[obol] Citizen science and ways to reduce errors in bird distribution/phenology maps
- From: Joel Geier <joel.geier@xxxxxxxx>
- To: Oregon Birders OnLine <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 02 May 2014 20:25:14 -0700
Hi all,
Just to follow up on my previous comments about the thrush migration
maps that were posted via link on OBOL:
Even though there were obvious errors in these maps, this doesn't mean
that they couldn't be improved.
However, the way to fix them is not just "more of the same" type of data
that embodies the natural clustering tendencies of birders'
observations. If Oregon birders still got to the same sites every day,
they won't be filling in the prodigious holes in the map. They'll just
be reinforcing the same tendencies toward clustering of data.
I don't know specifically which algorithms were used to produce the
thrush maps that were posted. However, one of the most widely used and
most credible methods for temporal/geospatial interpolation is kriging:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kriging
This method also provides a rational way to address the problem of
clustered data.
In any application of kriging, you can also produce a map of the
"kriging errors" which can be used to identify the localized areas in
which more observations would minimize the uncertainty in the
interpolation.
If the folks who produce and publish these fancy maps on the web would
also publish the related maps of their kriging errors, these would
provide citizen-science oriented birders with -- literally -- a map of
the places where they could most productively spend their birding hours.
Or to put it in more plain terms:
Instead of just showing maps that smooth over huge areas of sparse data
-- sometimes with bizarre side effects -- why not give us maps that
highlight the places where more data are still needed, in order to
produce more credible maps? That seems like a good way to enlist
motivated citizen-scientists toward the goal of improving knowledge of
bird distributions and migration patterns.
Good birding,
Joel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
Other related posts:
- » [obol] Citizen science and ways to reduce errors in bird distribution/phenology maps - Joel Geier
