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Project Noah is intended to help “citizen scientists” discover organisms and share their findings with the online community. Users can document natural creatures, plants and other living things they discover in their travels or daily life using cameras and mobile phones. The user adds their contribution to Project Noah to further studies and projects being worked on within Project Noah. The application is available from both the iPhone app store and the Android Market. Project Noah uses Google Maps which are embedded directly into the website to reveal where sightings have been recorded. A search tool allows users to look for specific creatures by name or keyword. Images taken by other users can also be searched. Each entry includes the submitter’s name, the date it was spotted and submitted and a short description or caption provided by the user who added it.

Project Noah was launched early in 2010 as a part of the Interactive Telecommunications Program created by New York University. The goal was to encourage people to document local wildlife and reconnect with nature. The iPhone version of the application was released in February of 2010. The current team includes “Chief Leaf” Yasser Ansari, CTO Martin Ceperley, Design Director Peter Horvath and Research and Development Lead Bruno Kruse.

Project Noah encourages users to view and appreciate nature. The site also gives users a place to be active in their quest to learn more about the natural world. Users can share their experiences through photos and contributions to projects within the online community.

The Project Noah website has a very earthy feel to it, which fits in perfectly with the goal of the site. Warm browns and pinkish beige surround color images submitted by users. The stylish logo includes a healthy green leaf growing out of the ‘h’ in Noah. Buttons and other site elements take on the look of a patch, similar to those earned by girl and boy scouts. Overall the site has a very fitting and well organized design.

A new user can join the Project Noah community by clicking the green and tan “Join Project Noah Today” patch button found along the right side of the homepage. Project Noah is very generous with its log in options, providing users with six choices. These include Google, Facebook, Twitter, Yahoo! ID, Windows Live ID and AOL. No traditional registration form is provided, but it is really not missed with so many popular options. After clicking the desired log in option, the user is taken to the corresponding log in page and can begin accessing their Project Noah account.

Project Noah was created to encourage people to get closer to nature. The site focuses on a noble cause and does so without asking for money from its users. Anyone can join Project Noah for free. The project is driven primarily by those participating in its online community, so this is definitely a good way to go to keep more users coming in and providing their own experiences and images.

Project Noah is an excellent resource for anyone who loves nature. Novice and expert alike can share their knowledge and add photos of living things they have encountered. The website is easy to navigate and the free access makes it appealing for users of all ages.

• Submit photos taken of living things to add to the Project Noah database
• Participate in and create missions
• Earn patches by being an active member and contributing to Project Noah
• Download Project Noah for Android and iPhones
• Sign in using Facebook, Twitter, Google, Live ID, AOL, Yahoo or Google

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