Digital Conservation

Big data and related data collection tools such as acoustic sensors; machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms; dashboards and platforms for sharing data – these all constitute “digital conservation.” Digital technologies have the potential to make conservation more holistic, responsive, and participatory. However, we hear a lot about the promises of digital conservation and less about the challenges. Is access to digital conservation democratic? Are outcomes lining up with expectations? In general, what do conservationists actually think about and do with digital tools?

Summary of Research Findings

In 2022, we conducted three surveys to understand practices and perspectives on digital conservation: 1) We counted and correlated keywords on conservation technology-related websites and the websites of 69 conservation organizations; 2) We conducted a more traditional survey of 45 organizations across Canada and the US on their use of conservation technologies, their goals in using them, and the outcomes they’ve seen; 3) We ran what’s known as a Q-method survey with 10 individuals in the sector to characterize distinct ways of thinking about digital conservation. Additionally, we explored a case study digital conservation project, interviewing five key informants and reviewing primary materials.
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eBird API Tutorial

This tutorial teaches how to access eBird observations data through the citizen science platform’s Application Programming Interface (API) and illustrates a very basic use of such data for conservation analysis.
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Watershed Prioritization Using New Data Sources Lab

In this lab, you will learn how to employ GIS and modeling, social media/volunteered geographic information, and data dashboards in specific use cases – modeling landscapes, assessing recreational and other ecosystem services, and interactively prioritizing conservation investments.
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Using iNaturalist to Supplement Natural Heritage Information

In this tutorial, we’ll use the open-source mapping software QGIS to visualize citizen science data from the iNaturalist platform and highlight unrecognized areas where species of conservation concern might exist.
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Guelph’s Informal Green Spaces Lab

This lab will help us to get to know two key conservation technologies – GIS and VGI – through the context of an underexplored conservation issue: informally used greenspaces.
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web-observatory Python Package

Python package for collecting and analyzing webpages
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Paper 1 Draft

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Paper 2 Draft

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