“Information and communications technology is revolutionizing the generation of and access to information. Systematic ‘data mining’ of such information through the Internet can provide important early warnings about pending losses of ecosystem services,” says Dr. Galaz, lead author of the study Can Web Crawlers Revolutionize Ecological Monitoring? He is addressing the current lack of means to monitor relevant data to face impending environmental challenges. The referenced data mining is envisioned to be carried out by web crawlers; software automatically trawling Internet sources for relevant information. Exploring the web crawlers’ potential, the researchers believe they will be able to return scattered bits of information to help form an understanding of problems such as pollution and global warming.

“Coral reefs, which may die if sea temperatures rise, could be an example where scattered observations in Australia, Hawaii or the Caribbean might help put together a bigger puzzle,” co-author Tim Daw says. He further elaborates that the information gathered may not only signal ecological changes, but also pinpoint the cause of it. Overfishing might be suggested through studying surges in fish pricing, while a report on insects expanding their habitat northward could signify global warming. Informal Internet posts have been the first to report environmental and ecological alterations on several occasions, aiding professional assessment of the situation at hand. Daw said the methodogical browsing of the Internet would “enlist the services of observers who don’t know they are observers,” using attained information to identify and possibly foresee ecological change.