GLOBE Data Entry

Name: GLOBE Data Entry
Author: NASA

NASA

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:Researchers & AcademicsKids & Youth

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App Summary

The GLOBE Data Entry app is a citizen science tool that enables participants in the NASA-sponsored GLOBE Program to collect and submit environmental data for scientific protocols directly from the field. The associated research highlights that this approach has substantially increased the spatial extent and sampling density of environmental measurements, with the collected data being used to help validate satellite-based observations. The authors conclude that empowering the public to collect these data is crucial for enhancing the spatial and temporal resolution of environmental observations for both scientific research and educational outreach.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

Developed for the NASA-sponsored GLOBE Program, this application is a mobile data entry tool for registered participants. The interface facilitates in-field data capture for any of the program's standardized environmental monitoring protocols. The system leverages the device's native GPS and camera to georeference observations and document sites. Sessions involve an initial download of protocol forms, enabling offline data collection. The user can subsequently review, edit, and upload recorded measurements to the global GLOBE database upon re-establishing an internet connection.

Evidence & Research Context

A technical report documents that the GLOBE Program's mobile app ecosystem substantially increased the spatial extent and sampling density of environmental measurements, contributing over 320,000 observations from 38,000 participants in a three-year period.
Data collected through the program's mobile application have been utilized in published research to validate continental-scale canopy height maps derived from satellite missions, including ICESat-2 and GEDI.
A validation study using these data noted low general agreement with airborne lidar reference heights (R²=0.14), attributing the variance to geolocation inaccuracies and measurement inconsistencies inherent in citizen-collected data.
The same research indicated that data filtering for higher geolocation accuracy modestly improved correlations (up to R²=0.22), underscoring the need for strict protocol adherence and post-processing for certain research applications.

Intended Use & Scope

This application is intended for use by registered students, educators, and citizen scientists participating in the GLOBE Program. It functions as a dedicated field instrument for contributing observations to a global environmental database. The application does not perform data analysis. The scientific utility of submitted data is contingent on protocol adherence, and as published research indicates, may require subsequent filtering for specific research applications.

Studies & Publications

2 publications

Peer-reviewed research associated with this app.

Non-Evaluative Reference

Use of GLOBE Observer Citizen Science Data to Validate Continental-Scale Canopy Height Maps Derived from ICESat-2 and GEDI

Lu et al. (2025) · Frontiers in Environmental Science

Referenced in academic literature; no direct evaluation of the app

Citizen science plays a crucial role in enhancing the spatial and temporal resolutions of environmental observations. The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Observer application is a mobile extension of the GLOBE Program that is empowering the public to collect environmental data in support of both scientific research and educational outreach. In this study, we leverage citizen science data from the GLOBE Observer program to evaluate and validate three canopy height models: the ice, cloud, and land elevation satellite-2 (ICESat-2) product, a global ecosystem dynamics investigation (GEDI)-Landsat-derived global map (GL), and a GEDI-Sentinel-2 fusion map (GS-2). Tree height measurements obtained with GLOBE were filtered for forested areas using the Landscape Fire and Resource Management Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) existing vegetation cover data and analyzed across multiple ecozones within the contiguous United States; then, manual comparisons were performed with airborne lidar data from selected sites. Our findings indicate that although GLOBE data provide extensive temporal and spatial coverage, these exhibit low general agreement with airborne lidar reference heights (R2 = 0.14) owing to geolocation inaccuracies and measurement inconsistencies inherent in citizen-collected data. Validations performed with spaceborne lidar-derived canopy height maps (ICESat-2, GL, and GS-2) showed generally low correlations (R2 = 0.08–0.17) that could be improved (up to R2 = 0.22) by filtering for greater location accuracy (0–25 m), even though challenges persist. These results underscore both the potential and limitations of using citizen science data for validating spaceborne lidar-derived canopy height maps while highlighting the need for enhanced data collection protocols to improve geolocation accuracies for future ecological monitoring efforts.

Non-Evaluative Reference

GLOBE Observer Data: 2016‐2019

Amos et al. (2020) · Earth and Space Science

Referenced in academic literature; no direct evaluation of the app

This technical report summarizes the GLOBE Observer data set from 1 April 2016 to 1 December 2019. GLOBE Observer is an ongoing NASA‐sponsored international citizen science project that is part of the larger Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program, which has been in operation since 1995. GLOBE Observer has the greatest number of participants and geographic coverage of the citizen science projects in the Earth Science Division at NASA. Participants use the GLOBE Observer mobile app (launched in 2016) to collect atmospheric, hydrologic, and terrestrial observations. The app connects participants to satellite observations from Aqua, Terra, CALIPSO, GOES, Himawari, and Meteosat. Thirty‐eight thousand participants have contributed 320,000 observations worldwide, including 1,000,000 georeferenced photographs. It would take an individual more than 13 years to replicate this effort. The GLOBE Observer app has substantially increased the spatial extent and sampling density of GLOBE measurements and more than doubled the number of measurements collected through the GLOBE Program. GLOBE Observer data are publicly available (at observer.globe.gov ).

In the Media

NASA GLOBE Program Celebrates 30th Anniversary

NASA and EDC developed the GLOBE Data Entry app as part of a 30-year citizen-science program that advances understanding of Earth through shared data collection and analysis. The program's open-source database now includes over a quarter billion data points used by research scientists and students worldwide, with participants from 127 countries submitting readings. "When GLOBE participants gather data, they contribute to our knowledge of the world around us, while developing career skills that prepare them for the future," says Rebecca Lewis, EDC director of the GLOBE Implementation Office.

EdcRead article

GLOBE Observer App Puts the Power of Citizen Science in a Smartphone

NASA and the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) program released the GLOBE Observer App in August to encourage public environmental observations that complement NASA satellite data. According to Sarah McCrea, an educational outreach coordinator at NASA's Langley Research Center, "GLOBE Observer allows anyone to submit observations through an easy-to-use smart phone app" with protocols requiring minimal instrumentation beyond the user's phone. The app currently features a Cloud Protocol for photographing and observing clouds, which cover more than 60 percent of Earth at all times according to NASA scientists.

NasaRead article

Data Entry - GLOBE.gov

GLOBE developed the GLOBE Data Entry app to enable users to contribute measurement data to worldwide scientific research databases, offering multiple entry methods to accommodate different user preferences. The organization specifically advises users to "replace any liquid-filled thermometers with digital models" due to issues with float demagnetization in U-tube thermometers when recording temperature data. The app supports global scientific discovery by allowing students and researchers to easily submit environmental observations.

GlobeRead article