The National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded a $268,421 Project Grant under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to the University of Florida (UF) Division of Sponsored Research. This grant will fund major improvements to the technical infrastructure of the USA National Phenology Network (USA-NPN), the premier source of information on plant and animal phenology in the United States.
The key products and services to be delivered through this grant include:
Developing observing challenges, in-app badges, enhanced user notifications, and multilingual support for the USA-NPN mobile app to lower barriers and increase engagement for new and continuing public participants in data collection.
Improving data quality through the addition of photo storage, computer-aided identifications, and enhanced data discoverability and access.
Enhancing tools to access the USA-NPN dataset and enabling periodic publication to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility to better support scientific research and management use.
Providing training and new opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students interested in public participation in science.
These enhancements are expected to result in substantial growth in volunteer participation and a more robust, balanced, and representative phenology dataset, which will contribute to societal well-being through improved ecological data to inform decision-making. The award period is from September 1, 2024 to August 31, 2028.