Promote Citizen Science Research Articles

A novel use of mangrove root collar height to infer soil surface elevation change following forest degradation and clearance

Current methods for monitoring changes in mangrove soil surface elevation over time are limited in their spatial extent, costly and often involve difficult survey design. We developed a simple, extensive, rapid and inexpensive method to monitor soil surface elevation changes in mangroves following degradation: measuring the distance between the soil surface and the root collar (defined here as the height of emergence of a stem that is representative of the cross-sectional area of the main tree stem) of both live trees and dead stumps (called Δd). Δd was measured for two species, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Ceriops tagal, within the study area, which was categorised into intact, degraded and deforested mangroves in Tsimipaika Bay, Madagascar. A total of 227 subplots, containing 3066 individual tree stumps and live trees were surveyed within our study site, which spans approximately 4000 ha of mangroves. We used a linear model to test relationships between Δd and forest status, species, and live trees or remnant stumps. When measured on B. gymnorrhiza stumps, Δd (cm, mean ± standard error) increased from intact (18.4 ± 2.6) to degraded (24.7 ± 1.5) and finally to deforested mangroves (31.6 ± 0.7), indicating increasing soil elevation loss. A similar pattern did not emerge for C. tagal due to anthropogenic exploitation of their stumps, selectively removing large individuals for charcoal production, thereby confounding estimates of Δd. In addition, we used Δd measurements to construct a spatial analysis of carbon (C) loss following mangrove degradation in the bay. Our analysis predicted a mean C loss of 25.6 Mg C ha−1 (standard error 3.64 × 10−4) representing a lower mean loss value with reduced variability compared to previous Malagasy studies based on limited replicates within deforested areas. Our study demonstrated the use of this simple, yet scientifically rigorous approach to monitor soil elevation loss over time or following severe degradation in mangrove forests. These data facilitate estimates of C emissions from soils and vulnerability to sea level rise when mangroves are degraded. The simplicity and cost-effectiveness of our approach also provide an opportunity to actively involve local communities and practitioners in mangrove management and promote citizen science.

Comparison of open science portals of India: web accessibility study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to compare ten Open Science Portals in India. The comparison is made using the three primary parameters of accessibility, search engine optimization (SEO) and performance. This study aims to investigate whether the ten selected web portals efficiently meet the web accessibility requirements of the large population at an acceptable rate.Design/methodology/approachThis study was performed by using the Siteimprove web tool to collect information about Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0. The online accessibility tools provided by Siteimprove make it simple to comply with and follow the global WCAG at all compliance levels. This study selected ten web portals taking into account the open accessibility and the web portals offered by the Indian Government to promote research and innovation.FindingsThe findings of this research will be beneficial for the government website designers, managers and administrators to assess their website’s level of compliance with accepted accessibility standards so they can make tactical choices to increase accessibility.Originality/valueThis study highlights the portals’ robust characteristic features and downsides, where improvement may be required. It also focused on how these portals help in promoting citizen science and public understanding of science nationwide.

An interactive visualization tool for educational outreach in protein contact map overlap analysis.

Recent advancements in contact map-based protein three-dimensional (3D) structure prediction have been driven by the evolution of deep learning algorithms. However, the gap in accessible software tools for novices in this domain remains a significant challenge. This study introduces GoFold, a novel, standalone graphical user interface (GUI) designed for beginners to perform contact map overlap (CMO) problems for better template selection. Unlike existing tools that cater more to research needs or assume foundational knowledge, GoFold offers an intuitive, user-friendly platform with comprehensive tutorials. It stands out in its ability to visually represent the CMO problem, allowing users to input proteins in various formats and explore the CMO problem. The educational value of GoFold is demonstrated through benchmarking against the state-of-the-art contact map overlap method, map_align, using two datasets: PSICOV and CAMEO. GoFold exhibits superior performance in terms of TM-score and Z-score metrics across diverse qualities of contact maps and target difficulties. Notably, GoFold runs efficiently on personal computers without any third-party dependencies, thereby making it accessible to the general public for promoting citizen science. The tool is freely available for download for macOS, Linux, and Windows.

Analysis of citizen science in Brazil: A study of the projects registered in the Civis platform

Objective. In 2022, the Civis platform of the IBICT (Brazilian Institute for Information in Science and Technology) was created. It aimed to provide infrastructure and content for understanding and dissemintating the use of Citizen Science in Brazil. It also aimed to provide the basis for developing initiatives and methodologies in this area. This study analyses the implementation of citizen science in the context of open science. The study seeks to understand how the platform promotes the participation of society in various stages of the scientific process and not only in data collection.
 Research/Methodology/Approach. The citizen science projects available on Civis: Citizen Science Platform will be surveyed and analyzed. The data collected in October 2022 are subdivided into five main categories: (1) area, (2) data collection, (3) social participation, (4) open data, and (5) scope. These categories are relevant to understand the current stage of citizen science projects in the Brazilian scenario, including the most essential knowledge areas, data collection procedures, levels of openness and access to scientific data, and the territorial coverage of these projects.
 Results/Discussion. 24 citizen science projects were registered on the Civis platform, most of which are contributive. The primary area of emphasis is Biological Sciences and they use technological infrastructure for mobile data collection.
 Conclusions. Civis is a multidisciplinary platform to promote citizen science in Brazil. The registration of projects is voluntary, which may explain the low adhesion to the platform, besides its recent launch.
 Originality/Value. Civis is an essential first-approach tool that enables the understanding of citizen science in Brazil.

The Ecosystem Approach in Addressing Sustainable Development Goals through Citizen Science in Lithuania

This article presents an overview of the ecosystem of citizen science development in Lithuania and its potential to address United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). As citizen science is still in the early development stage in Lithuania, this case study is an example of ecosystem analysis in the period of early citizen science adoption. This article highlights the holistic analysis of the different components of this ecosystem, focusing on the three major dimensions at different levels—content, actors and processes. A conceptual model for the analysis of the citizen science ecosystem was developed based on the theoretical assumptions of Systems Theory and Service Science. The model was tested with empirical data. The empirical findings are based on 30 interviews with representatives of different stakeholder groups. Summarizing the analysis of the citizen science ecosystem in Lithuania and its potential for SDGs achievement, it can be stated that the first signs of a co-creative processes in the citizen science ecosystem have already emerged. Currently, in Lithuania, the main potential of citizen science concentrates on contributing to Goal #15: Life on Land, with some potential also for contributing to Goals #4, #10 and #11 and others. However, in order to use citizen science for addressing SDGs more comprehensively, there is a need for greater involvement of different stakeholders in citizen science, both in promoting citizen science activities and in ensuring data quality and that these activities are implemented in accordance with research ethics.

Socio-ecological assessment of squamate reptiles in a human-modified ecosystem of Darjeeling, Eastern Himalaya

ABSTRACT Squamate reptiles are among the most underappreciated taxa due to their unappealing esthetics and numerous myths and misconceptions associated with them, depriving them of much needed conservation-related attention. This study was undertaken in a human-modified ecosystem of Darjeeling, Eastern Himalaya, by integrating ecological and social methods to assess the conservation potential of reptiles and understand community perceptions about reptiles. Ecological diversity was investigated by time-constrained visual encounter surveys, whereas key informant interviews (n = 42) using a semi-structured questionnaire examined the perceived diversity, attitudes, and behavior toward reptiles. Results indicated that respondents underestimated the local reptilian-diversity, but recognized their habitats and phenology. Eighty-three percent of key informants believed that squamates are poisonous, whereas 52% suggested that they would kill squamates. Knowledge-building programs that promote citizen science and help in identifying venomous squamates may be key to squamate reptile conservation in the region.

Global Collaborative Social Network (Share4Rare) to Promote Citizen Science in Rare Disease Research: Platform Development Study.

BackgroundRare disease communities are spread around the globe and segmented by their condition. Little research has been performed on the majority of rare diseases. Most patients who are affected by a rare disease have no research on their condition because of a lack of knowledge due to absence of common groups in the research community.ObjectiveWe aimed to develop a safe and secure community of rare disease patients, without geographic or language barriers, to promote research.MethodsCocreation design methodology was applied to build Share4Rare, with consultation and input through workshops from a variety of stakeholders (patients, caregivers, clinicians, and researchers).ResultsThe workshops allowed us to develop a layered version of the platform based on educating patients and caregivers with publicly accessible information, a secure community for the patients and caregivers, and a research section with the purpose of collecting patient information for analysis, which was the core and final value of the platform.ConclusionsRare disease research requires global collaboration in which patients and caregivers have key roles. Collective intelligence methods implemented in digital platforms reduce geographic and language boundaries and involve patients in a unique and universal project. Their contributions are essential to increase the amount of scientific knowledge that experts have on rare diseases. Share4Rare has been designed as a global platform to facilitate the donation of clinical information to foster research that matters to patients with rare conditions. The codesign methods with patients have been essential to create a patient-centric design.

Promoting citizen science in the energy sector: Generation Solar, an open database of small-scale solar photovoltaic installations

Citizen science is becoming an effective approach in building a new relationship between science and society, in which the desire of citizens to participate actively in knowledge production meets the needs of researchers. A citizen science initiative dealing with the development of photovoltaics (PV) is presented. To generate a “responsible” initiative, the research question has been designed collectively from the beginning, involving diverse actors in order to encourage creativity while addressing their interests and concerns. The result has been called Generation Solar. It aims at co-creating an open database of PV installations including their technical characteristics, and an online map for visualizing them. The initiative responds to a clear scientific demand; an important drawback for researchers working on energy modelling and predictions of production lays precisely in the lack of information about these installations’ locations and characteristics. The initiative invites citizens, companies and public institutions with a PV installation to collaborate by providing such data. Data will follow the format of Open Power System Data in order to be fully exploitable by the scientific community and society. The success of the initiative will rely on the capacity to mobilize citizens and register the largest possible number of installations worldwide.

Opportunities and Challenges in Interpreting and Sharing Personal Genomes.

The 2019 “Personal Genomes: Accessing, Sharing and Interpretation” conference (Hinxton, UK, 11–12 April 2019) brought together geneticists, bioinformaticians, clinicians and ethicists to promote openness and ethical sharing of personal genome data while protecting the privacy of individuals. The talks at the conference focused on two main topic areas: (1) Technologies and Applications, with emphasis on personal genomics in the context of healthcare. The issues discussed ranged from new technologies impacting and enabling the field, to the interpretation of personal genomes and their integration with other data types. There was particular emphasis and wide discussion on the use of polygenic risk scores to inform precision medicine. (2) Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications, with emphasis on genetic privacy: How to maintain it, how much privacy is possible, and how much privacy do people want? Talks covered the full range of genomic data visibility, from open access to tight control, and diverse aspects of balancing benefits and risks, data ownership, working with individuals and with populations, and promoting citizen science. Both topic areas were illustrated and informed by reports from a wide variety of ongoing projects, which highlighted the need to diversify global databases by increasing representation of understudied populations.

A Climate Event Portal for Citizen Science

Abstract. Climate change as both a local and global phenomenon causes numerous societal and financial implications every year. Its perception among citizens, however, is highly controversial. For example, in August 2018, the negative effects of climate change were very prominent in the state of Bavaria, when farmers lost large amounts of feed crop due to a drought in the same year. While governments can initiate policies in response to this, implementing these policies in a democracy requires the approval of the public, which is mainly composed of non-experts. In order to mobilize citizens for their own benefit, thus promote citizen science, the Bavarian Climate Research Network (BAYKLIF) was launched. One of the objectives deals with the creation of a portal and a number of mobile services for citizens, domain specialists and decision makers. This paper is dedicated to a project within this network, which is relevant to cartography. It aims to create a Climate Event Portal accessible by normal citizens who may also contribute with their own data to the portal or validate existing climate events based on their knowledge and supported by visualization tools. The anticipated portal consists of five core concepts. First, the OpenEventCollector, which will search for climate events by categories and collect event data in an interactive and intuitive way. Second, an OpenEventCrawler, that should automatically search open digital archives and social media, thus keep generating data about climate events. Third, an OpenEventEditor, to visualize the data for the user, allow them to interact with the data, and contribute their own (Fig. 1). This, however, must all be possible within the technical limitations of smartphones or web-applications. Fourth, an OpenEventDetector, which should automatically detect climate events from datasets, via machine learning. Fifth, an OpenEventAnalysor that explains the context of climate events, the visualizations and the process of generating this data. The purpose of this Climate Event Portal is to involve the user, thus ensuring that all data permits the re-use is necessary. Its development reveals three interrelated challenges: (1) examining user-generated data for relevance and legal compliance, (2) improving representative user feedback, which requires the participation of diverse user groups and (3) sustaining users’ interest and attention, which requires innovative incentives for users’ contributions (e.g. gamification-oriented visualization, visual storytelling etc.). This work will contribute to the knowledge on how to adapt presentations based on citizens’ interaction, as well as create an event portal, where citizen-contributed data and expert-generated data are coalesced. The authors aim to share their experiences and findings with researchers engaged in similar projects of citizen science.

Amateur public observatory I: The observatory and hardware integration system

Abstract Public observatory is playing more and more important role in astronomy education, citizen science and scientific research. It is developing rapidly and has made some progress through a variety of approaches. As relative small number and high operating costs of professional observatories, it leads that only just a few students benefit. As a result, amateur astronomers begin to build their own remote observatories, but they also face great challenge, especially in hardware technology experience and construction funds. Their self-designed hardware connection and control system often breaks down, and then a stable hardware integration system becomes very critical. According to requirement investigation to dozens of the amateur, we propose an amateur public observatory model, and a hardware integration system as a bridge between observatory equipment and observation software. It not only can satisfy hardware requirement for multiple control modes, but also saves cost. It has great significance in promoting citizen science and astronomy education.

Innovation in Citizen Science – Perspectives on Science-Policy Advances

Citizen science is growing as a field of research with contributions from diverse disciplines, promoting innovation in science, society, and policy. Inter- and transdisciplinary discussions and critical analyses are needed to use the current momentum to evaluate, demonstrate, and build on the advances that have been made in the past few years. This paper synthesizes results of discussions at the first international citizen science conference of the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) in 2016 in Berlin, Germany, and distills major points of the discourse into key recommendations. To enhance innovation in science, citizen science needs to clearly demonstrate its scientific benefit, branch out across disciplines, and foster active networking and new formats of collaboration, including true co-design with participants. For fostering policy advances, it is important to embrace opportunities for policy-relevant monitoring and policy development and to work with science funders to find adequate avenues and evaluation tools to support citizen science. From a society angle it is crucial to engage with societal actors in various formats that suit participants and to evaluate two-way learning outcomes as well as to develop the transformative role of science communication. We hope that these key perspectives will promote citizen science progress at the science-society-policy interface.

Using meta-quality to assess the utility of volunteered geographic information for science

BackgroundVolunteered geographic information (VGI) has strong potential to be increasingly valuable to scientists in collaboration with non-scientists. The abundance of mobile phones and other wireless forms of communication open up significant opportunities for the public to get involved in scientific research. As these devices and activities become more abundant, questions of uncertainty and error in volunteer data are emerging as critical components for using volunteer-sourced spatial data.MethodsHere we present a methodology for using VGI and assessing its sensitivity to three types of error. More specifically, this study evaluates the reliability of data from volunteers based on their historical patterns. The specific context is a case study in surveillance of tsetse flies, a health concern for being the primary vector of African Trypanosomiasis.ResultsReliability, as measured by a reputation score, determines the threshold for accepting the volunteered data for inclusion in a tsetse presence/absence model. Higher reputation scores are successful in identifying areas of higher modeled tsetse prevalence. A dynamic threshold is needed but the quality of VGI will improve as more data are collected and the errors in identifying reliable participants will decrease.ConclusionsThis system allows for two-way communication between researchers and the public, and a way to evaluate the reliability of VGI. Boosting the public’s ability to participate in such work can improve disease surveillance and promote citizen science. In the absence of active surveillance, VGI can provide valuable spatial information given that the data are reliable.

“We the Scientists”: a Human Right to Citizen Science

The flourishing of citizen science is an exciting phenomenon with the potential to contribute significantly to scientific progress. However, we lack a framework for addressing in a principled and effective manner the pressing ethical questions it raises. We argue that at the core of any such framework must be the human right to science. Moreover, we stress an almost entirely neglected dimension of this right—the entitlement it confers on all human beings to participate in the scientific process in all of its aspects. We then explore three of its key implications for the ethical regulation of citizen science: (a) the positive obligations imposed by the right on the state and other agents to recognize and promote citizen science, (b) the convective nature of the participation in science facilitated by the right and (c) the potential to mobilize the right in rolling back the unprecedented expansion of intellectual property regimes.

SOCIENTIZE participatory experiments, dissemination and networking activities in perspective

Citizen science includes a wide range of activities in which citizens are involved in research projects, either by collecting or analyzing massive data sets, or by developing small-scale activities, such as grassroots groups taking part in local policy debates. In parallel, the concept of digital society is emerging and triggering a social and information revolution. Here, large scientific infrastructures and high performance communication technologies have resulted in e-science and allow addressing problems that were unsolvable until a few decades ago. Similarly, the millions of people around the world that are permanently interconnected can be considered as a citizen-based infrastructure (c-infrastructure) which can be used for distributed computing, collective talent or ubiquitous data gathering. As a result, we have a complex entity with intelligence and collective knowledge.Funded by the European Commission, SOCIENTIZE is a FP7 project, which aims to set the basis of citizen science in Europe for Horizon2020. For the last two years, SOCIENTIZE has been promoting Citizen Science in order to 1) raise awareness about the importance and impact of citizen science, 2) to foster interaction and coordination between all citizen-science actors, 3) to promote the capabilities of c-infrastructures among researchers and citizens for an enhanced science, 4) to coordinate and promote citizen science projects and finally (5) to collect and share the best practices and recommendations for the implementation of citizen science projects in Europe. To achieve these goals, SOCIENTIZE has developed and implemented several activities that are described in this paper.

SOCIENTIZE participatory experiments, dissemination and networking activities in perspective

Citizen science includes a wide range of activities in which citizens are involved in research projects, either by collecting or analyzing massive data sets, or by developing small-scale activities, such as grassroots groups taking part in local policy debates. In parallel, the concept of digital society is emerging and triggering a social and information revolution. Here, large scientific infrastructures and high performance communication technologies have resulted in e-science and allow addressing problems that were unsolvable until a few decades ago. Similarly, the millions of people around the world that are permanently interconnected can be considered as a citizen-based infrastructure (c-infrastructure) which can be used for distributed computing, collective talent or ubiquitous data gathering. As a result, we have a complex entity with intelligence and collective knowledge.Funded by the European Commission, SOCIENTIZE is a FP7 project, which aims to set the basis of citizen science in Europe for Horizon2020. For the last two years, SOCIENTIZE has been promoting Citizen Science in order to 1) raise awareness about the importance and impact of citizen science, 2) to foster interaction and coordination between all citizen-science actors, 3) to promote the capabilities of c-infrastructures among researchers and citizens for an enhanced science, 4) to coordinate and promote citizen science projects and finally (5) to collect and share the best practices and recommendations for the implementation of citizen science projects in Europe. To achieve these goals, SOCIENTIZE has developed and implemented several activities that are described in this paper.