National Geographic FieldScope

该项目将扩大FieldScope的功能和应用，FieldScope是目前由国家地理学会(NGS)支持的一个基于网络的科学信息门户。其目标是为公众参与科学研究(PPSR)项目创建一个单一、强大的基础设施，任何组织都可以使用该基础设施创建他们自己的项目并支持他们自己的参与者社区。FieldScope目前提供各种工具和应用程序，供其现有用户群使用，其中包括GLOBE项目和切萨皮克湾监测系统。该应用程序使用户能够贡献自愿收集地理数据的努力，并在专业和业余用户之间共享信息。该项目将开发和测试现有FieldScope应用程序的增强版本。该项目支持一个功能齐全的基于网络的应用程序的主要编程开发，这将大大提高当前应用程序的可用性。除了规划新的特点和能力外，该项目还涉及对新能力的广泛评估，并涉及三个以公民为基础的组织作为试验床。该项目将提高现有系统处理大量用户和用户群体的能力，并增加任何用户可使用的工具的数量和种类；通过调整通用应用程序接口提供定制服务；通过在云计算环境中使用虚拟服务器扩大计算机空间，从而限制对安装硬件的需要。这种方法能够在必要时调用资源，并在需求减少时缩减规模，从而最大限度地提高存储和计算能力。该平台将包括高级可视化功能，作为用户可用的一套分析工具的一部分。社交网络应用程序也将被并入，作为实现特定网站用户之间通信的一种方式。该门户的运作将得到NGS的支持，并向申请空间的任何用户群体免费提供。象征性收费将适用于需要大计算空间或附加功能的大型组织。用户组可以要求NGS提供定制功能，以支付开发和部署成本。对该项目的评估是广泛的，侧重于形成性评估，以此作为确定用户偏好的一种手段，从网站的外观和感觉到所需工具的类型和预期的使用类型。形成性评价将在对网站特色的方案编制和格式编排作出任何承诺之前进行。该项目回应了整个公民科学界对基于网络的应用程序的需求，这种应用程序使个人能够参与感兴趣的主题，在这样的网站上以各种方式互动，包括提交数据和信息，与其他人和该领域的工作科学家协调分析信息，并利用最先进的工具，如可视化，作为理解正在收集的数据的一种方式。来自不同群体的许多建议创建类似类型的网站，每个建议都基于其自己感知的需求，并以其特定的学科或主题为基础。这项活动可以更广泛地服务于这个社区，并省去类似群体从头开始创建网站的麻烦和费用。

This project will expand the functions and applications of FieldScope, a web-based science information portal currently supported by the National Geographic Society (NGS). The goal is to create a single, powerful infrastructure for Public Participation in Science Research (PPSR) projects that any organization can use to create their own project and support their own community of participants. FieldScope currently provides various tools and applications for use by its existing user base that includes the GLOBE project and the Chesapeake Bay monitoring system. The application enables users to contribute volunteered geographic data collection efforts and sharing information among both professional and amateur users. The project would develop and test an enhanced version of the existing FieldScope application. The project supports major programming development for a fully-functional web-based application that would significantly enhance the usability of the current application. Along with programming new features and capabilities, the project involves extensive evaluation of the new capabilities and involves three citizen-based organizations as testbeds. The project will increase the capability of the existing system to handle large numbers of users and user groups and also increase the number and variety of tools available to any user; provide customization through the adaption of common APIs; and provide for expansion of computer space through use of virtual servers in a cloud computing environment thereby limiting the need for installed hardware. This approach would maximize storage and computing power by being able to call on resources when necessary and scaling back when demand decreases. The platform would include advanced visualization capabilities as part of a suite of analytic tools available to the user. Social networking applications would also be incorporated as a way of enabling communication among users of a particular site. The operation of the portal would be supported by the NGS and made available free of charge to any group of users applying for space. Nominal fees will be applied to large organizations requiring large computing space or additional features. User groups can request NGS supply custom features for the cost of development and deployment. The evaluation of this project is extensive and focused on formative evaluation as a means to identify user preferences, from look and feel of the site to types of tools desired and types of uses expected. The formative evaluation would be conducted ahead of any commitment to programming and formatting of the features of the site. The project responds to a need expressed throughout the citizen science community for web-based applications that enable individuals to engage in a topic of interest, interact in various ways on such a site including the submission of data and information, analyze the information in concert with others and with working scientists in the field, and utilize state-of-the-art tools such as visualization as a way of making sense of the data being collected. There have been numerous proposals to create similar types of sites from various groups, each based on its own perceived needs and grounded in its own particular discipline or topic. This activity could serve this community more broadly and save similar groups the trouble and expense of creating sites from scratch.