Citizen Science Projects Research Articles

Citizen science promotes knowledge, skills and collective action to monitor and protect freshwater streams

Abstract Citizen science has great potential to foster ecological knowledge, skills and collective action for biodiversity conservation. To date, however, there are few experimental studies of behaviour change outcomes induced by citizen science. We assessed the effects of citizen science in ecological stream monitoring on participants' individual and collective behaviour and action intentions to protect streams beyond the immediate scope of the citizen science project. For this we applied a three‐wave, quasi‐experimental survey design with a citizen science treatment group (N = 213 participants of the project FLOW in Germany) and two control groups (waiting control group: N = 92, panel control group: N = 250). In addition, we analysed citizen science effects on potential predictors of freshwater conservation behaviour, such as knowledge, skills, awareness of stream stressors and group identification. Results of linear mixed‐model analysis showed that, compared to the control groups, citizen scientists significantly increased their objective stream‐related knowledge, their self‐reported stream monitoring skills and their awareness of stream stressors. These changes remained stable 6 weeks after the citizen science intervention. Notably, citizen scientists also reported increased identification with their citizen science project group and higher levels of collective and personal behaviour to protect streams at posttest (e.g. contacting local politicians with ideas for stream protection or using biodegradable detergents). Analysis revealed that increases in group identification and collective stream protection behaviour were significantly correlated. We could show that the citizen science intervention was particularly effective for participants with high intrinsic motivation and for those with low prior knowledge and experience in stream monitoring. Synthesis and applications. Citizen science can serve as a useful tool to promote ecological understanding, awareness and collective action to conserve freshwater streams. By fostering volunteer skills and community building, citizen science projects can empower participants with different levels of experience to engage in freshwater monitoring and protection. Decision makers should actively support approaches for citizen participation in freshwater monitoring, recognising that collective engagement of diverse community members is needed to finally meet the European Water Framework Directive's goal of restoring the good ecological status of freshwater ecosystems. Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.

Citizen science observations shed light on how anthropogenic food sources influence wildlife disease.

Research Highlight: Knutie, S., Bahouth, R., Bertone, M., Webb, C., Mehta, M., Nahom, M., Barta, R., Ghai, S., Love, A., Horan, S., Soldo, A., Cochrane, E., Bartholomew, J., Cowan, E., Bjerke, H., Balenger, S., Butler, M., Cornell, A., Kennedy, A., Rolland, V., Schultz, E., Stanback, M., Taff, C., Albery, G. (2024). Understanding spatiotemporal effects of food supplementation on host-parasite interactions using community-based science. Journal of Animal Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14155. Wildlife have become increasingly dependent on anthropogenic food supplementation, resulting in altered nutritional intake and inter- and intraspecific interactions. Subsequently, supplemental feeding can affect both the immunological function of individuals and transmission dynamics among individuals and species. The magnitude of the effect supplemental feeding has on disease is likely to vary across time and space with the nutritional demands of hosts. However, the broad temporal or spatial scale effects of supplementation are poorly understood. Recently, Knutie etal. (2024) introduced their citizen science program, the Nest Parasite Community Project, a broadscale coordinated effort by scientists and the public to monitor box nesting wild birds and their ectoparasites across the eastern United States. The authors amassed an impressive 4-year data set with hundreds of nests spanning the entire US breeding range of Eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis). In the first study to come from the project, the authors demonstrate that the effects of food supplementation on host-parasite interactions vary across time and space and do not consistently influence host-parasite outcomes, highlighting that host-parasite interactions are often context dependent and influenced by many environmental factors (e.g. weather and habitat quality). The authors also found that supplemental feeding increases host fitness, regardless of parasitism. The study provides strong evidence that citizen science projects can help broaden our understanding of how human food sources influence wildlife disease in various environmental contexts.

Citizen Science and Multimedia Didactic Resources: Knowledge of Mosquito-Borne Diseases in an Urban Area of Southwestern Colombia

Citizen science resources have had great relevance in community educational intervention, fostering interest in ecological research projects. This study investigated the influence of the application of multimedia didactic resources focused on citizen science and analysis of sociodemographic variables to improve the levels of ecological knowledge about mosquito-borne diseases. For this, a probabilistic sample of 172 participants from an urban sector in southwestern Colombia was selected. A multimedia didactic material was designed for the educational intervention and evaluated by means of pretest and posttest. To assess whether the educational intervention was statistically significant, the data were processed with statistical inference to determine the influence of various variables (gender, age, marital status, schooling, and occupation) on each person’s ecological knowledge. The findings showed a significant increase in the knowledge levels of the participants. The marital status variable (married and cohabiting) significantly influenced ecological knowledge. These participants are more likely to obtain high knowledge, associated with the prevention of their family environment. This study demonstrated that multimedia didactic strategies are an important factor to take into account in the structuring of environmental education and citizen science projects. For future research, it is suggested to deepen the relationship between sociodemographic variables and ecological knowledge.

“An Emotional Cycle”: Excitement, Worry, and Joy in a Citizen Science Biodiversity Project Using Bee Hotels

ABSTRACT This paper considers the affective and emotional aspects of citizen scientist engagement in a research project aiming to map solitary bee diversity across Johannesburg, South Africa. In social media engagement by people participating as citizen scientists, expressions of emotions were a key feature. To further understand the implications of emotions for the science and for the citizens, we undertook interviews with a sub-set of recruited participants. These are contextualized by a discussion of key literature on citizen science and human-insect relations. The findings presented show how excitement, worry and joy were expressed by participants at different stages of the citizen science project. We then theorize on the role of emotion in this specific citizen science project and argue that emotion should be considered at the design stage of other citizen science projects as it can play a key role in creating experiences that are rewarding for citizens, as well as producing useful data for scientists.

A co-created citizen science project on the short term effects of outdoor residential woodsmoke on the respiratory health of adults in the Netherlands

Background and aimWoodsmoke from household fireplaces contributes significantly to outdoor air pollution in the Netherlands. The current understanding of the respiratory health effects of exposure to smoke from residential wood burning is limited. This study investigated the association between short-term changes in outdoor woodsmoke exposure and lung function, respiratory symptoms, and medication use in adults in the Netherlands.MethodsThis study was co-created with citizen scientists and other relevant stakeholders. A panel study was conducted with repeated observations in 46 adults between February and May 2021 in four Dutch towns. Participants recorded their symptoms and medication use in daily diaries, and conducted morning and evening home spirometry measurements. Woodsmoke exposure was characterized by measuring levoglucosan (most specific marker for woodsmoke exposure), black/brown carbon, fine and ultrafine particulate matter at central monitoring sites. Individual woodsmoke perception (smell) was recorded in daily diaries. Linear and logistic regression models were used to investigate the association between respiratory health and woodsmoke exposure. Models were adjusted for time-varying confounders and accounted for repeated observations within participants.ResultsConsistent positive associations were found between levoglucosan and shortness of breath (SOB) during rest and extra respiratory medication use. Odds ratios for current day exposure to levoglucosan were 1.12 (95% CI: 0.97, 1.30) for SOB during rest and 1.19 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.33) for extra medication use, expressed per interquartile range of levoglucosan concentrations (69.16 ng/m3). Positive non-significant associations were found between levoglucosan and nasal symptoms, cough and waking up with SOB. No consistent association was found between levoglucosan and lung function. Associations found between woodsmoke markers, SOB during rest and extra medication use remained after the inclusion of PM2.5 and UFP in two-pollutant models.ConclusionsAdults experienced more SOB during rest, nasal symptoms and used more medication to treat respiratory symptoms on days with higher levels of outdoor woodsmoke concentrations.

Decolonisation of education through citizen science: Slow science, not slow violence. The case study Diamonds on the Soles of Their Feet

Citizen science projects are vulnerable to top-down directivity, and driven by assumptions of one-directional ambitions with regard to capacity building and knowledge production. Through the story of Ruth, we discuss how deep-seated legacies of inequality influence the politics of knowledge and explore what we, involved in citizen science projects, could learn from the politics of knowledge as it emerges from decolonisation struggles-particularly as manifested within the academy. Most universities are orientated around Western knowledge regimes that mute many other ways of knowing and ordering the world. Significant inroads have been made when writing on decolonising education but less is known about the effects of the colonisation of state institutions and the disturbances, interferences, and disruptions to organising, sharing, and creating knowledge in public spheres outside of these same universities. These disturbances affect the personal and collective histories of people so that when they are part of research linked to the university, their everyday lives become enmeshed with institutional hegemonies. Research is not dissociated from its deeply entrenched colonial roots. If decolonisation means going deeper into the legitimacy of knowledge and who and how this is being defined, then this must include the process of producing that knowledge outside the bastions of power.

No-Till and Crop Rotation Are Promising Practices to Enhance Soil Health in Cotton-Producing Semiarid Regions: Insights from Citizen Science

This on-farm study was conducted to assess the impact of six prevalent crop management practices adopted by growers in West Texas on various indicators of soil health. This study is a part of a citizen science project, where we collaborated with cotton growers who helped with standardized sample and data collection from 2017 to 2022. This project aimed to identify soil management practices that increase carbon sequestration, enhance biological activities, and improve overall soil health. We monitored soil moisture, soil organic matter (SOM), inorganic nitrogen (NH4+-N and NO3−-N) and other exchangeable nutrients, and soil microbial abundances as obtained via fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) in 85 fields, incorporating different management practices during the cotton growing season. In our study, volumetric moisture content (VWC) was increased by no-till, irrigation, and crop rotation, but the addition of residue decreased VWC. No-till, irrigation, and crop rotation increased SOM, but a cover crop decreased SOM. No-till and residue retention also increased microbial biomass carbon (MBC). Tillage, irrigation, and crop rotation influenced the abundance of the main microbial groups, including bacterial, fungi, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Additionally, water content, SOM, and microbial abundances are correlated with clay percentage. Our results indicate that no-till and crop rotation are the two most crucial soil management approaches for sustainable soil health. As such, implementing both no-till and crop rotation in the cropping systems has the most promising potential to increase the soil resilience in dryland cotton production in semiarid regions, thereby helping growers to maintain cotton production.

EBryoSoil: a citizen science application to monitor changes in soil ecosystems.

Biological soil covers (BSCs) play a pivotal role in ecosystem functioning by enhancing soil stability, mediating nutrient cycling, and influencing soil hydrology. Recognized as ecosystem engineers, they can physically modify, maintain, or create habitats, facilitating plant community development. Through these intricate interactions, BSCs contribute significantly to ecological processes, highlighting their importance in the overall health and functionality of the ecosystems of the Iberian Peninsula. Here we present the results obtained from the contributions of the citizen scientists uploaded from November 2019 to January 2021 with eBryoSoil, an app that allows citizens to participate in mapping the BSC communities across the Iberian Peninsula. Here, we emphasize the importance of habitats and consequently, their interaction with climatic variables for the persistence of BSCs (lichens and bryophytes). Conservation efforts targeted at preserving diverse habitats are essential to ensure the continued presence of lichen and bryophyte communities. Despite challenges posed by the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, this citizen science project demonstrated success in utilizing a specifically tailored app to gather valuable information on BSC communities, providing insights into their vulnerability to climate change. This program serves as an illustrative example of how citizen science can effectively identify and study vulnerable habitats, offering a blueprint for future studies focused on understudied organisms.

What’s in it for citizen scientists? An analysis of participant’s gains from a democratisation perspective

Citizen science projects optimise the democratisation of the production of scientific knowledge. In these initiatives, research processes do not rely solely on scientists’ but on citizens’ engagement likewise with benefits on both sides. As previous work shows, the democratisation perspective of citizen science projects might be viewed critically as some groups of citizens tend to be overrepresented in these initiatives while other are left out. This paper explores the claim of democratisation and the citizens’ benefits based on four citizen science projects in the fields of astrophysics and particle physics on the citizen science platform Zooniverse. Besides a general engagement strategy, the citizen science projects addressed two groups specifically, the elderly and people with visual impairments. The claim for democratisation is reflected in the analysis of citizens’ demographic variables as an indicator for accessibility of the research projects. We used a pre-post design with questionnaires on science attitudes, motivations, skills, self-efficacy, and knowledge to assess what citizen scientists gained from participating in the project. The demographic analysis of the data reveals that participants were quite heterogeneous and that people who feel that they belong to a group that is discriminated against are particularly motivated to participate in citizen science projects. In terms of benefits, the results indicate knowledge and scientific skills gains, but no changes on other evaluative dimensions. Their attitude towards science was, in general, already rather positive when joining the projects, thus not leaving much room for change. These results confirm the importance of and call for a diversified citizen science engagement strategy and show that even in citizen science projects where the citizens’ task is limited to classifying data lead to scientific knowledge and skills gains.

A Reference Database of Reptile Images

While there are millions of reptile images available online, they are not well organized and not easily findable, accessible, interoperable, or reproducible (FAIR). More importantly, they are not standardized and thus hardly comparable. Here we present a reference database of more than 14,000 standardized images of 1045 reptile species (969 lizard and 76 snake species) that are based on preserved specimens in 20 different collections, including 533 type species of genera and type specimens of 72 species. All images were taken with standardized views, including dorsal and ventral body shots as well as dorsal, ventral, and lateral views of the heads and other body parts. Although only 11 out of the 20 collections are cross-referenced in VertNet, some others are indexed in GBIF, and this fraction will certainly grow in the near future. The utility of this and similar image collections will further grow with additional material and further cross-referencing, e.g., to DNA sequence databases or citizen science projects. The images are searchable and freely available on Morphobank (Project 5121) and on Figshare.

Občanska znanost v splošnih knjižnicah

This paper summarises reflections on citizen science and the role of public libraries as focal points for citizen science. Citizen science has evolved beyond traditional research institutions. Public libraries are often referred to as the cultural and information centre of the local community. They promote equality in their communities through their policy of openness to all. Their role in the local community makes them a logical choice to become the centre of citizen science in their community.Based on a review of the foreign literature on citizen science and libraries as actors in citizen science, this paper presents different ways in which citizen science projects can be integrated into the framework of existing activities of public libraries. We have examined the ways in which citizen science is already present in public libraries and we have identified ways in which its presence can be further enhanced through the introduction of new services related to citizen science.

Mreža občanske znanosti v Sloveniji

Citizen science is a concept of scientific research that promotes an open dialogue between the scientific community and the broader public and thus also guides social development. In Slovenia, this concept has developed considerably over the past year, in particular through the establishment of the specialised portal citizenscience.si and the Citizen Science Network. The European Union has also contributed to the promotion and visibility of citizen science mainly by funding. Along with other organizations as museums and societies, and individuals, universities and research institutes also make an important contribution to citizen science, not only by expanding and strengthening research activities through public engagement, but also by improving their social reputation and strengthening trust in science. In Slovenia, public participation in science has a long tradition, which went under various names until the term "občanska znanost" was established as the most appropriate translation. Since 2017, the Central Technical Library of the University of Ljubljana (CTK) has been involved in the promotion and development of citizen science in Slovenia, first by organising the expert meetings and later by directly supporting a citizen science project. They work with other organisations to organise events to promote collaboration between researchers and libraries and the general public, and is active in international organisations. The content of the citizenscience.si portal and an analysis of the published projects are presented in detail.

Monitoring roadkill in Amravati, India: A Citizen Science project

Roadkill is a global conservation problem, and India is no exception. Animal-vehicle accidents on roads are a leading cause of death for a variety of animal species both within and near protected areas. However, roadkills are rarely documented due to field limitations and the unavailability of dedicated IT platforms. The lack of documentation and unavailability of traffic fatality data pose major limitations for government agencies and conservationists. In 2018, as part of a citizen science program to collect opportunistic data, we launched a free "ArRM" mobile app and website, www.arrm.org.in. In 2022, we conducted a systematic random survey of 10,500 km covering the entire road network in Amravati district, Maharashtra, India. Through citizen science and our efforts, 364 roadkills (336 wild, 28 domestic) from 70 species were recorded. Our project aims to overcome the non-documentation of roadkills in the Amravati district and provide data on an interactive map that is freely accessible in the public domain. This will help wildlife authorities, conservationists, and policymakers plan or implement effective measures to reduce the number of wildlife killed on roads.

Factors influencing noise annoyance across various transportation modes: lessons from the citizen science project "De Oorzaak"

The citizen science initiative "De Oorzaak" invited adult residents of Flanders (Belgium) to fill out the "Large Sound Survey", gathering over 8,000 answers in a month. This comprehensive 51-question survey evaluated annoyance levels across various transportation modes, drawing on established questionnaires like the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Weinstein Noise Sensitivity Scale and Written Environmental Survey (SLO), organized by the Flemish government. It also aided in selecting participants for subsequent project phases. Comparing LSS results to the latest SLO report revealed a significant self-selection bias, with 33.3% highly annoyed by noise compared to 11.6% from the SLO. A profile could be drawn for the most annoyed participants: noise-sensitive individuals living in apartments or studios, adults (26-61 years old), and residing in densely populated areas. Regarding transportation noise, passenger cars and trucks lead as the most annoying sources, with %HA of 24.5% and 23.5%, respectively, followed by motorcycles and alike (%HA =21.5%). Conversely, rail and air traffic annoyance are considerably lower. Correlations were drawn between the several noise annoyance sources and individuals' characteristics. Overall, population density, age, fatigue level and quality of life are the personal aspects that correlate more consistently with road, rail, and air traffic noise annoyance.

Exploring the frequency response of mobile phones applications for sound monitoring in urban green spaces

Citizen science engages non-professional scientists globally in scientific endeavors, fostering commitment to environmental conservation initiatives. This research explores the frequency response of mobile phones for sound monitoring, particularly in the context of urban green spaces. The method involves Laboratory tests at the Brazilian National Metrology Institute, Standardization, and Industrial Quality (Inmetro), evaluating two Android and one iOS devices using the NoiseCapture and Openoise apps. Laboratory tests conform to the frequency response standards outlined in IEC 61672-1, covering the 63Hz to 16kHz range. Following this, the devices captured audio scenes encompassing human, natural, and machine sounds at the University of São Paulo campus. Findings revealed that the frequency response of iPhones functioned as Class 2 sound level meters except for low-frequency bands. Android consistently performed similarly across both applications tested and exhibited acceptable performance in mid-range frequencies. Therefore, when considering citizen science projects, emphasis should be placed on app selection, prioritizing additional features like sound mapping. Field results showed minimal errors from human and transportation sounds but challenges with high-frequency components from birds, insects, and machines. The study concludes the necessity for alternative measurement systems identifying animal sound sources, along with involving non-professional scientists in scientific research.

Enriching noise environment analysis with spectrally sensitive event detectors: potential and examples from a citizen science project

Enriching datasets with various indicators adds value to sound environment classification and allows analysing the relation between exposure and noise annoyance and sleep disturbance in more depth. This is in line with the WHO guideline report acknowledging the lack of event based indicators to evaluate the health impact of environmental noise on people. Specific event detectors add value in various ways. Firstly, including spectral windows makes event detection less sensitive to short-term variability of high frequent natural sources. Secondly, a dynamic threshold can adjust to local backgrounds. The event detection then becomes less sensitive to local features related to the diurnal pattern, the distance to curb side and other. In addition, the detectors can be made sensitive to match the source properties (expected emergence and minimum duration of the event). In this manuscript, the potential of spectrally sensitive event detectors will be illustrated on real-life data.

An Image-Based Sensor System for Low-Cost Airborne Particle Detection in Citizen Science Air Quality Monitoring.

Air pollution poses significant public health risks, necessitating accurate and efficient monitoring of particulate matter (PM). These organic compounds may be released from natural sources like trees and vegetation, as well as from anthropogenic, or human-made sources including industrial activities and motor vehicle emissions. Therefore, measuring PM concentrations is paramount to understanding people's exposure levels to pollutants. This paper introduces a novel image processing technique utilizing photographs/pictures of Do-it-Yourself (DiY) sensors for the detection and quantification of PM10 particles, enhancing community involvement and data collection accuracy in Citizen Science (CS) projects. A synthetic data generation algorithm was developed to overcome the challenge of data scarcity commonly associated with citizen-based data collection to validate the image processing technique. This algorithm generates images by precisely defining parameters such as image resolution, image dimension, and PM airborne particle density. To ensure these synthetic images mimic real-world conditions, variations like Gaussian noise, focus blur, and white balance adjustments and combinations were introduced, simulating the environmental and technical factors affecting image quality in typical smartphone digital cameras. The detection algorithm for PM10 particles demonstrates robust performance across varying levels of noise, maintaining effectiveness in realistic mobile imaging conditions. Therefore, the methodology retains sufficient accuracy, suggesting its practical applicability for environmental monitoring in diverse real-world conditions using mobile devices.

Can inclusion of different levels of participation effort improve volunteer diversity and retainment in a citizen science project?

ABSTRACT Citizen science is becoming increasingly popular and important due to the benefits it provides scientists, society, and the environment. However, challenges still exist with the recruitment and retention of demographically diverse volunteers for the success and growth of environment-based citizen science programmes. This study used an avian monitoring citizen science project to investigate (1) the effectiveness of different recruitment methods in obtaining different demographics (gender, age, education), (2) how demographics affect the amount of “participation effort” volunteers were willing to contribute, and (3) whether the amount of “participation effort” influences the intent to undertake future volunteer work. Volunteer demographics did not vary amongst different recruitment methods (aim 1), nor did the level of participation effort influence the intent to volunteer in the future (aim 3). However, older volunteers and those having only completed secondary education were more likely to contribute higher levels of effort, in time spent and additional travel (aim 2). Findings suggest that providing multiple roles that differ in level of effort may be beneficial for future citizen science projects by facilitating the needs and restrictions of different demographics.

A partitioning Monte Carlo approach for consensus tasks in crowdsourcing

The planner’s role in crowdsourcing involves determining the time to stop collecting information (i.e., timed decision, TD). Previous studies have modeled the uncertain crowdsourcing environment as Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) and utilized the value of information (VOI) to balance the utilities and costs of information collection. However, there is still room for optimization in solving the TD problem within single-agent POMDPs. In this paper, we propose a partitioning Monte Carlo approach for consensus tasks based on the option-candidate (OC) model partitioning. We simplify the state representation for the OC model and introduce a multi-agent POMDP representation. We establish a correspondence between the single-agent and multi-agent models using two consistency theorems. We propose three progressively improved partitioning Monte Carlo (PMC) algorithms to solve the TD problem within the multi-agent POMDP. We conducted experiments in synthetic domains and a citizen science project, demonstrating that the proposed algorithms exhibit continuous improvements in runtime advantages and consistently outperform the SOTA single-agent Monte Carlo sampling-based algorithm while providing nearly consistent output results.

Data on librarians' perceptions of participation in a citizen science project in a network of public libraries

Citizen Science (CS) is an approach to scientific work and part of the Open Science movement. This study aims to analyse the perception of the librarians about their participation in the aBEIRAr project, which is a CS partnership for the valorisation of the territory developed in the Intermunicipal Network of Libraries of Beiras and Serra da Estrela (RIBBSE) in Portugal. The methodology comprised a literature review, and the case study includes an interview and a survey. Of the results obtained, the following stand out: the libraries are the driving forces behind the aBEIRAr project; they choose the themes, organise and dynamize the activities in their local communities, and establish various partnerships with the mediation of the project's scientific coordination; the level of satisfaction of the librarians in this project is very satisfactory; in the libraries, after carrying out the aBEIRAr project, the number of participants in other face-to-face activities and the interaction on their social network profiles increased; librarians consider that CS can bring to public libraries and their users participative scientific knowledge. The data provides valuable insights into the possibilities and challenges associated with executing CS projects in collaboration with public libraries. These findings contribute to the ongoing discussion about the role of libraries as essential community centers.