scholarly journals Contours of citizen science: a vignette study

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muki Haklay ◽  
Dilek Fraisl ◽  
Bastian Greshake Tzovaras ◽  
Susanne Hecker ◽  
Margaret Gold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Science Activity ◽  
Vignette Study ◽  
The Past ◽  
Clear Cases ◽  
Science Activities

Citizen science has expanded rapidly over the past decades. Yet, defining citizen science and its boundaries remained a challenge, and this is reflected in the literature - for example in the proliferation of typologies and definitions. There is a need for identifying areas of agreement and disagreement within the citizen science practitioners community on what should be considered as citizen science activity. This paper describes the development and results of a survey that examined this issue, through the use of vignettes - short case descriptions that describe an activity, while asking the respondents to rate the activity on a scale from ‘not citizen science’ (0%) to ‘citizen science’ (100%). The survey included 50 vignettes, of which 5 were developed as clear cases of not-citizen science activities, 5 as widely accepted citizen science activities, and the others addressing 10 factors and 61 sub-factors that can lead to controversy about an activity. The survey has attracted 333 respondents, who provided over 5,100 ratings. The analysis demonstrates the plurality of understanding of what citizen science is and calls for an open understanding of what activities are included in the field.

scholarly journals Contours of citizen science: a vignette study

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muki Haklay ◽  
Dilek Fraisl ◽  
Bastian Greshake Tzovaras ◽  
Susanne Hecker ◽  
Margaret Gold ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Science Activity ◽  
Vignette Study ◽  
The Past ◽  
Clear Cases ◽  
Science Activities

Citizen science has expanded rapidly over the past decades. Yet, defining citizen science and its boundaries remained a challenge, and this is reflected in the literature—for example in the proliferation of typologies and definitions. There is a need for identifying areas of agreement and disagreement within the citizen science practitioners community on what should be considered as citizen science activity. This paper describes the development and results of a survey that examined this issue, through the use of vignettes—short case descriptions that describe an activity, while asking the respondents to rate the activity on a scale from ‘not citizen science’ (0%) to ‘citizen science’ (100%). The survey included 50 vignettes, of which five were developed as clear cases of not-citizen science activities, five as widely accepted citizen science activities and the others addressing 10 factors and 61 sub-factors that can lead to controversy about an activity. The survey has attracted 333 respondents, who provided over 5100 ratings. The analysis demonstrates the plurality of understanding of what citizen science is and calls for an open understanding of what activities are included in the field.

COVID-19 may hit less resilient EU eastern areas more

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Significant Development ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Capital Cities ◽  
Left Behind ◽  
The Past ◽  
Standards Of Living ◽  
Slow Progress ◽  
Economic Slowdown ◽  
Clear Cases ◽  
The Impact

Significance At least in the EU’s eleven eastern member states (EU-11), there has been significant if slow progress in lifting standards of living across the board in the past decade. However, progress is uneven and the impact of the economic slowdown due to lockdowns in the past year may well have affected disproportionately already poorer regions. Impacts Some governments, notably Hungary’s, will put political loyalty above need in directing recovery funds to the localities. People in ‘left-behind’ regions may seek a better life in relatively prosperous capital cities or abroad. There is scope for countries and regions to learn from each other given clear cases of significant development in the past decade.

scholarly journals The Value of Citizen Science in Increasing Our Knowledge of Under-Sampled Biodiversity: An Overview of Public Documentation of Auchenorrhyncha and the Hoppers of North Carolina

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle D. Kittelberger ◽  
Solomon V. Hendrix ◽  
Çağan Hakkı Şekercioğlu
Keyword(s):  
North Carolina ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
The United States ◽  
Undescribed Species ◽  
The Past ◽  
Global Biodiversity ◽  
Temporal And Spatial

Due to the increasing popularity of websites specializing in nature documentation, there has been a surge in the number of people enthusiastic about observing and documenting nature over the past 2 decades. These citizen scientists are recording biodiversity on unprecedented temporal and spatial scales, rendering data of tremendous value to the scientific community. In this study, we investigate the role of citizen science in increasing knowledge of global biodiversity through the examination of notable contributions to the understanding of the insect suborder Auchenorrhyncha, also known as true hoppers, in North America. We have compiled a comprehensive summary of citizen science contributions—published and unpublished—to the understanding of hopper diversity, finding over fifty previously unpublished country and state records as well as dozens of undescribed and potentially undescribed species. We compare citizen science contributions to those published in the literature as well as specimen records in collections in the United States and Canada, illuminating the fact that the copious data afforded by citizen science contributions are underutilized. We also introduce the website Hoppers of North Carolina, a revolutionary new benchmark for tracking hopper diversity, disseminating knowledge from the literature, and incorporating citizen science. Finally, we provide a series of recommendations for both the entomological community and citizen science platforms on how best to approach, utilize, and increase the quality of sightings from the general public.

scholarly journals The Verification of Ecological Citizen Science Data: Current approaches and future possibilities

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Baker ◽  
Jonathan Drury ◽  
Johanna Judge ◽  
David Roy ◽  
Graham Smith ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Quality ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Automated Verification ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Science Data ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Scales ◽  
The Past ◽  
Published Research ◽  
Critical Process

Citizen science schemes (projects) enable ecological data collection over very large spatial and temporal scales, producing datasets of high value for both pure and applied research. However, the accuracy of citizen science data is often questioned, owing to issues surrounding data quality and verification, the process by which records are checked after submission for correctness. Verification is a critical process for ensuring data quality and for increasing trust in such datasets, but verification approaches vary considerably among schemes. Here, we systematically review approaches to verification across ecological citizen science schemes, which feature in published research, aiming to identify the options available for verification, and to examine factors that influence the approaches used (Baker et al. 2021). We reviewed 259 schemes and were able to locate verification information for 142 of those. Expert verification was most widely used, especially among longer-running schemes. Community consensus was the second most common verification approach, used by schemes such as Snapshot Serengeti (Swanson et al. 2016) and MammalWeb (Hsing et al. 2018). It was more common among schemes with a larger number of participants and where photos or video had to be submitted with each record. Automated verification was not widely used among the schemes reviewed. Schemes that used automation, such as eBird (Kelling et al. 2011) and Project FeederWatch (Bonter and Cooper 2012) did so in conjunction with other methods such as expert verification. Expert verification has been the default approach for schemes in the past, but as the volume of data collected through citizen science schemes grows and the potential of automated approaches develops, many schemes might be able to implement approaches that verify data more efficiently. We present an idealised system for data verification, identifying schemes where this hierachical system could be applied and the requirements for implementation. We propose a hierarchical approach in which the bulk of records are verified by automation or community consensus, and any flagged records can then undergo additional levels of verification by experts.

Dare to Dream: A Vignette Survey on Self-Selection in Secondary Education Track Choice

2018 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 354-373
Author(s):  
Tamás Keller
Keyword(s):  
Secondary School ◽  
Primary School ◽  
Grammar School ◽  
Time Of Application ◽  
Vignette Study ◽  
The Past ◽  
School Grades ◽  
Self Selection ◽  
Secondary Track ◽  
Primary School Pupils

This article investigates applications to schools on the highest secondary track in Hungary (grammar schools). In Hungary, primary school pupils can apply to any secondary school. Pupils’ primary school grades play a crucial role only in the admissions procedure, and the exact cut-off point for admission is not known at the time of application. Pupils, however, might adjust their preferences according to their school grades and thus may not apply to schools on their preferred track. Dealing with the endogeneity of pupils’ preferences, the article applies an experimental vignette study. The respondents are primary school pupils who will shortly be applying to secondary schools. They assess the likelihood of a hypothetical pupil (described in the vignette) applying to schools on the highest track. The characteristics of the ‘vignette-person’ (such as his or her grades and preferences) are randomly allocated, and thus preferences are exogenous to grades. The results show no interaction between preferences and grades, which means that a clearly positive preference for grammar school does not compensate for poor grades. This may lead to self-selection, if pupils with a clearly positive preference for grammar school but poor primary school grades do not apply to their preferred secondary track. Since admission cut-off points are not known ahead of application, ignorance of the schools’ requirements is assumed to lie behind this self-selection. The article discusses the implications of the findings and suggests that schools should provide transparent information for applicants about the grades of pupils who have been admitted to those schools in the past.

scholarly journals Enhancing community preparedness: an inventory and analysis of disaster citizen science activities

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ramya Chari ◽  
Elizabeth L. Petrun Sayers ◽  
Sohaela Amiri ◽  
Mary Leinhos ◽  
Virginia Kotzias ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Future Research ◽  
System Response ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Science Models ◽  
Time Period ◽  
Science Activities

Abstract Background Disaster citizen science, or the use of scientific principles and methods by “non-professional” scientists or volunteers, may be a promising way to enhance public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) and build community resilience. However, little research has focused on understanding this emerging field and its implications for PHEP. To address research gaps, this paper: (1) assesses the state of disaster citizen science by developing an inventory of disaster citizen science projects; (2) identifies different models of disaster citizen science; and (3) assesses their relevance for PHEP. Methods We searched the English-language peer-reviewed and grey literature for disaster citizen science projects with no time period specified. Following searches, a team of three reviewers applied inclusion/exclusion criteria that defined eligible disasters and citizen science activities. Reviewers extracted the following elements from each project: project name and description; lead and partner entities; geographic setting; start and end dates; type of disaster; disaster phase; citizen science model; and technologies used. Results A final set of 209 projects, covering the time period 1953–2017, were included in the inventory. Projects were classified across five citizen science models: distributed or volunteer sensing (n = 19; 9%); contributory (n = 98; 47%); distributed intelligence (n = 52; 25%); collaborative research (n = 32; 15%); and collegial research (n = 8; 4%). Overall, projects were conducted across all disaster phases and most frequently for earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Although activities occurred globally, 40% of projects were set in the U.S. Academic, government, technology, and advocacy organizations were the most prevalent lead entities. Although a range of technologies were used, 77% of projects (n = 161) required an internet-connected device. These characteristics varied across citizen science models revealing important implications for applications of disaster citizen science, enhancement of disaster response capabilities, and sustainability of activities over time. Conclusions By increasing engagement in research, disaster citizen science may empower communities to take collective action, improve system response capabilities, and generate relevant data to mitigate adverse health impacts. The project inventory established a baseline for future research to capitalize on opportunities, address limitations, and help disaster citizen science achieve its potential.

scholarly journals Sciences and audiences along the last century: the impact of Astronomy Education

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (S349) ◽  
pp. 474-478
Author(s):  
Rosa M. Ros ◽  
Beatriz Garca
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Teachers ◽  
Astronomy Education ◽  
Interest In Science ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Made In ◽  
Science Activities

AbstractJust as in the past, the development of the natural sciences and in particular of astronomy has changed the history of humanity. If we think about the role of our discipline into the future, it shows its enormous power in the field of education, owing to the possibility of awakening interest in science in very varied audiences. Within the framework of the enormous progress made in the technologies related to astronomy, many of them of daily use, the role of the astronomer in the era of Communications acquires fundamental importance.In this presentation, we will try to make a journey through the different ways of presenting astronomical topics for different audiences over the last 100 years. In turn, we will show some specific achievements, associated with education programmes of the discipline. We discuss the impact produced by proposals that are both rigorous in terms of content, and also appeal to the development of the human being in an integral manner, within the framework of citizen science activities.For this research, we have taken into account the uninterrupted development of the NASE programme, which has performed 112 courses in 24 countries throughout the world and in different languages. NASE has involved 4966 secondary teachers in the last eight years.

Citizen science evidence from the past century shows that Scottish rivers are warming

2019 ◽  
Vol 659 ◽  
pp. 53-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ina Pohle ◽  
Rachel Helliwell ◽  
Caroline Aube ◽  
Sheila Gibbs ◽  
Michael Spencer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Past Century ◽  
The Past ◽  
Science Evidence

Local dialects, supralocal writing systems

2011 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-274 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gijsbert Rutten ◽  
Marijke J. van der Wal
Keyword(s):  
Seventeenth Century ◽  
Spoken Language ◽  
Written Language ◽  
Writing Systems ◽  
Historical Phonology ◽  
Historical Sociolinguistics ◽  
The Past ◽  
Writing Practices ◽  
Local Dialect ◽  
Clear Cases

In historical sociolinguistics, it is often assumed that ego-documents such as private letters represent the spoken language of the past as closely as possible. In this paper, we will try to determine the degree of orality of seventeenth-century Dutch private letters: the degree to which the spoken local dialect is represented in these texts, and at the same time, the extent to which scribes possibly converged towards supralocal writing systems. We study the orthographical representation of four phonemes in a corpus of letters from the provinces of Holland and Zeeland. Clear cases of local writing practices are revealed, contributing to our knowledge of the spoken language in the past, as well as to the different ways in which it was represented in written language. However, the degree to which local features appear in the corpus is remarkably low. Only a minority of the letters contains localizable features, and if a letter contains these, it is usually only in a minority of the positions which, historically, were phonologically possible. We conclude that, in general, scribes did not aim to write their local dialect, but employed an intended supraregional variety instead. Keywords: Historical sociolinguistics; Dutch, seventeenth century; ego-documents; letters; writing systems; historical phonology; language from below; orality

scholarly journals Exploring serendipitous dialogue

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (04) ◽  
pp. E ◽  
Author(s):  
Emma Weitkamp
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Science And Society ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Research Areas

Over the past decades there has been an increasing recognition of the need to promote dialogue between science and society. Often this takes the form of formal processes, such as citizen’s juries, that are designed to allow the public to contribute their views on particular scientific research areas. But there are also many less formal mechanisms that promote a dialogue between science and society. This editorial considers science festivals and citizen science in this context and argues that we need a greater understanding of the potential impacts of these projects on the individuals involved, both scientists and the public.

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