National project · Biodiversity
Pájaros en la Nube
Sensor-equipped birdhouses for studying insect-eating wildlife from schools
About the project
Pájaros en la Nube (‘Birds in the Cloud’) was a classroom citizen science project to monitor insect-eating wildlife across Spain – mainly birds, but also small lizards.
Primary and secondary pupils assembled a sensor-equipped birdhouse and programmed it with Arduino. Once placed outdoors, the birdhouse sent data on animal presence, temperature and humidity back to the classroom over the LoRaWAN wireless network of The Things Network (TTN).
The project brought together biodiversity conservation, ornithology, the Internet of Things, cloud computing, programming, maths, meteorology and citizen science.
In the 2020/21 school year almost 200 schools from all over Spain applied and 85 were selected to take part. The birdhouse materials were provided to schools free of charge.
Project objectives
- Monitor insect-eating wildlife around schools.
- Show what maker culture and the Internet of Things can do for citizen science.
- Show pupils how science can open up to society in a participatory way.
- Give teachers a way to work on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the classroom.
The role of Ibercivis
Fundación Ibercivis organised the project: it launched the call for schools, selected the participants, coordinated the design of the birdhouse and its electronics, and sent the materials to the schools.
The birdhouse prototype was developed with the design team at the Aragon School of Design (ESDA). Ibercivis also prepared the teaching materials and gave technical support to teachers and pupils while they installed the birdhouses and received data.
Our activities
- Call for schools across Spain (applications open until 20 January 2021).
- Design and prototyping of the sensor-equipped birdhouse with ESDA.
- Birdhouses and electronics sent to 85 schools.
- Teaching materials for pupils and teachers.
- FAQ guide and support for schools in placing the birdhouse and connecting to the data platform.
- Project website, pajarosenlanube.ibercivis.es, and communication of the activities carried out in schools.
Gallery
Project details
Type of project
National
Duration
2020–2021 school year
Funding
Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology (FECYT) – Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
Area
Biodiversity
