All Over the Map: Investigating the Did You Feel It? Citizen Science System
The Did You Feel It? (DYFI) system allows Internet users to report earthquake data when they feel an earthquake. The data submitted are put into computer programs that create "Did You Feel It?" Maps. More than 4 million entries have been submitted from 1999 to 2017. The scientists wanted to know how the DYFI system changed from 1999 to 2013. Additionally, the scientists wanted to measure the accuracy and timeliness of the DYFI system data.
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The questions you will answer in this FACTivity are: How do the number of earthquakes from the 1990s compare to the number of earthquakes in the 2000s? How do the...FACTivity – All Over the Map
The questions you will answer in this FACTivity are: How do the number of earthquakes from the 1990s compare to the number of earthquakes in the 2000s? How do the... -
The questions you will answer in this FACTivity are: How does the seismic data compare between different States? What is the seismic activity like in your State? What does the...Alternate FACTivity – All Over the Map
The questions you will answer in this FACTivity are: How does the seismic data compare between different States? What is the seismic activity like in your State? What does the...
Glossary
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David Wald
My favorite science experience is coming up with new (or even obvious) ways for solving tough problems while doing something unrelated: running, hiking, daydreaming. When an idea or solution pops...View Profile -
Bruce Worden
I enjoy bringing data together with theory. Sometimes the data tell you that your idea could be right, and other times you discover that you are wrong. Either way, you’ve...View Profile
Standards addressed in this Article:
Social Studies Standards
- Civic Ideals and Practices
- Global Connections
- Individual Development and Identity
- Individuals, Groups, and Institutions
- People, Places, and Environments
- Science, Technology, and Society
- Time, Continuity, and Change
Note To Educators
The Forest Service's Mission
The Forest Service’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s forests and grasslands to meet the needs of present and future generations. For more than 100 years, our motto has been “caring for the land and serving people.” The Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), recognizes its responsibility to be engaged in efforts to connect youth to nature and to promote the development of science-based conservation education programs and materials nationwide.
What Is the Natural Inquirer?
Natural Inquirer is a science education resource journal to be used by students in grade 6 and up. Natural Inquirer contains articles describing environmental and natural resource research conducted by Forest Service scientists and their cooperators. These scientific journal articles have been reformatted to meet the needs of middle school students. The articles are easy to understand, are aesthetically pleasing to the eye, contain glossaries, and include hands-on activities. The goal of Natural Inquirer is to stimulate critical reading and thinking about scientific inquiry and investigation while teaching about ecology, the natural environment, and natural resources.
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Meet the Scientists
Introduces students to the scientists who did the research. This section may be used in a discussion about careers in science.
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What Kinds of Scientist Did This Research?
Introduces students to the scientific disciplines of the scientists who conducted the research.
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Thinking About Science
Introduces something new about the scientific process, such as a scientific habit of mind or procedures used in scientific studies.
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Thinking About the Environment
Introduces the environmental topic being addressed in the research.
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Introduction
Introduces the problem or question that the research addresses.
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Method
Describes the method the scientists used to collect and analyze their data.
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Findings & Discussion
Describes the results of the analysis. Addresses the findings and places them into the context of the original problem or question.
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Reflection Section
Presents questions aimed at stimulating critical thinking about what has been read or predicting what might be presented in the next section. These questions are placed at the end of each of the main article sections.
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Number Crunches
Presents an easy math problem related to the research.
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Glossary
Defines potentially new scientific or other terms to students. The first occurrence of a glossary word is bold in the text.
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Citation
Gives the original article citation with an internet link to the original article.
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FACTivity
Presents a hands-on activity that emphasizes something presented in the article.
Science Education Standards
You will find a listing of education standards which are addressed by each article at the back of each publication and on our website.
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Contact
Jessica Nickelsen
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Email
Lessons
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In this lesson, students will use graphic organizers to help guide their reading of an article. Materials: Graphic organizers (included) Writing utensil This lesson plan can be used with any...Lesson Plan – Reading Graphic Organizers
In this lesson, students will use graphic organizers to help guide their reading of an article. Materials: Graphic organizers (included) Writing utensil This lesson plan can be used with any...
Education Files
Citizen Science Connections
The Did You Feel It? (DYFI) system was created to gather information about earthquakes from the people who experience the earthquakes. Using the Internet, scientists can get information quickly about what citizens experience and the effects of earthquakes. Scientists who study earthquakes combine the citizen-based science data from DYFI with state-of-the-art data collection technology.
Did You Feel It? lets citizen scientists:
• Search and view data on earthquakes around the world;
• Report earthquake events in their location;
• Learn about the science of earthquakes.
Did You Feel It? is a project of the U.S. Geological Survey. The DYFI system has collected nearly 3 million data points from citizen scientists since 1997.
Learn more at their website: Did You Feel It? (usgs.gov).