Citizen Science

Become a Naturalist: How to Help Science with Your Smartphone

Have you ever wondered while walking: "What is blooming here?" or "Which bird is actually singing?" The good news is: Your curiosity can help science. Welcome to the world of Citizen Science.

What is Citizen Science?

Citizen Science means that scientific projects are carried out with the help of interested laypeople. You don't have to be a biologist to provide valuable data. All you need is a smartphone, a photo, and an account with one of the common platforms.

The Major Platforms: Your Entry Point

There are fantastic apps that not only help you identify species but also make your findings directly usable for research:

• iNaturalist: This is probably the most famous platform worldwide. You upload a photo, and artificial intelligence as well as a huge community of experts help you with identification.

  • A personal example: I use this platform intensively to map my home region. I started the project "Fauna im nördlichen Ausseerland" there. This allows me to monitor exactly which species are present in my area and how populations change over the years. Feel free to check it out!

• Observation.org: Another very powerful platform that collects many data points, especially in Europe, and maintains high scientific standards.

• Pl@ntNet: This app specializes in the plant world. It works like a "Shazam for plants." You photograph a leaf or a flower, and the app tells you the name. At the same time, your confirmed findings flow into scientific datasets.

Why Do It? The Role of GBIF

You might ask yourself: "What good is my photo of a butterfly to science?" The answer is: Big Data. Verified data from platforms like iNaturalist or Pl@ntNet flow into GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility). This is an international database that bundles biodiversity data from all over the world.

Researchers use this data to:

• Track the spread of invasive species.

• Understand the effects of climate change on migration patterns.

• Analyze the extinction or recovery of species populations.

So, your photo is an important piece of the puzzle in a global picture!

Special Field: Birding

There are great opportunities for bird lovers to get involved as well.

• Bird Counts with eBird: If you like counting birds (whether on a hike or in the park), eBird from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is the gold standard. Here you log checklists that directly show population trends.

• For the Backyard Observer: You don't have to be a professional ornithologist. If you occasionally photograph a bird at your feeder, that is just as valuable. Simply upload the photo – every record counts to update distribution maps.

My Personal Recommendation: BirdNET Do you hear a chirp but don't know who is singing? The BirdNET app analyzes bird calls in real-time via your microphone. It not only tells you which bird it is but also stores the observation for scientific purposes. It is fascinating how easily you can learn the voices of nature this way.

Conclusion: Join In!

Nature research no longer takes place only in dusty laboratories, but outside – with you. Download one of the apps, go out into nature (or into your garden), and start documenting. Who knows, maybe tomorrow you'll discover a species in your neighborhood that has never been reported there before! You could view the whole thing like Pokémon Go for real living creatures: collecting species, driving up your observation counter, participating in local projects, and contributing to research in the process. You can specialize in certain areas like fungi, birds, or insects, or simply build your personal "Life List."

I recommend iNaturalist for beginners, as there is a great community with good networking here. I have already met many like-minded people through the platform, and you can upload all kinds of species, from insects to fish to fungi – there is an expert somewhere in the world for everything who will help you with identification. There is a smartphone app with fast recognition and identification via AI, which is then verified by the experts. You don't need any prior knowledge; what's important at first is just a rough classification on your part (like e.g., insect, bird, or plant) and the experts do the rest. Every observation can be valuable. Some new species have even been discovered through these observations, distribution areas of invasive species documented, and population trends recorded.

My personal favorites among my own observations were, for example, rare species that I found by chance, or specific butterflies that I actively searched for in an area for weeks. I found the discovery of an invasive species of praying mantis, which I discovered in Vienna, particularly interesting. Here is a picture of it:

Hierodula transcaucasia, Wien, 2025

I found this so interesting that I created an animation myself using data from iNaturalist, showing how this species has spread across Europe over the last few years:

All of this data comes from Citizen Science. In my opinion, it illustrates very well what the data from these platforms can be used for.

Here is the link to iNaturalist, in case I have sparked your interest: https://www.inaturalist.org/signup