Slavery From Space: Punjab

What are you asking me to do?

We present you with a satellite image and ask you tell us whether or not you see a brick kiln in it. The kilns can be seen in the brick-coloured (dusty orange) areas on the ground in this image:

[Credit atmadesh, 2016.]

This is what they look like on the ground:

[Credit Kevin Bales, 2017.]

Each satellite image you see represents 307.2 metres squared on the ground and is accurate to within 1.2 metres!

What will happen to my data?

We download the locations of kilns you provide and will aggregate it for the purposes of academic research. These anonymous aggregations may be shared with the academic community and other relevant stakeholders (e.g. Governments, Non-Governmental Organisations and satellite data companies). For more information on how the Zooniverse store your personal data, please visit https://www.zooniverse.org/privacy.

Do I need to register with the Zooniverse to participate?

Not at all! But it will benefit you in two key ways:

1. Registering with the Zooniverse and signing in each time you visit our project should prevent you from being presented with the same image twice, and
2. You can receive news of other Zooniverse projects and their scientific outputs, and take part in the discussion boards with other members.

Where have the images come from?

You are looking at images taken of the Punjab by DigitalGlobe satellites. We have around 2.2 million images in total that need analysis, but we are releasing them to you in batches of 100,000. The area we need analysed is almost 180,000 square kilometres in total, of which two-thirds are in Pakistan and one-third is in India. These areas cover the whole of the Punjab district in India and around half of the Punjab district in Pakistan. We have eliminated the other half of Pakistan's Punjab District mostly to reduce the area for you to analyse, but also because its ground is not favourable for the manufacture of bricks. Punjab is an area of India where Anti-Slavery International report that there are a lot of brick kilns. We need your help now to find their exact location. The location of the study area is delineated in orange on the map below for your reference.

What do I do if I'm not sure?

Breathe! And don't panic. Just have your very best guess. A minimum of three people will see each image so don't worry if you're unsure. You can also consult the help button, tutorial and forum if and when you get stuck. If you see any unusual and interesting features in an image, we encourage you to comment on it by clicking on the blue Talk button before you look at the next image, which will tag it for others to see on the Forum. You might even want to share some spectacular geology hidden in this region!

What if I don't see a kiln?

Then simply click "No", followed by the green Done and Next buttons, to move to the next image. We understand that, especially at the start of the project, you may not see many images with brick kilns in them at all. We hope that the more analysis you complete, however, the greater chance we have of knowing which areas to focus on for future analysis.

Have I seen this image before?

If you have not registered with the Zooniverse and signed in then it's possible you will be shown the same image twice. Otherwise you shouldn't do, although it's out of our control!

My question isn't answered here

In the first instance, please head to the Talk section and ask your question there. A member of our team will get back to you.