There are two ways you can participate in the Mars Public Mapping Project:

1. Rate Images. To do this there’s no need to log in - just look at as many images as you like and rate them from 1 to 5 stars for coolness. To start rating images, click on the Home button above and use the Rate This Image: Stars For Mars rating scale. (Use the control panel below the image to zoom in and out and scroll to see the entire image.)
   
   
2. Tag Images. Tagging images with features you can identify will help create maps that assist scientists in understanding Mars better. To learn about the various kinds of geological features Mars has keep reading. Once you are familiar with these features, you should sign up, log in, and start tagging. (If you wish, you can simply tag features without logging in. But if you do this, we'll never know who you are or be able to give you credit for your work.)

Becoming familiar with Martian features as seen by the THEMIS camera is easier than you think.

The features fall into five main headings: Craters, Layering, Valleys, Volcanic Features, and Wind Related Features.

You will see that each heading contains specific geologic categories. Under Craters, for example, there are categories called Preserved, Modified or Destroyed, and Rampart.

If you click on the word Rampart, for example, you'll see thumbnail images of several rampart craters and a descriptive summary of key aspects. (You can click on the thumbnail to see a bigger version.)

Familiarize yourself with the variety of features by going down the list, clicking on each of the categories. You'll find they are pretty self-explanatory. (You can also download a PDF with all the definitions and examples in a single document.)

Now examine the THEMIS image in the viewer frame. Zoom in and out, scan left and right, and slide the image up and down. Start at the top heading - Craters - and click the Yes, No, or Not Sure buttons as you think these apply to the various features you see in the image.

For example, click Yes if you observe the feature somewhere in the image, No if you don't see the feature in the image, or Not Sure if you just aren't sure whether the feature is present in the image. (Keep in mind it's unlikely that any one THEMIS image will show examples of all the geological categories, so don't worry about not finding some.)

Clicking on Map at the right loads an all-Mars map showing where other reviewers say they have seen this particular kind of feature - or have not seen it.

Feel adventurous? Click on the Advanced heading to see a list of other interesting kinds of geological features you can look for. (Again, the category names and example thumbnails are clickable.) And there's a box at the bottom where you can add any items you see that don't fit into any of the standard feature categories.

Finally, don't forget to give the image a rating of one to five stars, based upon its visual appeal, using the panel at the top of the page.

When you finish rating your image and identifying all the features you can, click the Submit for Next Image button to record your results and go on to the next image. (If you log out before clicking Submit, your work on this image will not be recorded.)

If you are finished this session, scroll up to the top of the page and Logout.

A few helpful hints:

• If you click the THEMIS Image ID number at the bottom of the image viewer, you can view the full-resolution image on the official THEMIS webpage.
• If you click the Context image, you can see the location of the image (arrow) on a Mars Orbital Laser Altimeter (MOLA) global map of Mars.