GLOBE Observer

Name: GLOBE Observer
Author: NASA

NASA

DOCUMENTED

Published in academic literature

For:Researchers & AcademicsGeneral Public & Enthusiasts

Free

Download on the App Store Get it on Google Play

App Summary

GLOBE Observer is a citizen science app that enables the public to contribute to Earth science research by collecting environmental data on clouds, mosquito habitats, land cover, and trees for scientists at NASA and other institutions. An evaluation of the app's tree height data for validating satellite maps found that while citizen-collected measurements provide extensive coverage, their correlation with reference data was initially low (R² = 0.08–0.17) due to geolocation and measurement inconsistencies. The authors conclude that this data has significant potential for large-scale ecological monitoring, highlighting that enhanced data collection protocols can further improve its scientific value.

App Screenshots

Detailed Description

Functionality & Mechanism

Developed by the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program, this application facilitates citizen science data collection on environmental conditions. The interface provides distinct protocols for observing clouds, mosquito habitats, land cover, and tree height. Users are guided through structured data entry sessions, capturing photographic and quantitative measurements. The system submits this data for use by international research institutions, including NASA and NOAA, to augment satellite-based Earth observation datasets.

Evidence & Research Context

Associated research details the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to support data processing, including automated classification of mosquito larvae and land cover imagery.
The app has been utilized as a data collection tool to validate satellite-derived canopy height maps from ICESat-2 and GEDI datasets.
A study using the app's tree height data found low correlation with airborne lidar reference data (R² = 0.14), underscoring challenges with geolocation and measurement inconsistencies inherent in crowdsourced data.
AI-powered data classification and filtering routines are being developed to improve data fidelity and position the citizen-collected data for broader environmental and health research.

Intended Use & Scope

The application is designed for the general public, including students and educators, participating in structured citizen science initiatives. Its primary utility is to crowdsource large-scale environmental data to support scientific research and educational outreach. The system is not intended for generating high-precision measurements; data requires expert validation and aggregation for use in formal scientific analysis.

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.

Development/Design Paper

GLOBE Observer: A Case Study in Advancing Earth System Knowledge with AI-Powered Citizen Science

Nelson et al. (2020) · Citizen Science: Theory and Practice

Describes the research-driven development of this app

Citizen science and artificial intelligence (AI) complement each other by harnessing the strengths of both human and machine capabilities. Citizen science generates terabytes of raw numerical, text, and image data, the analysis of which requires automated techniques to process in an efficient manner. Conversely, AI computer vision technology can require tens of thousands of images during the training process, and citizen science projects are well suited to provide large libraries of data. Herein, we describe how AI tools are being applied across the GLOBE Observer citizen science data ecosystem, where image recognition algorithms are supporting data ingest processes, protecting user privacy and improving data fidelity. GLOBE citizen science data has been used to develop automated data classification routines that enable information discovery of mosquito larvae and land cover labels. These advances position GLOBE citizen scientist data for discovery and use in environmental and health research, as well as by machine learning scientists working in the general field of GeoAI.

In the Media

News - GLOBE Observer - GLOBE.gov

Texas A&M University scientists Mei-Kuei Lu and Sorin C. Popescu, along with GLOBE Observer Trees lead Brian Cambell, developed research analyzing GLOBE Observer Tree height data to validate satellite measurements from NASA's ICESat-2 and GEDI instruments. The researchers found that "GLOBE Observer location accuracy made it challenging to match Trees data to the satellite measurements" and recommend volunteers "refresh the location until the accuracy is under 25 meters." The scientists are requesting more tree height measurements from natural settings since much existing GLOBE Trees data comes from urban areas.

GlobeRead article

Become a NASA Response Mapper: Help Strengthen Hurricane Response from the Ground Up

NASA's Disasters Program developed GLOBE Observer to fill vital information gaps in hurricane response by enabling citizens to submit smartphone photos documenting land cover changes before and after storms. "We're exploring how citizen science can support disaster response in ways that Earth observation data alone can't," says Kristen Okorn, a center coordinator for the Disaster Response Coordination System. The collaboration between NASA's DRCS and the GLOBE Program launched the "NASA Response Mappers" campaign focusing on the Southeastern United States to help emergency managers make faster, better-informed decisions.

NasaRead article

NASA GLOBE Program Celebrates 30th Anniversary

NASA developed GLOBE Observer as part of its 30-year Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program to advance understanding of Earth through citizen-science data collection and analysis. The program's open-source database now includes over a quarter billion data points contributed by students and researchers from 127 countries. "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

Watching Clouds for NASA

NASA's Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program developed GLOBE Observer to collect environmental data through citizen science, using a mobile app that allows anyone to contribute observations about clouds, mosquito habitats, land cover, and trees. "NASA has a responsibility for collecting data about our environment," said Jessica Taylor, atmospheric scientist at the NASA Langley Research Center, who demonstrated the app at the American Library Association's 2023 Annual Conference. The observations users contribute through simple smartphone photos combine with other data to produce rich datasets used in peer-reviewed research.

AmericanlibrariesmagazineRead article