OVERVIEW OF NATURAL TECHNOLOGY
This is an overview of the types of technologies that are used with or by children and young adults in nature.
The overview is not an advertisement for the relevant technologies. We do not guarantee for their quality, functionality or personal data management.
You can read more about our categorization procedure in our reports and scientific papers.
If you would like to submit a technology to this overview, contact us at naturligteknik@edu.au.dk.
With citizen science technologies, citizens volunteer to help researchers with mapping out nature via data collection, such as the registration of plant or animal species.
Examples
iNaturalist
One of the most famous and most comprehensive citizen science apps is iNaturalist, a social network of scientists and regular citizens collaborating to map out biodiversity across the globe. With iNaturalist you can record observations of flora, fauna and fingi, get help with identification and participate in specific local projects focusing on certain species. You could also use the app to coordinate or join a local bioblitz — an event in which volunteers do an intensive area survey, trying to find and register as many species as possible within a limited amount of time.
The app is available on App Store and Google Play.
BirdNET
Some apps in this category focus on particular kinds of species or locations in nature. BirdNET, for example, specializes in bird identification by sound. As part of a research project about training artificial intelligence to classify bird species, the app allows users to submit recordings and review suggestions while learning more about the birds in their vicinity. The app is associated with the Cornell Lab or Ornithology, and the collected data has already been used to replicate findings in avian ecology.
The app is available in App Store and Google Play.
Mapillary
Mapillary was created to explore not plants or animals, but the landscape itself. By periodically taking pictures while you go on a walk, for example, the app uses computer vision to connect the images with 3D reconstruction and identify relevant markers, like road signs. This creates an interactive map with up-to-date features, similar to Google Maps. Mapillary maps and data are used for research and development purposes. The app is compatible with GoPro and can be used during bike and car rides as well — the possibilities are endless!
The app is available on App Store and Google Play.
Activities
Citizen science apps are afford opportunities for a wide range of educational activites using available materials like smartphones.
Organize a Bioblitz
Using iNaturalist, or the more child-friendly verison, Seek by iNaturalist, you can organize bioblitz events for both younger and older children. Findings can be discussed and compared, and the activity is an excellent opportunity to introduce the concept of biodiversity in a hands-on way. For a more detailed guide to using Seek by iNaturalist for educational purposes, click here.
Survey a Local Area
Survey a local area, both in terms of landscape and biodiversity. Constructing a cooperative Mapillary map with childen can prompt discussions about eco-friendly urban design (e.g. water drainage or green areas), while other registration apps like iNaturalist can help survey local species. Learn more about surveying activities by clicking here.
Bird Days
Use apps like BirdNET to help identify birds by their song during a walk. Practice identifying the birds by appearance and sound, and dedicate special theme days to exploring facts and features of the relevant birds. Learn more about bird activities by clicking here.
These technologies serve as reference works, providing helpful information about various natural phenomena even while you’re in nature. Some of them are digitized reference works which also can be found as books, while others offer completely new features that exceed a book's functionality by presenting the knowledge through other modalities.
Examples
Stellarium Mobile
Stellarium Mobile is an app for the amateur astronomer, providing a virtual night sky with marked constellations, planets and much more. You can use it to plan observations, check visibility and get exact positions of celestial bodies, all tailored to your location. The app also allows you to explore different "sky cultures" and their conventions for naming constellations and planets — with everything from Romanian to Navajo settings. By upgrading the app for 19 kr. a month, you can access even more functionalities, but there is plenty you can do with the free version as well.
Available on App Store and Google Play
LeafSnap
LeafSnap is a plant identification and care app. You can either search plants by name to access detailed information and photos or use the image identification function to help you determine the plant species. Information about your region helps the app make more accurrate classifications, and if you decide to take a plant home or buy one, you will be able to find extensive information about care, watering schedules, diseases etc.
Available on App Store and Google Play
Activities
Reference apps can be used on their own, but are also especially good for combining with other types of activites and technologies.
Take Nature Home
In this activity, the participants choose a plant from the outdoors (always check endangered lists) and try to recreate its environment at home or in a classroom. Use LeafSnap and other reference works for information and care instructions. If the plant does not survive, try to identify what went wrong.
Night Sky Experts
Explore the night sky with Stellarium Mobile, with or without a telescope. After a while, have everyone exit the app and check how many constellations they can remember and identify.
These technologies focus on helping users identify edible plants and fungi on site, so that they can be taken home and prepared to eat. Foraging apps support skills that go beyond knowledge acquisition about natural phenomena, but include hands-on experience in local exploration and the use of all senses - including taste buds.
Examples
Vild Mad (Wild Food)
This foraging app, now also available in English, will help you explore edible forageables in the Danish landscape. Save your favorite foraging spots as well as pictures and notes for reference. The app will guide you with an overview of the season's forageables with discriptions, pictures, and even ideas and recipes for preparation. As other players log their foraging spots, you can get clues as to where to look for different types of plants. You will also be able to see the most foraged ingredients for the month and specific guides for foraging berries, fruits, mushrooms, plants, etc. A great app for both beginners and more seasoned foragers.
Available on Google Play and App Store
Shroomify
This mushroom foraging app helps you explore and identify edible mushrooms. With detailed identification keys, you can narrow down your mushroom species in a minute! The app covers most of Northern Europe and North America and has plenty of great suggestions and foraging tips to get you started.
Available on App Store and Google Play
Activities
Foraging apps inherently invite you to go out and explore edible natural ingredients. Alone or in groups, the collection and preparation of wild plants and fungi is a real treat!
Orienteering for Food
Put your cooking and foraging skills to the test with an outdoor orienteering race. Participants complete tasks at each orienteering post in order to win basic ingredients for a meal. In between posts, they must additionally forage for plants and fungi to make the final meal more tasty and more interesting. Learn more about this activity here.
Seasonal Foraging
Organize a group to go foraging for particular items that are currently in season. Whether it's morels in April or blackberries in July, the extra hands and eyes will keep you company and yield a bigger harvest. Remember to share!
The main purpose of these technologies is to help you enjoy more physical activity outdoors. Some provide information and inspiration about routes you can take, while others seek to entertain and enhance your experience of moving outdoors.
Examples
AllTrails
AllTrails is a reference work of hiking, walking and biking trails from all over the world. You can search for particular areas or explore an interactive map. Trails are marked for difficulty, type, elevation and length, and many have been reviewed by other users, so you can make an informed decision before embarking on a trail. You need to register an account to use the app.
Available on App Store and Google Play
Zombies, Run!
What better motivation is there to exercise than to run for your life? Zombies, Run! is a running game and audio adventure, where each running session becomes a mission to flee from zombies. With over 600 stories, you will never be bored during a run again.
Available in App Store og Google Play
Pikmin Bloom
Create a Pikmin avatar you can take with you on walks. As you walk, your Pikmin, and the world around it, grows. Whether you're going on a short or long walk, you can bring your Pikmin along and save memorable moments. The app is perfect for children walking with their parents.
Available in App Store and Google Play
Activities
Movement-oriented apps will keep you entertained as you walk, hike or run outdoors.
Nature Hike
Use AllTrails to find and plan a hike, during which participants use identification apps, such as LeafSnap or iNaturalist, to explore the flora and fauna that they encounter on the way. You can even make it a competition.
These technologies are mainly competitive games. Many sustain virtual universes that are populated with monsters and beasts who must either be fought or captured. Others allow you to follow waypoints in chosen locations while competing with others.
Examples
Geocaching
Geocaching is an international app for digital treasure hunting! Use the app to explore locations and find hidden treasure, or log new geocaches yourself. As a first time user, the app will guide you to easy nearby caches. Once you have chosen a cache, you can start navigating towards it using an in-app map. When you find the cache, you can log it as complete in the app and discover what the cache may hold. You are only allowed to take trinkets from a cache if you replace them with something else. Caches come in a variety of shapes, sizes, locations and difficulty levels, so there is something for everyone, from the parent with young children to the seasoned hiker and geocacher.
Available in App Store and Google Play
Jurassic World Alive
Explore your local area and discover dinosaurs in this augmented reality game. As you wander, you will find different species and watch them come to life on your screen. You can fight other players in dinosaur battles and share your achievements and finds.
Available in App Store and Google Play
Orna
Orna is a turn-based GPS role-playing game which you navigate by physically moving around in your local area. As a character in the game, you will have to complete quests and level up by interacting with creatures, discovering weapons and fighting other players. Don't worry about getting bored, because the higher you level up, the more features and mechanics you will unlock!
Available in App Store and Google Play
Activities
These apps provide many opportunities for fun and engaging games outside, and they can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
Earthcaching
A special type of geocaching aims to showcase the natural environment rather than a specific cache. Once you've gained some experience with regular geocaches, you can try earthcaching and learn about your local environment. Read our Geocaching guide for more information.
Make It Competitive!
Create a set route through your local area and take a group of players for a walk while playing a game like Jurassic World Alive or Orna. Battle each other! At the end of the walk, compare your points and declare a winner.
Educational apps have an explicit learning perspective and are designed for use in institutions. This category includes technologies that allow students to make field observations and apps/websites structured as lesson units on various plants, animals and natural habitats.
Examples
Arduino Science Journal
Arduino Science Journal is digital notebook you can use to measure light, sound, acceleration, air pressure and more through the built-in sensors in your phone. Use the notebook app to take notes, pictures and video to document your scientific experiments in four main categories: light, sound, electricity and motion. The website associated with the app has guides and ideas for each category and level of difficulty.
Available in App Store and Google Play.
Activities
Use these apps to document data from experiments, take notes or share content with others!
Light Experiment
Use the built-in light sensor in the Arduino Science Journal app to measure the strength of different light sources at various distances. As you increase your distance to a light source, what happens to the intensity of the light? For more ideas and experiments, check out the Arduino Science Journal website.
This category is linked to physical locations. For instance, these technologies show routes, activities, guides and information about specific places in Denmark. They are a way of presenting and mediating knowledge about culture and nature to the public.
Examples
National Aquarium Denmark
This app guide for the famous Danish aquarium has all the information you'll need for a visit, whether it's the location of the café, the event schedule or guides to specific species and habitats exhibited in the aquarium. You can explore all three zones (northern lakes and seas, tropical rivers and lakes, and the ocean) with audio, image and text guides. It is also possible to purchase and renew your aquarium pass within the app. The map function will help you find any sea creature... or maybe the bathroom. Smartly and beautifully designed, this app is an invaluable tool for your visit to the aquarium.
Available in App Store and Google Play
Useeum
Useeum contains a collection of museum guides from all over Denmark and Northern Europe. When you select a museum, you can download the guide associated with it. Guides can be audio, visual, image- or text-based, depending on the museum and language. There are special guides and mystery adventures for children, and while the target audience is children and young adults, the app can be enjoyed by people of all ages. Explore all the various categories and discover museums in your area with Useeum.
Available in App Store and Google Play.
Activities
These apps are meant to enhance your experience of a natural or cultural location by providing information, maps and guides.
Museum Orienteering
Treat key exhibits at a museum as posts that participants must find. Each post will be associated with a question or riddle that can only be solved after listening to or reading the app guide. The groups will move throught posts in different order so as not to run into each other. In the end, the group with the most correct answers wins a prize.
Fact Poster
Assign each student to an exhibit and have them take pictures and read/listen to audio guides at the museum, taking detailed notes. Back in the classroom, they must create a fact poster based on the information and images they have collected.
This category includes multimedia apps that can be used for creative activities in nature, although the technologies are not specifically linked to nature. Accordingly, they support a type of digitalized learning, where nature and outdoor experiences can be replaced by other places and experiences.
Examples
Book Creator
Book Creator allows you to create your own interactive e-book with images, video, sound and drawings. The app also contains existing templates and activities that can be filled out for every school subject and grade level. You can share the books you have created as well. Whether telling stories, documenting experiments or something else, Book Creator is a great resource. Although it requires a paid subscription, many schools and institutions have access, and you can get a free trial.
Available in App Store for tablets or computers
iMovie
Application for editing video for both phones, tablets and computers. Get an overview of your recordings, put them together and overlay sound, text and sound effects to enhance your video.
Available in App Store
Activities
These apps allow you to create original and entertaining multimedia projects for educational purposes.
Leaf Creature Story
Use leaves and twigs to create a fantasy creature. With Book Creator, you can then use pictures, sound and text to write story about the creature and its life. Learn more about this activity by clicking here.
Stop Motion
Create a stop motion movie with iMovie or other video editing software. The movie must only use props from the natural environment and may illustrate a biological process, e.g., how an acorn falls and sprouts.
This category contains technologies that resemble digital measuring tools and can therefore replace physical tools. These technologies are 'handy' versions that utilize the digitalized and space-saving format, which is accessed through smart technology.
Examples
Smart Protractor
This app contains multiple functions for measuring angles. You can mark the angles manually, tilt your phone or measure angles based on a photo. Whether you want to measure stars or hilltops, this app is the perfect tool.
Available in App Store and Google Play
Vibration Meter
Vibration Meter uses the phone's sensors to measure vibrations and earthquakes. As the phone shakes, it will show the strength of the "earthquake" in the Richter scale. It also records over a period of time so you can save your measurements.
Available in Google Play
Activities
Use these apps as measurement tools for outdoor experiments in math and science subjects.
Distance to the Tower
For some practical experience in surveying, use the principles of trigonometry to calculate the distance to a tall landmark. Knowing the height of the landmark and measuring its angle relative to your location with the Smart Protractor. When you have calculated the distance, verify it based on an online map such as Google Maps.
Mini-earthquakes
Simulate earthquakes out in nature. Build small structures out of natural materials such as twigs and rocks. Leave a phone in the middle. Have the participants jump around the structures to make the ground quake. Measure the Richter scale of the "earthquake" and discuss its effect on the structures.
This category contains a heterogeneous group of technologies that are based on subscriptions through e.g. educational institutions or municipalities. They are generally not used privately. Several of them focus on movement and some on educational games.
Examples
GoPlayDOT
A physical mobile game in which you move through a terrain so that your dot avatar can claim dots and catch members of other teams. It requires a fairly large area to play. Once you are close to another dot, tapping your screen twice is all it takes to claim or catch the dot. The app uses your phone's GPS to determine your location. Best played in teams.
Available on App Store and Google Play
Loquiz
An app for creating game activites for events and team-building, both indoors and outdoors. Scavenger hunts, quizzes and racing games are just a few of the options available to you. With a subscription, you also gain access to ready templates and games for all sorts of occasions. You choose the location and the game.
Available in App Store and Google Play
Activities
These technologies are great for introducing people and team-building exercises. Use them in combination with other ideas from this page.
DOT tournament
Split participants into groups and have them battle in GoPlayDOT until the last two teams remain. Have everyone watch the final and create cheers for their favorites.
This category includes independent technologies that are generally compatible with Smart Technology solutions. In other words, they have memory functions and camera features that make sharing possible, so they can work together with smartphones and tablets in outdoor nature experiences.
Examples
GoPro
GoPro's are versatile cameras for recording dramatic and action-filled moments in in high resolution with a fish-eye perspective. GoPro's can be mounted on drones, helmets, bicycles, etc. to film things that would otherwise be impossible. You can use them to document both peaceful and wild experiences in nature.
Metal Detector
Metal detectors are used for searching for metals in the earth. As you hover the detector over the ground, it will emit a sound if it has detected metal.
Activities
Use these tools in combination with other games and activities to make your outdoor play and learning even more interesting!
Trash Day
As part of a unit focusing on trash and litter, go out to clean up and bring a metal detector. Use the detector to help you find buried trash and talk about decomposition and metals. For more metal detector ideas, click here.