NASA GLOBE Program
A worldwide environmental science and education program that connects local learners with citizen science and NASA satellite data.
StreetBiz joined the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program in 2021. This worldwide program focuses on environmental science and education, bringing together students, teachers, scientists and citizens to promote science and foster learning about the environment.
Through a hands-on approach to inquiry, participants are encouraged to engage in local investigations that cover five core fields: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere (soil), and Earth as a system.
Observations made locally are submitted to the GLOBE data and information system and can be accessed freely online. These measurements are combined with readings at automated stations to create a worldwide resource for conducting scientific inquiry; some measurements serve as ground truth for NASA satellite data products (e.g., clouds, soil moisture).
The GLOBE data and information system contains over 130 million measurements from more than 10 million students in 113 countries around the world since its operation began in 1995.
In South Africa, we focus on 4 elements from nature: water, clouds, trees, and insects. Students register and photos from their local environment get extracted from mobile phones when the satellite crosses above.