University of Georgia workers use crowdsourcing techniques to track undesirable cyanobacteria [ CyanoTRACKER ]

From a post from the University of Georgia titled UGA researchers to use crowdsourcing to track harmful algal blooms in Georgia’s lakes :


With large and small bodies of water in Georgia just as vulnerable to these blooms, researchers at the University of Georgia are working to develop an early warning system using social media platforms and cloud computing to crowdsource instances where further monitoring may be necessary.

The project—known as CyanoTRACKER—will use Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to help identify localized blooms at lakes and ponds across Georgia.

The online tools will complement remote sensing of cyanobacteria outbreaks. Data from social media sites and the project website, cyanotracker.uga.edu, will be compiled, checked against sensor data or investigated further and used to alert local authorities about harmful algal blooms.