Thank you for Season 10!

Thanks all for another terrific season on Snapshot Wisconsin!  I can’t believe Season 10 of the project has come and gone.  As some of you may have noticed, this season was special, not just because it was our 10th, but it also looked a little different than past seasons.

This season a random selection of our volunteers had the option to work through a series of levels where they were asked not only about the wildlife in the photo, but also about the habitat seen in the photo (e.g. how much snow or green vegetation there was in the photo).  The data contributed by these volunteers produced valuable information that will help us to better understand the relationship between Wisconsin animals and the habitat where they live.  Several recent blog posts have highlighted why this relationship is so important (see here, here, and here if you missed the posts!)

Why did only some volunteers see the levels?

The addition of levels was a big departure from how our Snapshot Wisconsin website has been formatted.  We wanted to carefully examine how this modified experience affects volunteer behavior, learning, and connection to the community. Only a portion of users got to see the experimental site, so we can accurately assess it.  This test is actually part of my research as a PhD student on the Snapshot Wisconsin project.

As team member on Snapshot Wisconsin, my role is to understand the people side of citizen science.  I ask questions like: Why do volunteers get involved in citizen science?  What do volunteers take away from participating?  My goal is to provide feedback that can improve volunteer experience and the science that our project produces.  This season is just one part of that effort.

White-tailed deer in snow

What are the next steps?

Right now, I’m busy looking at the results of this season. In the near future, Snapshot Wisconsin will return to its normal look.  Whether or not people responded positively to the levels will affect whether the Snapshot Wisconsin Team decides to use the levels during some future seasons.  When I have results to share, we’ll be sure to link to them on the Talk boards and this blog.

How can you help?

One way we’ll assess how volunteers responded to the levels is by looking at how many classifications they completed.  We also want to hear from you directly–regardless of whether or not you had access to the levels.  Snapshot Wisconsin volunteers will receive an email from Zooniverse asking them to complete a survey about their experience this past season.  Your responses are essential in helping us to evaluate Season 10.

What will happen with the photos that have not yet been retired from Season 10?

A handful of photos were not retired before Season 10 ended.  While Season 11 is running, we’ll be busy doing some analysis of the photos to see which need more classifications. We’ll then re-post these photos in Season 12 and beyond.

If you have questions don’t hesitate to reach out to me via private message on Zoonvierse (@anhaltcm) or on the comments here!  On behalf of the whole team, thank you again for Season 10!