The GLOBE Program's Globe Observer App

GLOBE, the Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment Program, is a worldwide program that brings together students, teachers, scientists and citizens to promote science and learning about the environment. Through a hands-on approach to inquiry, participants are encouraged to engage in local investigations that cover five core fields: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, soil (pedosphere), and Earth as a system. Observations made locally are submitted to the GLOBE data and information system, and can be accessed freely online. These measurements are combined with readings at automated stations to create a worldwide resource for conducting scientific inquiry; some measurements serve as ground truth for NASA satellite data products (e.g., clouds, soil moisture). The GLOBE data and information system contains over 145 million measurements from more than 10 million students in 119 countries around the world since its operation begun in 1995. Beginning in 2016, GLOBE expanded its participation outside of the formal school setting to include individual citizens of all ages through the GLOBE Observer mobile app.