“It’s prohibitively expensive to set up some sort of monitoring system, but we can leverage the curiosity and kindness of these strangers in order to contribute a very small thing that adds up to something much larger.” ~ Ky Wildermuth

Chronolog is a way to generate time-lapse images of Earth, powered by your camera — and your curiosity.

Used by organizations worldwide to monitor the environment and inspire stewardship of our natural resources, this nifty citizen science effort capitalizes on our casual interest. Pretty clever.

So far, people have contributed 150,000 photos, at 1000 sites, in 48 states and 10 countries. 

At the end of the day, the physical space is the beautiful thing that is really providing all the value. But Chronolog is just this little tiny thing that can add to it and make you think about it a little bit more critically.

Chronolog co-founder Ky Wildermuth joined me to talk about the value of having and indulging science curiosity, the rewards of participation, data and storytelling, exploring spaces over time, using available resources and going where hard science can’t, delightful DIYs — and the joys of snowpack in Saguaro National Park, big skies in Hawaii and lake levels in Spokane.

Listen to Ep. #317: Chronolog & Time-Lapse Curiosity, with Ky Wildermuth

Check out Chronolog. Is there a site near you? Find Ky Wildermuth on LinkedIn.

Estee Levine of CheapNFreeDC and I visited Kingman & Heritage Islands in Washington, DC, site of the very first Chronolog. Here’s a reel from our adventure. Listen to my curiosity conversation with her: CheapNFreeDC: Curiosity, Passion & Purpose.

Learn more about science curiosity and political information processing.

If you enjoyed this conversation about citizen science, check out these C2BC Classics: Citizen Science Is for Everyone, with Caroline Nickerson; The Moore Foundation’s Curiosity-Driven Science Initiative, with Janet Coffey; and Curiosity & Nature Journaling, with John Muir Laws.

Theme music by Sean Balick; “A Catalog of Seasons” from Migration, via Blue Dot Sessions.

You can subscribe to Choose to Be Curious on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.