Bumble Bee Watch is a bee-tracking app that lets users participate in community science. The goal of the bee-tracking app is to track and document North America's bumblebees, which helps identify endangered bee populations.
Bumble Bee Watch provides a platform for users to: upload bumble bee photos to begin a virtual collection, identify bumble bee species in the uploaded photos, provide information for researchers to help determine conservation needs, and learn more about bumblebee ecology.
Bumble Bee Watch recommends several best practices when taking photos for its bee-tracking app: get close to the bumblebee, take photos from multiple angles, and include a photo of the bumble bee's face for important species identification information.
Image Credit: Bumble Bee Watch
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Community Science Apps
- The rise of community science apps, such as the bumblebee tracking app, supports citizen engagement in data collection and conservation efforts.
- Insect Identification Software
- New insect identification software that uses AI or machine-learning can help to speed up the process of identifying endangered insect populations.
- Conservation Crowdfunding
- Crowdfunding platforms dedicated to protecting endangered species could further support bumblebee conservation efforts.
Where This Applies
- Environmental Conservation
- The bee-tracking app is an opportunity for the environmental conservation industry to engage and educate people to participate in protecting biodiversity.
- App Development
- The success of the bumblebee tracking app is indicative of a growing demand for app developers to create apps that optimize community science and citizen participation.
- Agriculture
- For farmers, tracking bees through an app coupled with data analytics can help optimize crop yield while supporting bee populations.
