The deep sea lab at Ifremer (Brest, France) developed a citizen science project 'Deep sea spy' to help annotate the thousands of images recorded in hydrothermal vents using the deep-sea observatories EMSO-Azores and Ocean Networks Canada. The images were acquired with the observation modules TEMPO and TEMPO-mini, developed at Ifremer for the study of the temporal dynamics of deep-sea vent benthic communities. The two versions of the module were deployed on the active edifices Eiffel Tower in the Atlantic (Lucky Strike, Mid-Atlantic Ridge) and Grotto in the NorthEast Pacific (Main Endeavor Field, Juan de Fuca).
The objective is to involve a maximum number of people in performing simple tasks (finding and annotate the species) in order to help us processing the huge image archive. This online tool also provides an opportunity to raise awareness on deep-sea ecosystems among the general public.
The game website: deepseaspy.ifremer.fr
And the project website (under development): wwz.ifremer.fr/deepseaspy
This project was funded by the European project ENVRI+
Please spread widely around you, family, friends, students, and any other network!
Marjolaine Matabos
The Deep Sea Spy Project Leader
TEMPO-mini on the Juan de Fuca ridge (c) ONC/CSSF
