Into the Ionosphere: Real-Time Aurora Mapping Through Citizen Science (ePoster)

Aurorasaurus is an award‐winning, eight‐year‐old citizen science project that utilizes crowdsourced and citizen science data to produce the first real‐time, global map of auroral visibility. The project has demonstrated scientific value in multiple areas, including the efficacy of social media in detecting large natural events; the success of crowdsourced verification of citizen science data; and the increased accuracy of space weather alerts when integrated with citizen science data. The Aurorasaurus team in collaboration with citizen scientists and the scientific community published the first scientific study of STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission Velocity Enhancement), an aurora‐like phenomenon that appears closer to the equator and flows from east to west. In addition to discoveries, Aurorasaurus conducts outreach and education across the globe, often through partnerships with local groups of enthusiasts. To establish and maintain these high standards, the Aurorasaurus team utilizes a scientific product inventory approach to evaluation, developing further metrics specific to citizen science that are applicable to other projects. We will give an overview of the project, how to participate, and seek to understand how ham radio and aurora enthusiasts can collaborate further.