Invasive species mapping and control with the help of a mobile game
Earn some pocket money by marking areas with garden lupines through the Crowdsorsa mobile game platform. You can continue this work by helping to eradicate the lupines you have found as well as the already mapped Himalayan balsam. This important early summer task is both fun and useful.
The mapping of invasive species in Espoo starts in late May. At this time of the year, these plants start to bloom and are easy to recognise. Both private individuals and associations can take part in this process. The only thing you need to do is to install the Crowdsorsa mobile game on your smartphone.
One euro is paid for each observation
Players get a one-euro reward for each invasive species observation. Only larger areas within the city are included in the mapping process. You can find them on the Crowdsorsa application.
“Players take part in this process by videoing the invasive species areas they find. In addition to the species and location, we also get information on the extent of the problem as the person walks around the plants. Their GPS coordinates form an area on the map, and we can then determine its exact size,” says Crowdsorsa’s CEO Toni Paju.
After crowdsourced invasive species mapping, we will start eradicating both lupines and Himalayan balsam from the areas. This is the first time the City of Espoo is using the Crowdsorsa mobile game to get residents involved.
Volunteers are needed
The city needs volunteers to help control invasive species in Espoo. Every year, many people offer a helping hand.
“Our employees focus on controlling more difficult invasive species, such as Japanese rose and giant hogweed. Garden lupines are no longer just beautiful roadside plants but an invasive species that choke meadow plants, while Himalayan balsam has already taken over moist areas along streams and ditches. We want to try different volunteering methods and ways to collect information about the environment. We were interested in the Crowdsorsa approach and hope that Espoo residents help us tackle this problem to protect biodiversity,” says the City of Espoo’s Landscape Maintenance Manager Anne Mannermaa.
A pilot project using the Crowdsorsa mobile game
Invasive species threaten biodiversity, and this problem is now, for the first time ever, being tackled through a mobile game based on crowdsourcing. This summer, the method will be used in 14 different municipalities in Finland.
Crowdsorsa(external link, opens in a new window) is a Tampere-based start-up company whose concept has become popular in Finland and is also used in Sweden, Estonia and England. The mobile game was developed for cost-effective, crowdsourced collection of data in the form of photos and videos.
The game has made it possible to collect data at record speed on various issues, such as streets, bicycle paths, manhole covers and puddles.
Inquiries:
Anne Mannermaa
Landscape Maintenance Manager, City of Espoo
Tel. +358 50 5285928
anne.m.mannermaa@espoo.fi
Toni Paju
Chief Executive Officer, Crowdsorsa
Tel. +358 50 3226263
toni.paju@crowdsorsa.com