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Updated: Dec 7, 2025

Measurement of Aerosols Optical Thickness of the Atmosphere using the GLOBE Handheld Sun Photometer
Published on: May 29, 2019
GLOBE Observer Data: 2016-2019.
Helen M Amos1,2, Matthew J Starke3, Tina M Rogerson4,5
1NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt MD USA.
Citizen scientists collected over 320,000 atmospheric, hydrologic, and terrestrial observations using the GLOBE Observer app. This NASA-sponsored project significantly expanded the reach and data density of environmental monitoring worldwide.
Area of Science:
- Earth Science
- Citizen Science
- Environmental Monitoring
Background:
- The Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program has been active since 1995.
- GLOBE Observer is a NASA-sponsored international citizen science project.
- It is the largest citizen science project within NASA's Earth Science Division in terms of participants and geographic coverage.
Purpose of the Study:
- To summarize the GLOBE Observer dataset from April 2016 to December 2019.
- To highlight the project's contribution to environmental data collection.
- To showcase the impact of the GLOBE Observer mobile app.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the GLOBE Observer mobile app for data collection.
- Collected atmospheric, hydrologic, and terrestrial observations.
- Integrated citizen science data with satellite observations from multiple NASA and international missions (Aqua, Terra, CALIPSO, GOES, Himawari, Meteosat).
Main Results:
- Collected 320,000+ observations and 1,000,000+ georeferenced photographs worldwide from 38,000 participants.
- Significantly increased the spatial extent and sampling density of GLOBE measurements.
- More than doubled the number of measurements collected through the GLOBE Program.
- The collected data represents an effort equivalent to over 13 years of individual work.
Conclusions:
- The GLOBE Observer app has greatly enhanced the GLOBE Program's data collection capabilities.
- Citizen science participation through the app has substantially improved environmental data.
- GLOBE Observer data is publicly accessible, facilitating further research and application.
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