The Impact of ICG Research: Hampshire Landscape Watch

Launching today, innovative new project, Landscape Watch is benefiting from ICG expertise in citizen science and crowdsourcing of data analysis to monitor landscape changes. Anyone can join in and help spot changes in land use which could, in future, contribute to flood risk or threats to the loss of animal and bird habitats.

The project is a partnership between Hampshire County Council, Dr. Karen Masters of the ICG, Dr. Joe Cox from the Portsmouth Business School and Alresford company Remote Sensing Applications Consultants Ltd (RSAC Ltd).

Volunteers are asked to compare pairs of aerial photographs taken in 2005 and 2013 and identify any changes that have taken place. It has long been known that humans are much better at certain observational tasks than computers.

Part of the Chibolton Observatory, under agricultural use in 2005, became home to the UK LOFAR Station in 2010. This forms part of a giant, European wide radio telescope being used by astronomers and astrophysicists to survey large areas of sky

Part of the Chibolton Observatory, under agricultural use in 2005, became home to the UK LOFAR Station in 2010, and ICG Members helped to install this! This forms part of a giant, European wide radio telescope being used by astronomers and astrophysicists to survey large areas of sky

The project will produce the first detailed maps of landscape change in the county and help build a complete picture of Hampshire’s landscape character and rates of change, including everything wildflower meadows to new housing developments.

The information could be vital in planning mitigation or remedial action as changes potentially impact on natural habitats, wildlife and flooding.

This is a fantastic illustration of how our astronomical research (e.g. our experience with Galaxy Zoo) can be pushed into commercial innovation through (Innovate-UK funded) collaborative R&D. The UK government has a strong impact agenda for research in higher education, and such projects are good examples of what they are hoping to stimulate in the years to come.

Read the full press release: Landscape Watch Hampshire Needs You!