Henry Sauermann – Citizen Science Today

The Science of Citizen Science

Tue, 07 Mar 2017 20:00:51 +0000

Abstract: Citizen science is a form of collaboration that engages non-professionals as contributors to scientific research, typically through the processes of gathering, transforming or analyzing data. To date, research has documented examples of hugely successful citizen science projects, such as Zooniverse and eBird, but citizen science also includes hundreds of smaller citizen science and functionally...

Motivations of participants in the citizen science of microbiomics: data from the British Gut Project

Lorenzo Del Savio, Barbara Prainsack & Alena Buyx — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 20:00:43 +0000

Purpose: The establishment of databases for research in human microbiomics is dependent on the recruitment of sufficient numbers and diversity of participants. Factors that support or impede participant recruitment in studies of this type have not yet been studied. Methods: We report the results of a survey aimed at establishing the motivations of participants in...

Prospects and Limitations of Citizen Science in Invasive Species Management: A Case Study with Burmese Pythons in Everglades National Park

Bryan G. Falk, Ray W. Snow, and Robert N. Reed — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 00:00:38 +0000

Abstract: Citizen-science programs have the potential to contribute to the management of invasive species, including Python molurus bivittatus (Burmese Python) in Florida. We characterized citizen-science—generated Burmese Python information from Everglades National Park (ENP) to explore how citizen science may be useful in this effort. As an initial step, we compiled and summarized records of Burmese...

Pokémon Go: benefits, costs, and lessons for the conservation movement.

Leejiah J. Dorward, John C. Mittermeier, Chris Sandbrook, Fiona Spooner — Wed, 04 Jan 2017 00:00:08 +0000

Abstract: Pokémon Go, an augmented reality (AR) smartphone game, replicates many aspects of real-world wildlife watching and natural history by allowing players to find, capture, and collect Pokémon, which are effectively virtual animals. In this article, we consider how the unprecedented success of Pokémon Go as a smartphone game might create opportunities and challenges for...

Modeling crowdsourcing platforms to enable workforce dimensioning

Christian Schwartz, Kathrin Borchers, Matthias Hirth, and Phuoc Tran-Gia — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 18:00:55 +0000

Abstract: Crowdsourcing platforms provide an easy and scalable access to human workforce that can, e.g., provide subjective judgements, tagging information, or even generate knowledge. In conjunction with machine clouds offering scalable access to computing resources, these human cloud providers offer numerous possibilities for creating new applications which would not have been possible a few years...

Editor’s Choice: Can citizen science enhance public understanding of science?

Rick Bonney, Tina B. Phillips, Heidi L. Ballard, and Jody W. Enck — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 18:00:09 +0000

One of the wonderful things about citizen science is the innate coupling of science research with science education – learning while doing. But does this equation actually hold up? This article reviews four citizen science categories in the context of whether public understanding of science is obtained and comes to the conclusion that while there are many...

The “Problem of Extension” revisited: new modes of digital participation in science

Sascha Dickel and Martina Franzen — Tue, 02 Feb 2016 18:00:07 +0000

Abstract: Citizen Science is part of a broader reconfiguration of the relationship between science and the public in the digital age: Knowledge production and the reception of scientific knowledge are becoming increasingly socially inclusive. We argue that the digital revolution brings the “problem of extension” — identified by Collins and Evans in the context of...