Grass Gazers: Citizen Science Project

Grass pollen exposure has an adverse impact on the health and every day-life of the allergy sufferers in our community. We need to improve our knowledge of which grasses are around us and when they produce pollen which trigger symptoms for people with hayfever and allergic asthma.

We need a better understanding of the distribution and types of grasses to improve our pollen forecast model and to examine spatial and temporal heterogeneity of allergenic pollen production in sub-tropical Brisbane. Citizen scientists who contribute to this project with location and images of grasses in Queensland will validate data on airborne pollen to help us better predict pollen levels to help people in our community better manage their hay fever and allergic asthma.

The AusPollen Grass Gazers project aims to engage Citizen Scientists to help build a more comprehensive, curated data for diversity and phenology of the grasses in greater Brisbane region in order to validate and improve daily pollen information and reduce the burden of allergy sufferers.

Project Commencement

1st October 2020

Project Outputs

• Develop and optimise Grass Gazers citizen science project processes
• Begin testing citizen science project with community groups and local schools
• Open citizen science project to general public