A crowdsourcing approach to collecting photo-based insect and plant observation records

Study Extent

The collection sites of the data provided here are distributed across Japan, from Hokkaido to the southern islands.

Sampling

We developed a web-based system to collect photos taken by citizen scientists. The system is a customized version of the commercial mobile photo system developed by Fujitsu FIP, Co. (http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/fip/solutions/business-and-technology-solutions/sustainability-solution/management/biodiversity/; accessed 10 August 2017). Customized system could set a several subsystem which independent in each. Each regional manager can set that according to their purpose of the collection event and managed that. In the subsystem, regional manager can manage photo which collected their event only. The main system which managed by us, we can manage all photos collected by all subsystems. The data collection procedure is simple: a participant takes a photo of the observation target and sends an e-mail with the photo that has geographic information embedded by GPS. The timing and location of all the photos sent to the system are automatically extracted and stored in the data server. The records and the photos are available to be viewed by participants in our project websites from 2011 to 2016 (Note, however, that they are currently closed.) with the map of our web GIS.

Method steps

1. We discuss the rationale for each event with the regional manager beforehand and set up an event-specific subsystem for projects. We designate an event-specific address to which the participants send their e-mails. Event-specific websites which relate to each subsystem were opened. For some observation events, we ask citizen scientists to identify the organisms that they have observed and put the names of the organisms in their e-mails. We help regional managers to check all records posted and re-examine the species names classified by the citizen scientists on the basis of the photos attached. We have removed records that could not be identified to the species level from a photo.

With regard to taxonomy and systematics, all species were identified by the regional managers and authors according to the morphotypes of objects. If we could not obtain sufficient information for proper species identification, i.e. the species which is difficult to identify, we did not include that record in this data paper. As a result, we have provided 843 records of 154 species. Thus, these species were ordinary which can identify easily based on photo.

1. Plantae/Animalia
   rank: kingdom

The collection sites of the data provided here are distributed across Japan, from Hokkaido to the southern islands. A few foreign records are also included.