Description: Project Noah wants to create a database of every living creature in the world with user generated content. This breakthrough smartphone application has already led to noteworthy discoveries in its fight against Nature Deficit Disorder.

Source: Mashable.com

Date: April 20 2012

Big Idea: Project Noah harnesses the power of mobile to let users contribute to real scientific data and research.

Why It’s Working: Project Noah calls itself a “butterfly net for the 21st century,” giving members of the connected generation a way to reconnect with nature on the platform where they’re most comfortable — their smartphones. Its catalog of nature images aims to one day capture every living species on the planet.

Nature Deficit Disorder, the idea that children’s behavioral patterns are changing because they are spending less time outside, was introduced in Richard Louv’s 2005 book Last Child in the Woods. In short, screens replace the wonders of the natural world that used to provide children with hours of entertainment, leaving kids to wither indoors. Read Rest of Story

Questions for discussion:
1. How has smartphone collaboration positively affected Project Noah?