Crowdsourcing4Climate:3TeacherGuide3 - …3Community3Rainfall3Collections3!...
Transcript of Crowdsourcing4Climate:3TeacherGuide3 - …3Community3Rainfall3Collections3!...
Crowdsourcing4Climate: Community Rainfall Collections Pilot Study (Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester)
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Crowdsourcing4Climate: Teacher Guide
What are we doing and why?
‘Crowdsourcing’ means obtaining information from the community, via the internet, social media,
sensors and other offline methods, and is becoming an increasingly popular method to collect data,
both manually and automatically for a range of purposes. This pilot study is based on the CoCoRaHS
(http://www.cocorahs.org/) project in US, which collects public supplied data (from rain gauges and
observations) on a daily and per-‐event basis. The data is then used in a variety of scientific research,
such as: adjusting and validating radar and satellite measurements; weather forecasting; and
decision-‐making for extreme events such as flooding, as well as providing a great improvement in
spatial data coverage. It is also great to get kids involved in some real citizen science! We need proof
that this project can work in the UK, so are conducting a pilot study in several schools across three
major cities (Birmingham, Manchester and Leicester) during June-‐July 2013 using homemade rain
gauges to collect daily rainfall amounts. This data will then be compared to standard Met Office
rainfall data to check quality.
Simple Directions
1) Build a simple and inexpensive rain gauge, using the directions provided here.
2) Position the rain gauge in school playground/field – at ground level and away from
buildings, using sand or bricks to secure the gauge so that it won’t be blown over.
3) Every weekday at 9am (+/-‐ 1 hour) record the depth (in millimetres) of the water (using
record sheet overleaf – note any issues/problems) [NOTE: Monday’s measurement will
cover the weekend data]
4) Send the daily amounts via email ([email protected])
5) At the beginning of the week we will then send you a map showing your data, as well as
the data collected by the other schools in your area, and from the other cities around
the UK.
Crowdsourcing4Climate: Community Rainfall Collections Pilot Study (Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester)
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How to make your own rain gauge
Method 1) Cut off the top of the bottle at about a quarter of the way down (as shown in the above
diagram) where the diameter is constant. Cut smoothly.
2) Take the bottle top that you have cut off, turn it upside down and place it back in the
bottom part of the bottle. It should fit snugly but to make sure it does not fall out use
tape to hold the two halves together. Put a hole in the bottle somewhere near the top,
so that you can empty it after taking the measurements every day!
3) MAKE A NOTE OF THE DIAMETER OF THE BOTTLE – we will use this to calculate rainfall
amounts, so that they can be compared with standard rainfall measurements.
4) The bottles are usually shaped at the bottom; however, you need a completely flat
bottom to be able to measure the depth accurately. To achieve this pour in some
brightly coloured jelly mixture and let it set in the bottom of the bottle. Depths can then
be measured from the top of the jelly.
5) Attach a ruler to the side of your rain gauge in order to measure the amount of water
collected, or mark the scale (in millimetres) on the bottle. Remember to line up the zero
with the top of the jelly not the bottom of the bottle.
6) Secure the rain gauge outside in a suitable location, using a bucket of sand, or bricks, to
keep it upright.
Jelly to here
Use tape to secure
Equipment • A standard, straight-‐sided 2 litre,
clear plastic drinks bottle • Scissors • Tape (e.g. duct tape, brown tape) • Jelly (3 or 4 cubes made up as
directed on the packet) • Ruler • Marker pen • Sand or bricks
Make a hole near the top of outer bottle for tipping rainwater away
Crowdsourcing4Climate: Community Rainfall Collections Pilot Study (Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester)
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Rainfall collection record sheet
Date Depth (mm) Notes Mon 3rd June 2013 Tue 4th June 2013 Wed 5th June 2013 Thurs 6th June 2013 Fri 7th June 2013 Mon 10th June 2013 Tue 11th June 2013 Wed 12th June 2013 Thurs 13th June 2013 Fri 14th June 2013 Mon 17th June 2013 Tue 18th June 2013 Wed 19th June 2013 Thurs 20th June 2013 Fri 21st June 2013 Mon 24th June 2013 Tue 25th June 2013 Wed 26th June 2013 Thurs 27th June 2013 Fri 28th June 2013 Mon 1st July 2013 Tue 2nd July 2013 Wed 3rd July 2013 Thurs 4th July 2013 Fri 5th July 2013 Mon 8th July 2013 Tue 9th July 2013 Wed 10th July 2013 Thurs 11th July 2013 Fri 12th July 2013
Send data to: