Current citizen science seems effortless...just download an app and start using it. However, there are many technical aspects that are necessary to make a citizen science project work. In this session, we will provide an overview of all the technical elements that are required - from the process of designing an app., to designing and managing a back-end system, to testing the system end to end before deployment. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in a short exercise to consider the design of an app for a citizen science project that addresses light pollution.

1. Technology in Environmental
Citizen Science projects
Muki Haklay
Extreme Citizen Science (ExCiteS) research group, UCL
@mhaklay

2. Outline
• Technology role within citizen science
projects
• Sensors, apps, web – front end
technologies
• Databases, volunteer management,
project management – back end
• Platforms for communication – social
media, blogs
• Project management

3. Citizen Science overview
Citizen Science
Long running
Citizen Science
Ecology &
biodiversity
Meteorology Marine
Citizen
Cyberscience
Volunteer
computing
Volunteer
thinking
Passive
Sensing
Community
Science
Participatory
sensing
DIY Science Civic Science
Haklay, M., 2013, Citizen Science and Volunteered Geographic Information – overview and typology of
participation in Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge

4. • Reaching out to potential participants
• Providing a structure to data collection
processes
• Supporting crowdsourcing and micro-
tasking (both data collection & analysis)
• Managing data & ensuring data quality
• Communication and support for
volunteers
• Project management
Technology in citizen science

5. WHAT THE PARTICIPANTS
SEE & USE
Technologies for citizen science

6. Sensing

9. Mapping for Change

10. NoiseWatch
• Developed by Microsoft
in collaboration with
the European
Environment Agency in
2011
• Provide a simple form
of recording level of
sound and indicating
what was recorded

11. Sensing comparison
• Known instrument
• Pros
– Known performance &
calibration
– Limited functionality
in devices
• Cons
– Specialised recording
– Costs
– Learning how to
operate
• Smartphone
• Pros
– Available, people are
familiar with it
– Storage,
communication
• Cons
– Variability in
performance
– Operating systems,
versions, specific
devices

12. Experimenting with Sensing

13. • Can work on
different
devices:
laptops,
different types
of phones
• Limited access
to device
sensors
Apps: web

14. Web app: volunteer thinking
• Different
platforms
provide
variable
functionality

15. Apps: mobile
• Required specific
development for each
phone operating
system type (Android,
iOS, Windows) in
addition to web app
• Interface design and
user experience
issues can be
significant

16. Apps: reusing
existing
platforms

18. Recruitment Personal goals
Location context
alerts

19. Micro task
Immediate
feedback
System feedback

20. Ongoing incentives /
motivations

21. MANAGING INFORMATION &
PARTICIPATION
Technologies for citizen science

22. -Mapping for
Change: UCL’s first
Social Enterprise
-Usability
Incorporation for
Simplified
Interface/
Structure
-New
Technologies:
Leaflet, Angular,
HTML5
MfC Community Maps

23. -Open Source Web
API: User
Management,
Storage and
Translation
-Highly Extensible
-New
Technologies:
Django, HTML5,
PostGIS
GeoKey –community mapping
infrastructure

24. Using existing platform

25. ArcGIS Online and Survey123

26. Open Data Kit (ODK)
• Free and open-source set of tools
• Build data collection forms
• Collect data on a mobile device
• Aggregate the collected data
Michalis Vitos, ExCiteS
https://opendatakit.org/

27. - Sapelli:
Pictograms and
Decision Trees
-Open Source
Android App
-Designed to work
with non literate
and illiterate
participants
Sapelli

28. Platforms for Citizen Science

30. Nature observation platforms

31. • Technical abilities and development time
– platforms offer different level of
flexibility to change
• Evaluate platforms through pilot studies
(end-to-end)
• Costs – paying for a commercial or
academic platforms, or costs of
development and maintenance
Platforms

32. Recruitment & communication

34. • Mailing newsletters – Mailchimp
• Blog – Wordpress.com, Medium.com
• Events – meetup.com, Eventbrite.com
• Social Media – Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram…
Platform for communication

35. Analytics - evaluation

36. • Identify platforms for project
management – Basecamp, Trello, Slack
• Code & data management – BitBucket,
GitHub
• Document sharing:
DropBox, Google
Drive
• Integration and
procedures
Project management

38. • Based on the systems and principles that
we’ve covered, sketch the basic
information system and technologies that
can be used for citizen science project on
light pollution
• Discuss the front-end, back-end and
communication aspects
Your turn!