Citizen Science: Update from the PollenNet Project
Last season proved: PollenNet thrives on its community. Thanks to tens of thousands of observations from across Germany, we were able to record the hazel flowering in detail. The data not only covers large parts of the country, but also spans many weeks – a valuable basis for our research.
What we have achieved
Our first goal has been achieved: The dataset is large enough to train an AI that can automatically recognize the hazel flowering phases, from beginning to end. We will now focus on the concrete implementation of this step.
Where we’re headed next
The next focus is again on hazel blossoms. We hope that you will continue to diligently document hazel blossoms in the winter of 2025/26 to create another dataset that will enable new research questions. 2026 will be exciting, as we hope to gather data that will allow us to link citizen science data with weather information, pollen levels in the air, and allergy symptoms, thus bridging the following data and questions:
– Flora observations (When and where does the hazel blossom?)
– Weather data (How does the weather affect the hazel blossom?)
– Pollen data (What is the pollen concentration locally?)
– Symptoms (How are those affected by allergies doing?)
The connection between these levels is particularly exciting. We want to systematically correlate hazel blossom, pollen count, and symptoms.
Therefore, in the project, pollen traps will be installed in three cities (Leipzig, Jena, and Ilmenau), which will be regularly emptied and analyzed during the winter of 2025/26. At the same time, we are launching a call to find people in these three cities who will keep a symptom diary during this season.
The three measurement sites are intended to provide us with precise insights, but that alone is not enough: For reliable time series, we need support from all over Germany. Therefore, we continue to welcome nationwide hazel observations from the community.
What’s next
– As soon as we have clarified the last remaining questions, we will launch a call for volunteers to record allergy symptoms in a diary. If you live or work in Jena, Ilmenau, or the surrounding area, have an allergy to spring-flowering plants, and would like to support us, you can contact us now at pollennet[at]bgc-jena.mpg.de. We will contact you when things get started.
– In December, we will begin the next wave of hazel observations, followed later by birch.
In short: We are in the thick of it – and we still need you. Every single observation helps us better understand allergies and (in the future) improve pollen count models.
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