Citizen science and biological recording apps

The free apps listed below allow volunteers to quickly access information ‘on-the-go’. Using GPS and camera technology embedded in smart phones, these apps allow citizen scientist volunteers to collect verifiable records in the field. These records are used by our scientists to further our understanding of the world around us. In many cases records can also be added directly to the iRecord website.

 

 

 

App

Project

Get the app

FIT Count

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FIT Count mobile app icon

Project

UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme

Download 

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Apple - Download on the App Store logo
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Get it on Google Play

 

     

Dynamic Dunescapes

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Dynamic Dunescapes app

Project

Dynamic Dunescapes

Download

Get the download links here

     

Bloomin' Algae

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Bloomin Algae app logo

 

Partners

Environment Agency

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Public Health England

Health Protection Scotland

Download

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Apple - Download on the App Store logo

 

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Get it on Google Play
     

ButterflyCount

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Butterfly Count app icon

Partner

Butterfly Conservation Europe

Download

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Apple - Download on the App Store logo
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Get it on Google Play

 

     

What's Flying Tonight

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Sallow Kitten moth

Partners

Butterfly Conservation

UK Moths

Download

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Visit app website icon

 

     

iMammalia

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iMammalia app icon

Partner

Animal and Plant Health Agency

Download

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Apple - Download on the App Store logo
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Get it on Google Play

 

     

Asian Hornet Watch

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Asian Hornet Watch app logo

Partner

Defra

Download

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Apple - Download on the App Store logo
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Get it on Google Play

 

     

Rare Arable Flowers

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Rare Arable Flowers app logo

Partners

Natural England

Plantlife

Download

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Apple - Download on the App Store logo
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Get it on Google Play

 

     

iRecord

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iRecord mobile app logo

Download

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Apple - Download on the App Store logo
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Get it on Google Play

 

     

iRecord Grasshoppers

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iRecord Grasshoppers app icon

Partner

Orthoptera Recording Scheme

Download

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Apple - Download on the App Store logo

 

     

Ozone Injury

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Ozone injury app icon

Partner

Defra

Download

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Apple - Download on the App Store logo
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Get it on Google Play

 

     

iRecord Butterflies

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iRecord Butterflies app logo

Partner

Butterfly Conservation

Download

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Get it on Google Play

 

     

European Ladybirds

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iRecord Ladybirds mobile app logo

Partner

UK Ladybird Survey

Download

 
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Get it on Google Play

 

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About our citizen science projects

Biological Records Centre (BRC)

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Biological Records Centre logo

The BRC is a national recording scheme for terrestrial and freshwater species. Since its beginnings in 1964 BRC has worked closely with volunteer schemes all over the UK, collecting volunteer data and producing more than tens of thousands of species distribution maps. This information is invaluable for researchers, allowing them to monitor species trends and track environmental change. 

By using the iRecord family of smartphone apps, or recording sightings online at iRecord, you can become part of a community of citizen scientists working to better understand our natural environment. 

National Honey Monitoring Scheme

Working in partnership with UK beekeepers, the National Honey Monitoring Scheme aims to use honeybees to monitor long-term changes in the condition and health of the UK countryside. However, we need the help of beekeepers if this scheme is to work.

National Plant Monitoring Scheme (NPMS)

The National Plant Monitoring Scheme is a partnership of the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland (BSBI), the Biological Records Centre (within the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology), Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) and Plantlife. The scheme is looking for volunteers to help scientists with an annual stock take of the UK's wild plants and their habitats. The surveys of wildflowers and their habitats will provide evidence of which widespread plants are increasing or declining, as well as indicating the changing state of valued habitats such as grassland, fenland and even road verges.

Pollinator Monitoring Scheme (PoMS)

PoMS is the only scheme in the world generating systematic data on the abundance of bees, hoverflies and other flower-visiting insects at a national scale (currently across England, Wales and Scotland). Its two types of survey aim to establish how insect pollinator populations are changing across Great Britain. Volunteers are sought for both surveys.

Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme (PBMS)

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Predatory Bird Monitoring Scheme

The PBMS is a long-term, national monitoring scheme that investigates the levels of pollution in select species of predatory and fish-eating birds in Britain. By collecting carcasses of dead birds and investigating their contaminant levels we can discover:

  • how and why the levels vary between species and regions,
  • how the levels are changing over time,
  • and how these contaminants may be affecting individual birds and overall populations. 

For information on how to report dead birds, please contact:

  • Telephone: 01524 595830
  • Email: pbms@ceh.ac.uk

DECIDE - recording nature where it matters

We need high-quality information to make good decisions for nature, but there are gaps in recording at national and at local scales. The DECIDE project improves models for biodiversity decision-making by putting recorders' motivations at the heart of the process.

Additional wildlife recording support

Visit the Biological Records Centre for a guide to getting started with biological recording.