WeObserve Conference

LandSense: Coupling citizen science and earth observation data to promote environmental monitoring [Presentation] 

Inian Moorthy, Linda See, Gebhard Banko, Sofia Capellan, Vladimir Mrkajic, Ana-Maria Olteanu-Raimond, Elizabeth A. Schrammeijer, Michael Schultz, Matej Batič and Steffen Fritz

The Horizon 2020 project, LandSense, is a modern citizen observatory for Land Use & Land Cover (LULC) monitoring, that connects citizens with Earth Observation (EO) data to transform current approaches to environmental decision making. Citizen Observatories are community-driven mechanisms to complement existing environmental monitoring systems and can be fostered through EO-based mobile and web applications, allowing citizens to not only play a key role in LULC monitoring, but also to be directly involved in the co-creation of such solutions. Within LandSense, citizens can participate in ongoing demonstration pilots using their own devices (e.g. mobile phones and tablets), through interactive reporting, gaming applications and mapathons. Campaigns in Vienna, Toulouse, Amsterdam, Serbia, Spain and Indonesia address topics such as urban greenspaces, agricultural management and biodiversity/habitat threat monitoring. For example, in the case of Toulouse and Indonesia, hotspots of change in LULC are identified through Sentinel 2 time series analysis. These hotspots are then validated by citizens and interested stakeholders either directly on-site via customized mobile applications, providing geotagged photos, or remotely via the online LandSense Engagement platform. The presentation will not only showcase the tools and results from these campaigns, but also highlight how citizen-driven observations can contribute to sustainable development. Such initiatives present clear opportunities to integrate citizen-driven observations with established authoritative data sources to further extend GEOSS and Copernicus capacities, and support comprehensive environmental monitoring systems. In addition, these applications have considerable potential in lowering expenditure costs on in-situ data collection and current calibration/validation approaches within the processing chain of environmental monitoring activities both within and beyond Europe.

Citizens in the epicenter: Smart technologies in the service of citizen-driven flood monitoring and management [Presentation]

Chrysovalantis (Valantis) Tsiakos, Athanasia Tsertou, Georgios Tsimiklis and Angelos Amditis

The H2020 SCENT project (https://scent-project.eu/) has created a toolbox of smart technologies and applications that aims to enable citizens to monitor Land Cover/Use (LC/LU) changes and how these affect flood phenomena in their urban or rural areas. Citizens simply use low-cost equipment to collect various environmental information, that are consolidated to improve flood modelling and will be offered to several national repositories and GEOSS as OGC-compliant observations.

SCENT organised large-scale demonstrations in Danube Delta Romania and in Kifisos river basin in Greece. These field campaigns took place in several different dedicated periods in both areas, while focusing on themes of interest to the local communities and the policy makers such as the collection of LC/LU elements, river parameters and soil measurements.

One of the aspects showcased through the SCENT toolbox in the field demonstrations is its overall ability to improve flood models to be used for policy making with the citizen-science data collected. The flood models were designed to help decision-makers in terms of flood risk management (prevention and protection) and for the management of natural areas. Results generated by the flood models can be used to design river interference measures that respect sustainable river basin development (SDG 11), to simulate climate change impacts on local flooding (SDG 13) and to help manage the health of aquatic ecosystems (SDG 14).

Furthermore, SCENT demonstrated the potential and exploitation of citizen sensed environmental information in combination with conventional earth observation data sources. More specifically, citizen-generated LC/LU information along with satellite images were used to train and properly configure the state-of-the-art deep neural network models allowing the production of improved semantically meaningful raster LC maps. Monitoring land cover and land use change is important for land resource mapping, understanding ecosystem services including resilience to climate change, natural disasters and biodiversity conservation. Thus, the SCENT approach facilitated the extension of current repositories by allowing for more frequent updates of local monitoring of LC/LU changes and with higher spatial resolution, using inexpensive crowd-sourcing tools while contributing to SDGs indicators such as 6.6.1, 9.1.1, 11.3.1, 11.7.1 and 15.3.1.

Experiments with interoperability to unlock the meaning within Citizen Science data [Presentation]

Joan Maso, Ester Prat and Andy Cobley

Citizens’ observatories (COs) connect people, science and technologies to create collaborative data, knowledge and action around environmental challenges, both local and global. However, imagine a world where 503 environmental science projects collect data in 503 independent silos with no easy method of connecting the data together. This is what a recent study from the JRC has found. The GROW project took data from a soil sensor that is stored in the cloud and indexed on the platform which also provides an access point data formats for citizens. Data was then transferred to a second platform which packages the data for retrieval by scientists via an API, for analysis and integration with datasets from Copernicus. However, where no standard way to process requests for data from scientists is present, requests where often processed by hand. Even if it was, combining data from more than one project will be a challenge due to different formats and concepts behind the data.

In 2016 the COBWeb project delivered the SWE4CS discussion paper on how to use SWE standards to share Citizen Science data. Not many projects have taken the recommendation and seriously implemented, partially it due to lack of practical examples. In 2019 the WeObserve Interoperability Community of Practice wanted to test the approach and organized a Citizen Science Interoperability Experiment (IE). The IE demonstrated some approaches on using clients and services implementing OGC Sensor Observing Service. The IE was participated by the GroundTruth 2.0, GROW, Scent and HackAir Citizen Observatories among others.

The final aim was to propose solutions on how Citizen Science data could be integrated in the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The solution is necessarily a combination of technical and networking components, being the first ones the focus of this work. The application of international geospatial standards in current Citizen Science projects to improve interoperability is one of the main tasks in the second phase of the IE. We are extending the demonstrations to cover potential solutions for connecting CO data with each other and other data sources lighter protocols such as the OGC SensorThings API.

WeObserve Open Data Challenge: Reflections and implications of open data on the sustainability of Citizen Observatories (COs) [Presentation]

Mel Woods, Raquel Ajates and Saskia Coulson

The value of data in citizen observatories is widely recognised, as well as a clear end-use for monitoring, access to it can support the motivation and participation of citizens and scientists alike. However, whilst open datasets are an increasingly common output of citizen observatories (COs), uptake of the data to generate innovative and sustainable open data solutions is rare. To address this, the Open Data Challenge (ODC), a competitive online event designed to support data innovation for critical environmental issues was framed and delivered. The ODC had a number of aims: to amplify the innovation potential of data; to support the development of prototypes through an award of a tender; to engage a global community with open environmental datasets; and to raise awareness of the environmental issues at stake. Furthermore, the ODC delivery team identified opportunities for network building with participants to existing projects.

To support the challenge, four COs made their datasets publicly available for the first time. These datasets were framed by seven social and environmental themes as innovation challenges that were positioned as hooks to the call. These included: ecosystem monitoring; public infrastructure management; community-based disaster management; regenerative food growing; pollution monitoring and health; engaging young people; and innovative applications e.g. COVID19. This paper reports on the process of co-designing the framing challenges and delivery of the ODC activity with respect to its aims. Furthermore, authors provide insights on the effectiveness of engagement and facilitation, reflecting on our steps to enable participation for those unfamiliar with the format and the data in order to promote a diverse and inclusive space appropriate to a global online format. Finally, the outcomes of the tender and insights on the implications of open data and data challenges on the sustainability of COs are presented.The final aim was to propose solutions on how Citizen Science data could be integrated in the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The solution is necessarily a combination of technical and networking components, being the first ones the focus of this work. The application of international geospatial standards in current Citizen Science projects to improve interoperability is one of the main tasks in the second phase of the IE. We are extending the demonstrations to cover potential solutions for connecting CO data with each other and other data sources lighter protocols such as the OGC SensorThings API.

Open source toolkits for Citizen Observatories [Presentation]

Saskia Coulson, Mel Woods and Raquel Ajates

This paper examines open-source tools and toolkits that support high-levels of public participation in the scientific process. The authors present a contextual review of existing resources which identifies a gap in the provision of open-source, accessible and collaborative tools for citizen science and citizen observatories. Whilst it is recognised that much has been done in this space, as evidenced by the rise of toolkits as a concept, open and accessible methods and tools remain elusive. The authors argue this lack of tangible and adaptable resources hampers the uptake of citizen science practices for tackling global challenges. The paper presents a categorisation of four crucial areas where there are minimal tools that support engagement efforts, namely: i) Co-Designing a Citizen Observatory – tools for the holistic co-creation and co-design of a Citizen Science project or Citizen Observatory ii) Data Capture for Environmental Monitoring – tools that enable communities to elect which environmental concerns to measure and co-design sensing strategies iii) Data Quality and Visualisation – tools that support citizens in the analysis and presentation of findings iv) Evaluation and Advocacy – tools which help to capture the impact and change of citizen science projects.

This paper reports on the findings from a study into toolkits with the citizen science community, and insights from the process of collating of tools from the field are presented. In addition, the discussion signposts to the growing number of platforms which aim at providing repositories and considers the potential of these burgeoning initiatives, e.g. levels of facilitation required, specific competencies for use, and barriers to resource sharing and toolkit interoperability. Authors also present some of the existing tools and toolkits which seek to address the above areas gathered from a range of projects using participatory approaches. The paper concludes with recommendations for future practice, best practice for design of resources, and the value of open-source tools and toolkits in the field of citizen science.

Engaging citizens in improving air quality and designing healthy and people-centred cities. The NordicPATH project in Scandinavia [Presentation]

Nuria Castell, Sonja Grossberndt, Enza Lissandrello, Rasmus Steffansen, Nicola Morelli, Jenny Lindén, Marta Segura Roux, Karin Ekman, Marisa Ponti and Anna Broberg

NordicPATH is a research and innovation project whose overall objective is to establish a new model for citizens’ participation and collaborative planning in the Nordic countries focused on urban air quality and the interlinked challenge of climate change.

This project focuses on strategies to engage citizens in the process of socio-technological change required by planners and designers to provide the built environment and the services that will shape future sustainable cities with a human-centred approach. NordicPATH will investigate how technologies can facilitate processes of collaborative co-design of solutions towards shaping more liveable, healthy and sustainable cities for everyone. The main research question is therefore whether bottom-up processes can be concretely combined with urban planning practices and policy processes in relation to important environmental issues.

NordicPATH will use methods for active co-design, building on environmental co-monitoring and participatory urban co-planning in Nordic cities and utilizing crowdsourcing through strategies of citizen involvement. Environmental co-monitoring will make use of new low-cost sensor technologies capable of offering real-time data on air pollution. Participatory urban co-planning will use new map-based survey technologies (PPGIS) to get ideas and insights from residents. A key aspect of the project is to transform data into tangible information that can be incorporated into the work of urban and environmental planners.

The project aims to contribute to the integration of different dimensions of urban sustainability and resilience in the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, it contributes to Goal 11 in making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable; to Goal 3 creating healthy environments and promoting well-being for all at all ages and to Goal 4 equipping locals with the tools required to develop innovative solutions to the world’s greatest problems.

NordicPATH will work in four Urban Living Labs in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland. These urban laboratories will provide the necessary learning arenas to explore best practices in citizen involvement.

NordicPATH is partly supported by NordForsk through the funding to Nordic participatory, healthy and people-centred cities, project number 95326.

The International Odour Observatory – A co-designed resource by and for the quadruple helix of stakeholders [Presentation]

Louise Francis, Hannah Stockwell and Maria Alonso

Odour represents a significant proportion of citizens’ environmental complaints across Europe. Frequent exposure to odours can affect people’s health, wellbeing and quality of life (SDG3). Odour can also indicate environmental issues, e.g. poor waste management, wastewater leakages and air pollution. However, odour pollution is largely ignored in policy agendas, leaving citizens without recourse and regulators with little power. Much of the discourse and data such as the number of complaints, if recorded at all, often remains hidden. This can lead to socio-environmental conflicts within impacted communities, breeding a culture of powerlessness and mistrust. This is unsustainable – particularly where citizens could be part of the solution, such as better recycling of waste to reduce the effort required for waste collection (SDG12 &14) or the adoption of active travel to reduce air pollution (SDG11) and thereby reduce odour.

D-NOSES (Distributed Network for Odour Sensing, Empowerment and Sustainability) is an EU H2020 project that aims to build a multi-level governance model for increasing sustainability in communities suffering from odour pollution. Combining citizen science and participatory strategies, D-NOSES seeks to help citizens co-create solutions with industries, regulators and odour experts using a quadruple helix stakeholder approach. To support this and increase transparency, the International Odour Observatory was co-designed to fill the gap in accessible information. It combines participatory tools and an informative website to appeal to all stakeholders: citizens, industry, researchers and policymakers.

The participatory tools include OdourCollect, an App to collect citizens’ real-time odour observations and Community Maps, an interactive interface to visualise, collate and collect odour information. This is supported by GeoKey, a web-based infrastructure to store user-generated geographic information. Community Maps combined with GeoKey offers a flexible, scalable system for any citizen science project tackling sustainable development. Their use, to date, includes addressing challenges related to air quality, food insecurity, climate resilience and agricultural practices, biodiversity monitoring and illegal logging.

Using analytics for community monitoring and support in online citizen science projects [Presentation]

Sven Manske, Julia Lorke, Peter Lemm and Ulrich Hoppe

While the body of knowledge about WHAT is learned through participation in online Citizen Science projects has grown over the past years (Aristeidou & Herodotou, 2020), the research field also shifts focus to better understand HOW task-sharing and learning happen in Citizen Science (CS). Technology-enhanced and online citizen science projects allow for analytical tools to be applied directly to digital traces (e.g. Herodotou et al. 2020, August et al., 2020). Even in the absence of explicit (inter-)action logs from project activities, we can rely on accumulated “knowledge artefacts” as data sources, for instance in the form of forum postings or blog entries. Question-answer or request-reply structures in such user-generated knowledge bases can be extracted and transformed into social network graphs that represent the structure of the underlying interactions. Centrality measures such as Eigenvector centrality or “Page Rank” allow for identifying influential users in such contexts (cf. Franceschet, 2011; Tang & Yang, 2010). The distribution of these measures of influence between citizen scientists (volunteers), assigned community moderators and professional scientists reflects the roles of these different groups in a project community. Increasing individual centrality values over time indicate a growing influence of a participant and enable us to map individual learning trajectories.

In the context of the EU project CS Track, we have applied this methodology to the popular Zooniverse project Chimp&See, which is based on the analysis of wildlife camera recordings especially of chimpanzees across Africa. The project has an explicit conservation goal (SDG 15 – Life on land) and has involved more than 5500 volunteers. We analysed the communication between volunteers, scientists and moderators in the public discussion forum using techniques of social network analysis. The findings show that moderators play a crucial role in mediating and coordinating citizen science activities. Using this example, we demonstrate the potential of network analysis methods to help in the design, facilitation and assessment of participation, decision-making and knowledge-building in such online communities. This has the potential to support CS projects in contributing to quality education (SDG 4) and possibly even gender equality (SDG 5) in science education and participation in science.