scholarly journals #BritainBreathing: Codesigned citizen science to map seasonal allergy symptoms across the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lamiece Hassan ◽  
Sheena Cruikshank ◽  
Markel Vigo ◽  
Caroline Jay ◽  
Indira McClean ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Sharing ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
British Society ◽  
Joint Project ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
High Level ◽  
Paper Prototyping

ABSTRACTObjectivesSeasonal allergies, hay fever and asthma affect approximately one in four people and the incidence is increasing. Whilst the causes are unknown, hypotheses propose associations with environmental changes, exposure to pollutants and decreased exposure to childhood infections. High resolution datasets on pollen count and pollution are available; however there is no equivalent for incidence of seasonal allergy symptoms. We planned a national citizen science project using smartphones to gather data from the general population on seasonal allergy symptoms, and where and when they occur. The resulting dataset will be linked with other publicly available data, enabling better understanding of allergy triggers. This is a joint project between the Royal Society of Biology, the British Society for Immunology, and The University of Manchester. ApproachIn spring 2015, two codesign workshops were held for members of the public with seasonal allergies and/or asthma (n=33). Guided by researchers, attendees used paper prototyping techniques to illustrate the functionalities of a mobile application. They also prioritised functions for inclusion within the app, discussed data sharing options and suggested material for the accompanying project website (www.britainbreathing.org). Following codesign workshops, designs and requirements were collated, refined and used to build the first version of the application in Android. ResultsWorkshop feedback indicated that potential users prioritised simple, personal tracking. They also valued the ability to access information about symptom frequencies among other users locally. Support for academic research was high, although most wanted some control over data sharing. People were comfortable with GPS data being collected, provided it did not impinge on privacy. We agreed to make data openly available via an interactive widget on the project website. The resulting first version of the application enables personal symptom tracking and will be released in March 2016 via the Google Play store (free of charge). A national media campaign will drive recruitment, alongside inclusion in the European City of Science 2016 programme in Manchester. Emerging data on the incidence of allergy symptoms by location will be presented. ConclusionCitizen science can be more than simply crowdsourcing data. We demonstrated that paper prototyping was a feasible and useful technique for codesigning an application with members of the public. Furthermore, workshop feedback indicated a high level of support for citizen science, provided users gained simple, personalised feedback. Further research is required to determine how codesign processes influence subsequent participant recruitment and engagement in citizen science projects.

scholarly journals Abundant Citizen Science Data Reveal That the Peacock Butterfly Aglais io Recently Became Bivoltine in Belgium

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 683
Author(s):  
Marc Herremans ◽  
Karin Gielen ◽  
Jos Van Kerckhoven ◽  
Pieter Vanormelingen ◽  
Wim Veraghtert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Western Europe ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Science Data ◽  
The Public ◽  
Online Portal ◽  
Spring Generation ◽  
Reproductive Cycles ◽  
New Generation

The peacock butterfly is abundant and widespread in Europe. It is generally believed to be univoltine (one generation per year): adults born in summer overwinter and reappear again in spring to reproduce. However, recent flight patterns in western Europe mostly show three peaks during the year: a first one in spring (overwintering butterflies), a second one in early summer (offspring of the spring generation), and a third one in autumn. It was thus far unclear whether this autumn flight peak was a second new generation or consisted of butterflies flying again in autumn after a summer rest (aestivation). The life cycle of one of Europe’s most common butterflies is therefore still surprisingly inadequately understood. We used hundreds of thousands of observations and thousands of pictures submitted by naturalists from the public to the online portal observation.orgin Belgium and analyzed relations between flight patterns, condition (wear), reproductive cycles, peak abundances, and phenology to clarify the current life history. We demonstrate that peacocks have shifted towards two new generations per year in recent decades. Mass citizen science data in online portals has become increasingly important in tracking the response of biodiversity to rapid environmental changes such as climate change.

A Dutchman in London: reflections of a hospital chief executive from the Netherlands in the NHS

BMJ Leader ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. leader-2021-000509
Author(s):  
Marcel Levi
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
British Society ◽  
The Public ◽  
Interesting Insight ◽  
Clinical Point ◽  
High Level

BackgroundThe NHS is a fascinating health care system and is enjoying a lot of support from all layers of British society. However, it is clear that the system has excellent features but also areas that can be improved.Story of selfA number of years as a chief executive in one of London’s largest hospital has brought me a wealth of impressions, experiences, and understanding about working in the NHS. Contrasting those to my previous experience as chief executive in Amsterdam (The Netherlands) provides an interesting insight.ObservationsVery strong features of the NHS are the high level of health care professionals, the focus on quality and safety, and involvement of patients and the public. However, the NHS can significantly improve by addressing the lack of clinical professionals in the lead, curtailing ever increasing bureaucracy, and reducing its peculiar preference for outsourcing even the most crucial activities to private parties. The frequent inability to swiftly and successfully complete goal-directed negotiations as well as the large but from a clinical point of view irrelevant private sector are areas of sustained bewilderment. Lastly, the drive for innovation and transformation as well as the level of biomedical research in the NHS and supported by the British universities is fascinating and outstanding.

scholarly journals Goals, Objectives and Content of Professional Training for International Communication Specialists in The UK

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Olena Moshenets
Keyword(s):  
Professional Training ◽  
International Communication ◽  
British Society ◽  
Information Culture ◽  
Managerial Skills ◽  
Self Study ◽  
Competency Based ◽  
The Uk ◽  
High Level ◽  
Uk Higher Education

Abstract The article analyzes the goals, objectives and content of professional training for international communication specialists in the UK universities. It is found that professional training of international communication specialists aims to prepare a competent and competitive expert under the rapidly changing requirements of British society and the international labour market. They are expected to have the relevant basic professional knowledge, practical abilities and skills (leadership and managerial skills, high-level political and information culture, active social position, high responsibility, willingness and capacity for self-study). It is indicated that British degree programmes mainly seek to train specialists based on interdisciplinary and competency-based principles, focusing on learning outcomes. Upon the successful completion of the degree programme, the graduate must possess not only theoretical knowledge but also special and general abilities and skills, which are necessary for effective functioning in various contexts of public life. It is specified that in the context of competency-based approach, the UK higher education aims to develop future specialists’ ability to independently acquire new knowledge throughout life, identify and realize their own intellectual and creative potential, strive for self-determination, social integration and self-development, which creates relevant conditions for acquiring high-level professional competency in general and nurture professional culture in particular. It is concluded that British degree programmes in international communication consist of compulsory and optional modules. Each university is entitled to choose the number and content of compulsory and optional modules in accordance with the directions of scientific research of the department and scientific interests of students and lecturers.

scholarly journals Exploring citizen science in post-socialist space: Uncovering its hidden character in the Czech Republic

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbora Duží ◽  
Robert Osman ◽  
Jiří Lehejček ◽  
Eva Nováková ◽  
Pavel Taraba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Representation ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
High Level ◽  
Search Approach ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Citizen science is a relatively new phenomenon in the Czech Republic and currently a general overview of existing citizen science projects is not available. This presents the challenge to uncover the ‘hidden’ citizen science landscapes. The main objective of this paper is to explore the (public) representation of citizen science (CS) projects and to describe their heterogeneity. The study aims to answer the question of what type of projects in the Czech Republic meet the definition of citizen science. Based on a specific methodological data-base search approach, we compiled a set of CS projects (N = 73). During the classification process, two general citizen science categories were identified. The first group (N = 46) consists of “pure” CS projects with a prevalence towards the natural sciences, principally ornithology, and thus corresponding to general European trends. Citizens usually participate in such research in the form of data collection and basic interpretation, and a high level of cooperation between academia and NGOs was detected. The second group of “potential” CS projects (N = 27) entails various forms of public participation in general, frequently coordinated by NGOs. Based on these results, we discuss the position of citizen science in the Czech Republic, including socially-oriented citizen science. Further research is strongly encouraged to achieve a more in-depth insight into this social phenomenon.

scholarly journals Opportunities and Principles of Using Digitalization in the Dialogue of Society and the Public Authorities in the UK on the Example of the Greater London Authority

2021 ◽  
pp. 109-113
Author(s):  
N. V. Eremina
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Digital Tools ◽  
British Society ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Internet Infrastructure ◽  
Government Institutions ◽  
The Uk

The UK is one of the leaders in the use of digital tools in the interaction of government institutions and citizens. Now we are witnessing an active dialogue between various British institutions precisely in the digital dimension, as the transfer of data on vaccinations and hospitalizations from hospitals to other structures is carried out thanks to blockchain technologies. Of course, the explosion of interest in the use of digital events was provided by the coronavirus. However, it provided not only an increase in the importance of «numbers» in British society, but also greatly contributed to the disunity of citizens, especially in the context of access to the Internet infrastructure. To this day, this very task remains the main one in the respective strategies. At the same time, individual cities and regions of the country are more actively solving the task. London and the activities of the mayor’s office should be pointed out as the most illustrative example. For the services of the mayor’s office, it was necessary to ensure the transparency of the decisions made, to form and strengthen the trust of citizens. As part of the analysis, the author comes to the conclusion that for the most part, these tasks can be considered completed. The purpose of this article is basing on an analysis of specific digital tools and examples of the implementation of digital strategies for 2017 and 2021 to identify how a particular metropolis has formed permanent channels of communication and interaction between decision-making institutions and citizens.

scholarly journals ANALYSIS OF THE UK PRIME MINISTERIAL DISCOURSE ON BREXIT: THEMATIC CHOICES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 45-64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray C. H. Leung
Keyword(s):  
British Society ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Person Plural ◽  
The Public ◽  
British Prime Minister ◽  
The Government ◽  
First Person Plural ◽  
Article 50 ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Voice

This study of political discourse focuses on three selected texts about Brexit delivered by British Prime Minister Theresa May in early 2017. The texts represent three rare occasions on which May revealed to the public in detail what “negotiating objectives” the government has for Brexit. The three texts are: (i) the Lancaster House speech; (ii) Britain’s Article 50 notification letter; (iii) May’s oral statement in Parliament on the notification letter. Analytic tools from systemic functional linguistics (SFL) were employed to investigate the thematic choices in these three texts. The findings shed light on the interface between discourse and ideology. For example, frequent reference to the British society in the experiential Themes of the Lancaster House speech suggests that May tries to give prominence to the voice of the British people while addressing the general public. In the Article 50 notification letter, textual Themes which signal an adversative relation construe May’s optimism about the prospect of Brexit. Furthermore, the first-person plural pronoun we in the thematic position serves multiple purposes, one of which is to establish solidarity between Britain and the European Union. The current research underscores the contributions of SFL thematic analysis to the study of ideology in discourse.

scholarly journals Advancing cross-centre research networks: learning from experience, looking to the future

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerina Jones ◽  
Sharon Heys ◽  
Helen Daniels
Keyword(s):  
Information Sharing ◽  
Data Sharing ◽  
Virtual Teams ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Data Availability ◽  
Research Networks ◽  
The Public ◽  
Information Governance ◽  
The Uk

IntroductionMany jurisdictions have programmes for the large-scale reuse of health and administrative data that would benefit from greater cross-centre working. The Advancing Cross centre Research Networks (ACoRN) project considered barriers and drivers for joint working and information sharing using the UK Farr Institute as a case study, and applicable widely. Objectives and ApproachACoRN collected information from researchers, analysts, academics and the public to gauge the acceptability of sharing data across institutions and jurisdictions. It considered international researcher experiences and evidence from a variety of cross centre projects to reveal barriers and potential solutions to joint working. It reviewed the legal and regulatory provisions that surround data sharing and cross-centre working, including issues of information governance to provide the context and backdrop. The emerging issues were grouped into five themes and used to propose a set of recommendations. ResultsThe five themes identified were: organisational structures and legal entities; people and culture; information governance; technology and infrastructure; and finance and strategic planning. Recommendations within these included: standardised terms and conditions including agreements and contractual templates; performance indicators for frequency of dataset sharing; communities of practice and virtual teams to develop cooperation; standardised policies and procedures to underpin data sharing; an accredited quality seal for organisations sharing data; a dashboard for data availability and sharing; and adequate resource to move towards greater uniformity and to drive data sharing initiatives. Conclusion/ImplicationsThe challenges posed by cross-centre information sharing are considerable but the public benefits associated with the greater use of health and administrative data are inestimable, particularly as novel and emerging data become increasingly available. The proposed recommendations will assist in achieving the benefits of cross-centre working.

scholarly journals Does Early Childhood Education in England for the 2020s Need to Rediscover Susan Isaacs: Child of the Late Victorian Age and Pioneering Educational Thinker?

Genealogy ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 39
Author(s):  
Hood
Keyword(s):  
Early Childhood ◽  
Early Childhood Education ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Childhood Education ◽  
History Of ◽  
Education Act ◽  
The Uk ◽  
High Level

Since the nineteenth century, the history of childhood has been inextricably linked to the history of schooling. Throughout the period of state-provided schooling, the approach to teaching the youngest children, originally from five but currently usually from three years old, has been contentious. This article looks at Susan Isaacs as a major figure in the shaping of views about early childhood education and thus in the history of contemporary childhood. It surveys her rather special position as someone who was herself a child in the urban late Victorian school system when schooling became compulsory for all, and who later combined radical innovation in the combination of educational theory and practice. She experienced for a period the running of a small experimental primary school on a daily basis, yet also engaged in high level academic research and writing which was founded on psychological, educational and, unusually for the time, observational principles. She thus provided evidence-based thinking for policy making at a crucial point in England’s educational history (The 1944 Education Act). Her early life, her neighbourhood as shown by the 1901 census and the educational significance of her position on the value of assessment through detailed observation are discussed within the overall context of the last one hundred and thirty years of educational change. This reveals the principles which formed during her childhood and which teachers who work with young children share now even though these are challenged by current government policy. This article focuses on educational policy in England, as the other countries of the UK have at times evolved separate structures for their school systems.

scholarly journals Custodian Legal Culture - Enabling Multi-Stakeholder Research Collaborations Between Academia and Government in the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stergios Aidinlis
Keyword(s):  
Data Sharing ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Social Research ◽  
Academic Community ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Public Bodies

BackgroundEmpirical studies suggest that some public bodies in England are very reluctant to grant access to administrative data for various purposes. This poster presents the conclusions drawn in my so-far research on the driving forces of administrative discretion in respect of data sharing for social research in the public interest in England. ObjectivesThis poster aims to work towards answering a fundamental question for methodological models for engagement and research co-production between academia and government. This question is: what are the driving forces behind the exercise of data custodian discretion when it comes to deciding whether they will disclose it or not for research purposes? Methods (including data)First, this poster presents the findings of a qualitative case-study involving semi-structured interviews with individuals working for three different public bodies in England, two data providers and a body facilitating administrative data sharing for research. Second, it integrates a pilot survey which will aim to elicit the perspectives of ADR conference attendees, both admin data researchers and other stakeholders, on the crucial questions that revolve around the disclosure of data for research by different providers across the UK. FindingsI propose a distinction between structural (e.g. the law/ infrastructural decision-making models) and cultural (e.g. perceptions of data ownership / trust-distrust in data sharing collaborators) influences, claiming that the latter are more salient in steering custodian discretion to share administrative data for research in practice than the former. I identify five main candidate cultural drivers and elaborate on them. ConclusionsWithout a sound socio-legal understanding of the driving forces of discretionary legal powers to share data on behalf of the providers, building bridges between them and the academic community in the interest of promoting social research in the public interest will remain a resilient challenge.

scholarly journals From a culture of caution to a culture of confidence: facilitating the good governance of administrative data in the UK

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leslie Stevens ◽  
Graeme Laurie
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Data Sharing ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
The Public ◽  
Share Data ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Sector Data

ABSTRACT ObjectivesThis talk unpacks the culture of caution surrounding the use and sharing of administrative data in the UK and suggests the adoption of the authors’ novel decision-making tool and organisational strategy based on the public interest, to achieve good governance. Administrative data, which implicate all public sector data, are in constant demand –to be shared for ‘joined-up’ services, used as evidence in Government inquiries and for research purposes. These demands are often made on the basis that they serve ‘the public interest’ but public authorities are without the decision-making tools to make proportionate decisions outwith narrow and risk-averse interpretations of legal requirements. Public authorities are operating within a ‘culture of caution’, fuelled by misperceptions of what the law does or does not require for data to be used/shared ‘in the public interest’; uncertainties regarding incentives for data sharing; perceived controversies if something ‘goes wrong’; and imbalanced assessment of risks without robust assessment of potential public interests to be served or the potential ‘harm’ from not sharing data. ApproachThis discussion is substantiated by reference to major contributions to this field (e.g. Law Commission Report on data sharing in 2014; Thomas and Walport’s data sharing review in 2008 etc.) and to the authors’ engagement with the administrative data community as part of the legal work package to the Administrative Data Research Centre Scotland. ResultsThe research reveals that public authorities exhibit extreme hesitance to undertake data sharing initiatives for reasons including: misperceptions of the law (due to legal complexity, lack of legal precedent and authoritative guidance on data sharing) lack of resources and expertise to manage increasing demands to use/share data  individuals fear reprisal if something ‘goes wrong’ with data handling  senior-management fear public backlash for new uses of data and organisational reputational damage  no understanding of the incentives to share data if there is no ‘direct’ benefit to the public authority in question. ConclusionWe conclude by focussing on how to overcome the culture of caution, to one of confidence. We suggest the adoption of our decision-making matrix to help data custodians distinguish between real versus perceived barriers to data sharing (i.e. dispelling legal myths and identifying areas where changes can be made). We also introduce strategic solutions in our public interest mandate which entails overt commitment to use public sector data when it is in the public interest to do so.

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