You gotta start somewhere – GlobalXplorer participants' first mission is to look for pits that signal looting. If you've ever dreamed of becoming an archaeologist, you might want to take a look at GlobalXplorer: a browser-based app that trains ordinary citizens to analyze high-resolution satellite imagery for signs of looting and previously unknown sites.
It's the brainchild of Dr. Sarah Parcak, a National Geographic Fellow and Space Archaeologist (really!) whose techniques have identified 17 potential pyramids and 3,100 potential settlements in Egypt.
Dr. Parcak won 2016's $1 million TED prize to turn her vision for citizen-powered, satellite-based archaeology into a reality. Launched this week, GlobalXplorer is available to anyone with an internet connection. Participants register to the site, watch a training video and get started by looking for signs of potential looting in satellite images. There's a 'gamification' factor too – you can level up once you've gained enough experience and start looking for the really exciting stuff, like signs of currently unknown archaeological sites.
GlobalXplorer's imagery is provided by DigitalGlobe's commercial satellites courtesy of a customized version of the Tomnod crowd-sourcing platform. For now, the journey starts in Peru, where citizen archaeologists are examining 200,000 square km of land. If you'd like to channel your inner Indiana Jones, head to the GlobalXplorer website and get started.
. dpreview.com2017-2-2 11:30