FloraFlux - Collaborative AI-Based Plant Data Collection at Flux Tower Sites

FloraFlux is a collaborative initiative to collect plant species occurrence data from flux tower sites worldwide. The project is open and inclusive, requiring no botanical expertise and minimal time and costs for participants. Only a smartphone is needed, leveraging automated plant identification via the Flora Incognita app (Mäder et al., 2021). Participants are encouraged to "take pictures of as many species in the footprint as you like, the more the better", while we also facilitate optional additional information. FloraFlux complements and extends traditional, resource-intensive vegetation surveys, enabling widespread data collection across a global network of sites. The data collected by FloraFlux will be shared with participants and ultimately the scientific community by a joint publication in an open access format, enhancing the collective knowledge of plant diversity and ecosystem functions. More information on FloraFlux can be found on the FloraFlux website (https://floraincognita.com/floraflux/).