Environmental Monitoring – Citizen Science Today

Toward a Sociocultural Learning Theory Framework to Designing Online learning Communities in Citizen Science

Ruth Kermish-Allen and Kate Kastelein — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 20:00:36 +0000

Abstract: How can sociocultural learning theory inform design principles for citizen science online learning communities to inspire local environmental action? The purpose of this article is to identify themes in sociocultural learning theory that could inform the use and development of highly collaborative online learning communities that utilize community informatics tools for citizen science to...

Never Too Old, Cold or Dry to Watch the Sky: A Survival Analysis of Citizen Science Volunteerism

Tue, 01 May 2018 18:00:58 +0000

Abstract: CoCoRaHS is a multinational citizen science project for observing precipitation. Like many citizen science projects, volunteer retention is a key measure of engagement and data quality. Through survival analysis, we found that participant age (self-reported at account creation) is a significant predictor of retention. Compared to all other age groups, participants aged 60-70 are...

Do-it-yourself science is taking off – Punk science

The Economist — Tue, 01 May 2018 18:00:56 +0000

Excerpt: In 1977, in the very heavenly dawn of London’s punk-rock scene, a crude, photocopied magazine told its readers: “This is a chord, this is another, this is a third. Now start a band.” They did so by the thousand. Now that punk aesthetic has come to science. Citizen science has been around for ages—professional...

Editor’s Choice: Contrasting the Views and Actions of Data Collectors and Data Consumers in a Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Project: Implications for Project Design and Management

Tue, 01 May 2018 18:00:43 +0000

Editor’s Choice: This paper points out that there is an oft-overlooked category of people interacting with citizen science projects – people who do not contribute to the data collection, but who nonetheless consume data and information related to the project. The questions are then posed – do these data consumers share the same characteristics as...

A Framework to Analyze Citizen Science Data for Volunteers, Managers, and Scientists

Tue, 01 May 2018 18:00:02 +0000

Abstract: The continuity of long-term environmental datasets provided by citizen science groups has the potential to address the specific concerns of multiple audiences. We designed an analysis framework based on a 16-year dataset across 40 sites in Puget Sound, WA, USA, which citizen scientists collected by visiting beaches annually and using prescribed protocols to record...

Editor’s Choice: Spot, log, map: Assessing a marine virtual citizen science program against Reed’s best practice for stakeholder participation in environmental management

Melissa Nursey-Bray, Robert Palmer, Gretta Pecl — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 19:00:49 +0000

Editor’s Choice: What resonated for me with this article is the conclusion that embedding data collection activities within a virtual citizen science application not only supported improved data collection for marine science but also provided better opportunities for volunteers to engage in a larger community that contributed to social learning. –LFF– Methods (excerpt): In this...

Why saving our blue planet may lie in the hands of citizen scientists

Richard K.F. Unsworth, Benjamin L. Jones, Leanne Cullen-Unsworth — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 19:00:36 +0000

Excerpt: Some 95% of the ocean is completely unexplored, unseen by human eyes. That naturally means that there are many marine environments that we don’t know much about, but that we’re still putting at risk from damaging activities such as bottom trawling. Meadows of seagrass – flowering plants that live in shallow, sheltered areas –...

Citizen scientists bolster sea level research on King Tide

Florida International University — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 19:00:20 +0000

Excerpt: FIU deployed more than 100 citizen scientists to investigate whether flooding from the most recent King Tide in October was bringing saltwater or freshwater inland to urban areas. The findings could provide critical clues as to why such unusual flooding is occurring in South Florida, what areas are most at-risk and whether the frequency...

DIY meteorology: Use of citizen science to monitor snow dynamics in a data-sparse city

Tue, 05 Dec 2017 19:00:16 +0000

Abstract: Cities are under pressure to operate their services effectively and project costs of operations across various timeframes. In high-latitude and high-altitude urban centers, snow management is one of the larger unknowns and has both operational and budgetary limitations. Snowfall and snow depth observations within urban environments are important to plan snow clearing and prepare...

Characterizing the Breadth and Depth of Volunteer Water Monitoring Programs in the United States

Kristine F. Stepenuck and Kenneth D. Genskow — Tue, 05 Dec 2017 19:00:08 +0000

Abstract: A survey of 345 volunteer water monitoring programs in the United States was conducted to document their characteristics, and perceived level of support for data to inform natural resource management or policy decisions. The response rate of 86% provided information from 46 states. Programs represented a range of ages, budgets, objectives, scopes, and level...