🐦‍⬛8.6 Luhu: Remote Meeting by the Ocean with the Tianfu New District Home Report Team

A Home Report is a community-based annual report that uses environmental data and local stories to show how our shared living environment is changing and how people can act together to improve it.

I was on a family trip but work caught me. This morning the foundation board told me to join the data discussion meeting for Home Report 2024 as the lead of the Bird-Friendly Community Development Project.

The report team shared data resources for the environment section: water and land ecosystems. They want to build a layered data framework and quality standards to ensure long-term comparability. They also plan citizen science projects to make future data collection more scientific.

I presented what my project can offer. Last year’s seasonal bird species lists and hotspot records, following China Bird Record Center and eBird standards. I also admitted my limits: no fixed monitoring frequency and high randomness in data.

One hot debate: can sighting records count as valid data? Some said we need strict standards like photo evidence. Others suggested a layered approach. Separate authoritative data from professional monitoring and supporting data from public observations.

The output model will combine data and stories. Hard data like lists and charts, paired with human stories such as Aunt Wanrong recording the migration of nightingales. Another debate: should we go professional or popular in tone? Most agreed on popular in tone since the target audiences are mainly citizens/residents in this district.

The common ground was clear. The true value of the Home Report is to record dynamic change with data and feed back into community action.