MIT has been conducting research on the use of GPS-equipped cell
phone networks and citizen scientists to collect data about
nature. The research conducted by MIT visiting professor Dale
Joachim involved cell phones connected to special arrays of
directional microphones to play owl sounds and listen to the owl
response in order to assess population density. The sensor
system turned out to be a good way to monitor owl populations
and the broader environment, and took human observers out of the
picture. Despite the success of replacing human observers with a
machine network, Joachim feels that the best results might come
from the use of both the widespread cell-phone sensor technology
and networks of people. People are better equipped to localize
the direction of sounds on the ground, and can augment the
sensor readings with visual observations. This research is now
being replicated in other locations, including Connecticut, Main
and Malaysia, and could soon include Mexico and Russia. The
sensor networks will c