Can’t attend TEDYouth, but want to take part? TEDYouth 2012 speaker Rick Smolan is asking students between the ages of 13 and 18 to become “Data Detectives.”

For anyone in the age range, becoming a Data Detective is easy. By answering a 20-question online survey, you’ll be helping to build a data set that will allow you to compare themselves to other teens all over the world. Some sample questions from the survey: “Are you more like your mother or father?” “How do your parents discipline you for bad behavior?” “How do you get to school: by bus, public transportation, limo, donkey, or skateboard?”

The survey is anonymous and takes about 10 minutes to complete. Take the Data Detective survey here >>

By participating now, you won’t see much happen. But over the next few weeks, as more and more students donate their information and time too, the data will compound. On November 12th, the Data Detectives website will be open for business, allowing you and other students to visualize the data in real time, with explosive animation by R/GA.

The juiciest insights from the data set will also be shared at TEDYouth on November 17 in New York City, as well as at the 100+ TEDxYouthDay events happening worldwide the same week.

Hey, it’s a detective job that doesn’t even require a magnifying glass.