IBEIS and NEON: From pixels to science to conservation

NEON enables scientists to systematically gather big data to monitor ecological change.  Since individuals ultimately shape the dynamics of populations, communities and ecosystems, adding data on ‘who’ does ‘what’, ‘when and ‘where’ should enhance the utility of NEON’s growing databases.  Using photographs taken by citizen scientists on strikingly marked whale sharks and less distinctively marked humpback whales, we show why IBEIS—a novel and powerful Image Based Ecological Information System—is the perfect tool for transforming NEON’s impact and democratizing its science.