We’ve been crowd-sourcing the public for everything from news to the newest inventions, and now, the people are adopting a new de facto title — climate change scientists. Armed with little more than their smartphones and their selfie techniques, California residents are taking to their shorelines and providing experts with a firsthand look at the evolution of the coast as a result of El Niño. By documenting both the flooding and the erosion that occurs over time, everyday individuals can help researchers in their quest to better understand ocean-atmosphere interactions, and make good use of their drones and cell phones to boot. That’s right, even unmanned flying devices can be used in this endeavor, finally giving tech enthusiasts a sanctioned use for their favorite airborne toys. The hope, scientists with the Nature Conservancy say, is to use these crowd-sourced and geo-tagged images to provide a more complete and real-time image of California’s coastal landscape, which in turn could be used to predict future changes. Drones are actually particularly useful for this purpose-because they can provide high-resolution and three-dimensional images, which may help scientists test their current models and theories about El Niño and other weather patterns.-“We use these projected models and they don’t quite look right, but we’re lacking any empirical evidence,” Matt Merrifield, the Nature Conservancy’s-chief technology officer, told the Associated Press. “This is essentially a way of ‘ground truthing’ those models.” Related :-The NOAA’s new Coyote drone flies straight into hurricanes to gather much-needed data California residents have been tapped for participation because they have a considerable amount of skin in the game. Many of the state’s beaches are at risk of disappearing altogether, and a 2009 Pacific Institute study suggested that around 500,000 people, as well as $100 billion in schools, power plants, and roadways, are at risk of destruction if sea levels continue to rise. And while the public’s pictures cannot support-predictions with 100-percent accuracy, they’ll certainly aid in furthering our understanding of natural phenomena. Some drone owners are excited by this new, very practical application of their often taboo devices.-“It’s a really exciting application. It’s not just something to take a selfie with,” said aerospace engineer and drone owner-Trent Lukaczyk. So if you’re out in California and wondering what else to snap a photo of, consider the coast, and consider our collective future. Also watch: We talk to Ford's Ken Washington about connectivity, cars, and drones at CES Please enable Javascript to watch this video



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