citizen science - theory, practice & policy workshop

Citizen Science: theory, practice and policy

(with case studies from UK & Germany)

Muki Haklay

UCL, Extreme Citizen Science group

Plan • 9:00-9:45 introduction to citizen science: history, trends that

facilitate it, types of citizen science activities, examples of projects

• 9:45-10:00 Q&A about introduction, and the role of citizen science in projects

• 10:00-10:15 Designing and choosing Citizen Science activity

• 10:15-10:30 Introduction to citizen science activity –Environmental sensing: WideNoise, NoiseWatch, AirCasting or nature observation: iNaturalist, Anymals+Plants

• 10:15-11:00 data collection in the botanical garden or in the open areas of the university, working in groups of 2 or 3

• 11:00-11:15 discussion in group of 5 on the lessons from data collection

• 11:15-11:45 feedback from all groups and a discussion about implications for designing citizen science activities: data quality, difference between observers, overview of resources that are available for designing and evaluating citizen science activities

• 11:45-12:15 Policy aspects of citizen science across the world

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of the field of citizen science and current trends that influence it

• Understand the principles and practical aspects of designing a citizen science project

• Experience of citizen science activity

• Learn about additional resources that can be used to design and run citizen science projects

• Understand the policy trends that are influencing the field

Introduction to Citizen Science

• Citizen Science in a historical perspective –underlying trends

• Current activities in the area of citizen science online and offline

• Typology of engagement in citizen science

Citizen Science (OED 2014)

citizen science n. scientific work undertaken by members of the general public, often in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions.

citizen scientist n. (a) a scientist whose work is characterized by a sense of responsibility to serve the best interests of the wider community (now rare); (b) a member of the general public who engages in scientific work, often in collaboration with or under the direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions; an amateur scientist.

Citizen Science & Science

Early science (1600’s – early 1800’s)

Professional science (late 1800’s – 1900’s)

Opening Science (since 2000s)


Early science(1600’s – earl 1800’s)



IlliteracyBasic to High-school

Higher Education


Early science(1600’s – early 1800’s)




Higher Education

Citizen Science

as Gentlemen/

Gentlewomen

science

Mary Anning (1799-1847)






Higher Education

Citizen Science

as Gentlemen/

Gentlewomen

science

Citizen Science

diminishing

© WMO–No. 919

Volunteer rainfall observer Rick Grocke checks

the rain gauge at Tanami Downs cattle station in

the Northern Territory of Australia

William Whewell, tides and volunteers • William Whewell, Trinity

College, Cambridge

• 1833: coined the term “scientist”

• 1835: tides observation

• Thousands of “subordinate labourers” assisting the scientist in his tasks

Source: Caren Cooper, NCMNS, http://bit.ly/WhewellCitSci

The era of professional science

• Involvement continued: archaeology, astronomy, ornithology, conservation, meteorology …

• No recognition, viewing volunteers as ‘untrustworthy’ contributors, that are better replaced by automated instruments

Shoemaker-Levy 9 on 17 May 1994






Higher Education

Citizen Science

as Gentlemen/

Gentlewomen

science

Citizen Science

diminishing

Citizen Science

as open &

inclusive science

Citizen Science: why Now?

• Societal trends:• Education and qualifications • Leisure• Sharing economies / peer production

systems

• Technological trends:• Internet access (broadband)• Mobile devices• Collaborative Web• DIY electronics

Increased level of education

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

Millions

Enrolment in tertiary education, all programmes, both sexes (number)

0

100,000

200,000

300,000

400,000

19

71

19

74

19

77

19

80

19

83

19

86

19

89

19

92

19

95

19

98

20

01

20

04

20

07

20

10

20

13

Israel - Students enrolled at public and private tertiary education institutions.

Years of school completed by population 25+ years 1940-2009

Leisure

Source: the Atlantic

Sharing economies

• In many areas, especially in production and sharing of information

Active mobile-broadband subscriptions, 2007-2013*

Collaborative Web

DIY electronics

Why trends matter?

• Considerations of who participates and what is the potential for participation

• Technology – enabler as well as barrier for participation (e.g. access to smartphones)

• Identifying emerging opportunities for projects (e.g. DIY electronics sensing)

A new era of citizen science

Haklay, M., 2013, Citizen Science and Volunteered Geographic Information –

overview and typology of participation in Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge

Citizen Science

Citizen Cyberscience

Volunteer computing

Volunteer thinking

Passive Sensing

Long running Citizen Science

Ecology & biodiversity

Meteorology Astronomy

Community Science

DIY ScienceParticipatory

sensingCivic Science

Passive Sensing

Volunteer computing

You can join World Community Grid at http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/

Volunteer thinking

See Zooniverse projects at http://www.zooniverse.org/

Volunteer thinking

mmos.chNathan Prestopnik




Citizen Science


Volunteer computing

Volunteer thinking

Passive Sensing




Community Science



Biodiversity/Ecology

Biodiversity/Ecology

Participating in Big Garden

Birdwatch (source: RSPB)

Participating in BioBlitz (source: OPAL)

Astronomy

Ecology/Public Health

• Mückenatlas and Atrapa el Tigre – mosquito monitoring in Germany and Spain

• General mosquito classification in Germany, specific to Asian Tiger mosquito in Spain

Source: Mückenatlas




Citizen Science


Volunteer computing

Volunteer thinking

Passive Sensing




Community Science



Source: P. Boeing, Bento Lab

More information at http://publiclaboratory.org

DIY/Community Science

DIY/Community Science

Participatory Sensing

Scrap yard

Community Centre

School

Noise mapping

Mapping for Change LCY noise mapping study at http://bit.ly/LCYNoise

Distribution of Survey Points

50m Squares - Averages

Numbers

indicate how

Many readings

in each

50m square

Community-led air quality studies

Jerome Lewis, ExCiteS

Engagement: Free, Prior Informed Consent

Participatory Software design

Training and support

Ashaninka village “Apiwtxa”

José Frank Melo

Community based monitoring



Citizen Science


Volunteer computing

Volunteer thinking

Passive Sensing




Community Science



After Cooper, Dickinson, Phillips & Bonney, 2007, Citizen Science as tool for conservation in residential ecosystems. Ecology and

Society 12(2)

Question

Study Design

Data Collection

Data Analysis and

Interpretation

Understanding

results

Management Action

Geographic scope

of project

Nature of people

taking action

Research priority

Education priority

Traditional

Science

Scientific

Consulting*Citizen

Science*

Collaborative

Citizen

Science

Participatory

Action

Research

Variable Narrow NarrowBroad Broad

ManagersCommunity

Groups Managers IndividualsCommunity

Groups

Highest Medium High High Medium

Low Medium High High High

*often called Science Shops

Community Science

Co-created

Citizen

Science

Narrow

High

High

All

√

√√√

√

√

√

√

√

√

√ √

√

√

√

√

√

√

√

√

√

√ √

√

√

√Public Scientists

√

√

√

Participation in citizen science

• Collaborative science – problem definition, data collection and analysis

Level 4 ‘Extreme/ Up-Science’

• Participation in problem definition and data collection

Level 3 ‘Participatory science’

• Citizens as basic interpreters Level 2 ‘Distributed

intelligence’

• Citizens as sensors Level 1

‘Crowdsourcing’

Haklay. 2013. Citizen Science and volunteered geographic information: Overview

and typology of participation, Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge

Types of citizen science: summary• The impacts of the societal & technological trends

are visible across the spectrum of citizen science –online only (cyberscience), traditional, and community based

• Citizen science is relevant to many disciplines and knowledge areas

• Projects do not fall into one category, it is possible for a project to have multiple levels of participations and tools

• Projects should consider what are the capabilities of the participants and needs for engagement







• 11:00-11:15 discussion in group of 5 on the lessons from data collection



Designing Citizen Science project

Why do citizen science?• Excellent Engagement with Science

• Cost-effective data collection

• Geographic coverage that is not possible otherwise

• Scale of observations (number of participants) not possible otherwise

• Encouraging volunteering for a wider goal

• Raising awareness of environmental/scientific issue

• Education in science, technology, engineering & mathematics (STEM)

• Developing new skills and insights

• Linking to place and local community

• Adapting to different types of learning

ECSA’s 10 principles1. Citizen science projects actively involve citizens in scientific endeavour that

generates new knowledge or understanding.

2. Citizen science projects have a genuine science outcome.

3. Both the professional scientists and the citizen scientists benefit from taking part.

4. Citizen scientists may, if they wish, participate in multiple stages of the scientific process.

5. Citizen scientists receive feedback from the project.

6. Citizen science is considered a research approach like any other, with limitations and biases that should be considered and controlled for.

7. Citizen science project data and meta-data are made publicly available and where possible, results are published in an open access format.

8. Citizen scientists are acknowledged in project results and publications.

9. Citizen science programmes are evaluated for their scientific output, data quality, participant experience and wider societal or policy impact.

10. The leaders of citizen science projects take into consideration legal and ethical issues surrounding copyright, intellectual property, data sharing agreements, confidentiality, attribution, and the environmental impact of any activities.

What do they learn?

1. Task/game mechanics

2. Pattern recognition

3. On topic learning

5. Off topic knowledge and skills

4. Scientific process

6. Personal development

Participationas volunteer

Source: Laure Kloetzer, University of Geneva

IBM World Community Grid: Aug 2013 survey (15,000 responses)

Zooniverse – Feb 2014

Problem

definitionData collection

Visualisation &

analysisAction

Classification

& basic analysis

Basic School

High School

University/College

Postgraduate

PhD

Literacy

‘Default’ Citizen Science

Problem

definitionData collection

Visualisation &

analysisAction

Classification

& basic analysis

Basic School

High School

University/College

Postgraduate

PhD

Literacy







• 11:00-11:15 discussion in groups on the lessons from data collection



Experiencing Citizen Science

iNaturalist

• Started in 2008, providing a place to share observations and link to other people with common interests

Anymals+plants

• Use information from GBIF to predict what are the likely observations in your area

• Demonstration application that also allow submitting observations

WideNoise

• Developed as a demonstration for the Internet of Things

• Then used in EveryAware project (2011-2014)

• Measure sound level with an element of gamification (guess the noise) and qualitative information

NoiseWatch

• Developed by Microsoft in collaboration with the European Environment Agency in 2011

• Provide a simple form of recording level of sound and indicating what was recorded

AirCasting

• Created as part of a wider set-up that include air quality sensor to provide detailed personal health, air quality, and noise levels

Experiencing citizen science

• Decide in your group if you want to do biological recording or environmental sensing (record why)

• Look at the applications that you are planning to use, try them in class for 5 minutes

• Go out to the botanic garden or the road near the university and carry out recording with each app for 5-10 minutes

• Write down impressions about the process








• 11:15-11:45 feedback from all groups and a discussion about implications for designing citizen science activities: data quality, difference between observers. overview of resources that are available for designing and evaluating citizen science activities


How was it for you?

Discussion points

• What have you noticed about the process of data collection?

• What do you think about the clarity of the data collection protocol? How comparable are the observations?

• What feedback have you received? What will be the influence on participants?

• What is the data quality of the observations that wwere produced?

Data Quality Assurance

• Crowdsourcing - the number of people that edited the information

• Social - gatekeepers and moderators

• Geographic - broader geographic knowledge

• Domain knowledge - the knowledge domain of the information

• Instrumental observation – technology based calibration

• Process oriented – following a procedure

http://wp.me/p7DNf-j7

Evaluation

• Evaluating the learning from citizen science (Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Design/evaluation

• Using the framework of ‘Science Capital’ to assess citizen science activities and enhance the outcomes

Useful resources

• Citizen Science Association http://citizenscienceassociation.org/

• European Citizen Science Association http://ecsa.citizen-science.net/

• US Federal Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science toolkithttps://crowdsourcing-toolkit.sites.usa.gov/

• UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology Citizen Science resourceshttp://www.ceh.ac.uk/citizen-science

• German Citizen Science resources http://www.buergerschaffenwissen.de/en

http://citizenscienceassociation.org/

http://ecsa.citizen-science.net/

https://crowdsourcing-toolkit.sites.usa.gov/

http://www.ceh.ac.uk/citizen-science

http://www.buergerschaffenwissen.de/en








• 11:15-11:45 feedback from all groups and a discussion about implications for designing citizen science activities: data quality, difference between observers. overview of resources that are available for designing and evaluating citizen science activities


Citizen Science and Policy

First era: 1969-[1987-92]

Expert

Public Decision Makers

Expert

http://wp.me/p7DNf-gx

First era: 1969-[1987-92]

• Experts responsible for creating environmental information and using it to advise government

• Top-down attitude to environmental decision making

• ‘Information Deficit’ model towards the public

• Environmental information by experts, for experts



Second era: 1992 – [2005-12]

Second era: 1992 – [2005-12]

• Rio Principle 10, Aarhus Convention

• Public access to environmental information is a prerequisite to participation, civil society organisations as intermediaries

• The Web as the dissemination medium

• Information by experts, for experts and the public (but in expert form)


© WMO–No. 919

© Audubon Cal.

Jennifer Jewett / USFWS

Participating in Christmas

Bird Count

CoCoRaHS

Volunteers in the Community

Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow

Network (CoCoRaHS)


Third era: since 2005-2012

Government

Experts

Citizens

Citizen Science in the 3rd Era

• Benefiting from societal transition and technological changes

• Citizen Science increasingly accepted by scientists & decision makers

• Integrated in legislations and operational programmes

European Environment Agency

• Prof. Jacquie McGlade, head of European Environment Agency, 2008 (Aarhus + 10):

‘Often the best information comes from those who are

closest to it, and it is important we harness this local

knowledge if we are to tackle climate change adequately…

people are encouraged to give their own opinion on the

quality of the beach and water, to supplement the

official information.’

EEA Work Programme 2014-18

• As Part of Strategic Area 3 activities:‘to widen and deepen the European knowledge base by

developing communities of practice and engaging in

partnerships with stakeholders beyond Eionet, such as

business and research communities, Civil Society

Organisations (CSO), and initiatives concerning lay,

local and traditional knowledge and citizen science’

Eye on Earth

• Started in 2008 as joint initiative of EEA, Esri & Microsoft – aiming to make environmental information accessible in Europe

• By 2011, morphed into a global summit by AGEDI & UNEP “Eye on Earth builds networks and capacity across diverse knowledge communities to improve decision-making for sustainable development.”

• After an interim meeting in 2013, a summit in 2015, with continued focus on acting as ‘Network of Networks’

• Evolving into an alliance with AGEDI, UNEP, GEO, WRI & IUCN in the core, with an aim to extend it

Eye on Earth Alliance 2015

• An alliance with AGEDI, UNEP, GEO, WRI & IUCN : information for sustainable development.

… Citizen Science was a major focus area

within the Summit agenda and there was

general consensus that reporting against

SDGs must include citizen science data. To

this end, a global coalition of citizen

science groups will be established by the

relevant actors and the Eye on Earth

Alliance will continue to engage citizen

science groups …

More Policy indicators

• Scotland Environmental Protection Agency strategic commitment

• UK Environmental Observation Framework Working group

• UK Government Tree Health Strategy

• German Citizen Science Strategy 2020

• USA Federal toolkit for citizen science

• USA proposed Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Act

• Citizen Science Association, European Citizen Science Association, Australian Citizen Science Association …

Our Vision:

In 2020, citizens in Europe are valued and empowered as key actors in advancing knowledge and innovation and thus

supporting a sustainable development of our world.

Our Mission:

Connecting citizens and science

through fostering active participation

ECSA Strategy

• Promoting Sustainability through CS• Implementing EU-wide CS programmes

• Linking CS to politics

• Building a Think Tank for Citizen Science• Sharing knowledge & skills

• Providing expertise & fostering excellence

• Linking to international CS community

• Developing Participatory Methods for Cooperation, Empowerment and Impact• Carrying out synthesis & research on CS

ECSA Working Groups

Standards, Principles,Best Practice

& Capacity Building

Policy, Strategy, Governance

& Partnerships

> Fundraising & Marketing> Communication & Events> International Conference

Projects, Data, Tools

& Technology

The road ahead…

• Networking & Capacity Building• International Conference, Workshops, Papers, etc.

• EU-wide CS Programmes• E.g. Tree Health, Lichens

• CS-Policy Interface• CS supporting EU Environment & Climate Policy, RRI, Open Science

• CS Data Infrastructure• Synthesis of available tools, metadata standards, service provision

Summary

• Citizen Science is a rapidly expanding field that touch many areas of science

• Growing knowledge of best practice, practitioners networks and policy awareness

• Provide multiple benefits – but they can’t be all achieved in one project, so require careful design

• Finally, don’t reinvent the wheel – join the existing networks and learn from others…