USGS Launches “iCoast - Did the Coast Change?” Crowdsourcing Application

USGS Launches “iCoast - Did the Coast Change?” Crowdsourcing Application

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) just launched a new crowdsourcing, citizen science application called “iCoast – Did the Coast Change?” that asks volunteers to identify changes to the coast by comparing and tagging aerial photographs taken before and after storms. Your contributions help USGS scientists improve the accuracy of coastal-erosion prediction models and vulnerability assessments that support pre-storm planning and post-storm rescue, recovery, and mitigation efforts. It is also a great educational tool for teaching students and even coastal residents about coastal hazards.

We are looking for volunteers to classify photos taken before and after Hurricane Sandy for our first project, and particularly targeting people with different kinds of coastal expertise and interests. More background information on iCoast is available in this USGS Top Story article and on the iCoast website.

Sign up as a digital volunteer, classify some photos for a few minutes, and help spread the word to your colleagues, students, friends, and family by sharing these links:
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/icoast  OR  http://icoast.us (short link for social media)

iCoast is also an open-source project available on GitHub at:
https://github.com/usgs/icoast

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the iCoast Team via email at:
sophialiu@usgs.gov or icoast@usgs.gov