Parks Canada, the University of Waterloo, and provincial partners have launched the “Icy Initiative,” a community science project to monitor Alberta’s glaciers. Starting in Jasper National Park and other protected areas, visitors can use cellphone “Icy stands” at glacier viewpoints to photograph and submit images online.
Researchers analyze submissions to track changes over time, supporting glacier preservation efforts. The project builds on the 2021 “Coastie program” for coastal monitoring and is powered by the GeoReach Education Platform. Canada holds one-fifth of global glacial volume, making such data vital for conservation.
Want to know more? Check out the source code on Calgary.tech.