If you like trying new android apps then you would like this new app that your phone into an Android Space Monitoring Tool. This app is part of a crowdsourcing campaign. Users can help crowdsource satellite data with the CAMALIOT app. Which will allow scientists to make better Earth, space weather forecasting models.
The European Space Agency (ESA) released a new Android app that will turn your smartphone into an instrument for crowdsourced science. All you have to do is leave it by your window each night with your sat-nav (or satellite navigation) positioning turned on.
What is Android Space Monitoring Tool?
This tool helps monitors small changes in GNSS data that are tracked via your phone. It will record small variations in satellite signals the same way it uses to ping your location on Google Maps. The data you collect and upload could help scientists create better weather forecasting models, among other things.
The CAMALIOT app was developed through ESA’s Navigation Innovation and Support Programme (NAVISP). It’s developed with the support of the Agency’s GNSS Science Support Centre. And is compatible with more than 50 smartphone models, which are equipped with dual-frequency sat-nav receivers.
The data gathered by the app will be used for machine learning analysis of meteorology and space weather patterns. CAMALIOT is run by a consortium led by ETH Zurich. In collaboration with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.
By using crowd-sourced GNSS data from many smartphones around the world. Scientists will have better inputs for weather prediction models. This data would allow them to predict local rainfall events are forecast more accurately. They will also use the GNSS data to improve predictions of space weather
How does it work?
You can download the app from the Google Play store. All you have to do is click on ‘START LOGGING’ to collect the data from satellites. If possible, place your device somewhere with a clear view of the sky. You can click on the ‘STOP LOGGING’ button to stop the session.
After the app’s all-night data logging, you will need to upload this data to the app’s servers. And repeat the same steps to log more data. Users can even see where they stand in terms of the number of observations and data uploaded through an in-app leaderboard system.