Welcome to the course, and an outline of the learning objectives
Welcome to the course
Welcome to Citizen Science Projects: How to Make a Difference (Part 3). This module has been designed by WeObserve, a consortium of four Citizens’ Observatories that have come together to support environmental monitoring by citizens across Europe and beyond. Please watch this video for an introduction to part two of this course.
In Part 2, we looked at ways to use technology, crowdsourcing and DIY approaches to collect observations and data for your citizen science project.
In Part 3, we will explore how to keep data collectors engaged throughout the process and how you can work together with others to interpret the data you collect. We’ll also look at data visualisation as a way of examining and sharing your data to help influence policy and the actions of people affected by your efforts. You’ll get some hands-on practice with analysing and visualising data too.
You can also join the conversation about this course on
using the hashtag #CitizenScienceMOOC.
We hope you enjoy the course!
Action Spotlight: Biodiversity
In this video, you heard from Gerid Hager at IIASA who explained how some of the Citizen Observatories in WeObserve are working on biodiversity issues. For the Observatories, understanding and keeping tabs on biodiversity has been critical in seeing the effects of environmental change on flora and fauna.
We discussed some of the projects that are coming out of LandSense and GroundTruth 2.0. In this video, Gerid talked about the different projects that had been collecting information on biodiversity. We heard about:
- LandSense and BirdLife, who have collaborated to build Natura Alert, a mobile and web application to allow volunteers to report current or historical environmental threats
- RitmeNatura, the Spanish Citizen Observatory of GroundTruth 2.0, which is collecting information on biodiversity and the rhythm of nature in plants and animals.
Studies in biodiversity are important because they can tell us so much about the effects of climate change on natural ecosystems. The more people who get involved, the bigger the dataset and the more changes we can detect. This is why citizen scientists are vital to these projects!
Let’s start today!
Why not try the Natura Alert app? The web app will show you threats that have been collected by BirdLife volunteers using the mobile app (although the web app can also be used to record threats).
When you first access the app, you will see a map of Spain, where Natura Alert has been piloted. Click on the Charts icon on the left-hand side and you will see a summary of the 15 most threatened Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) as well as a summary of the top threats on the right, which uses the IUCN Red List Threats Classification Scheme. What is the top threat in Spain? Now use the search bar to search for this threat. These will be displayed in a list on the left and displayed on the map.
To get more information about a location, you need to log in. You can use your Google or Facebook account to do this. Click on one of the examples in the list and you will be taken to that location on the map. Click on the point on the map (making sure your cursor looks like a hand with a pointed index finger). What kind of information is recorded with the threat?