Social media snaps map the sweep of Japan’s cherry blossom season in unprecedented detail
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Sunday, June 4, 2023
Temperature, Bee, Cerasus, Flower, Research, Cherry, Citizen science, Plant, Climate change, Social media, Collection, Nature, Time, Map, Algorithm, City, Prunus, Japan National Tourism Organization, Environment, Floral industry, Online shopping, Agriculture, Perfume, Telescopic sight, Surveying, Flickr
In a new study published in Flora, we show how social media can be used for “incidental citizen science”.
Key Points:
- In a new study published in Flora, we show how social media can be used for “incidental citizen science”.
- From photos posted to a social site, we mapped countrywide patterns in nature over a decade in relatively fine detail.
- Our case study was the annual spread of cherry blossom flowering across Japan, where millions of people view the blooming each year in a cultural event called “hanami”.
- The flowering spreads across Japan in a wave (“sakura zensen” or 桜前線) following the warmth of the arriving spring season.