Image: Illustration of Citizen Observatories by the Ground Truth 2.0 project
Image: GROW Observatory
Citizen Observatories can be set up to monitor issues such as:
Screenshot of the CO Landscape Map on the WeObserve Knowledge Hub (20/11/2020)
A comprehensive list of the Citizen Observatories and Citizen Observatory-type projects funded by the EU through the FP7 and Horizon 2020 programmes is shown in the table below. The list was taken from the “D2.9 Roadmap for the uptake of the Citizen Observatory knowledge base” (WeObserve Consortium, 2021). | **FP7-funded** | **Focus** | **Timeline** | | ---------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | [COBWEB](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/308513) | Biosphere monitoring | 2012-2016 | | [OMNISCIENTIS](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/308427) | Odour monitoring | 2012-2014 | | [CITI-SENSE](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/308524) | Air pollution monitoring | 2012-2016 | | [WeSenseIt](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/308429) | Flood and drought monitoring | 2012-2016 | | [Citclops](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/308469) | Coastal and marine water quality monitoring | 2012-2015 | | **H2020-funded** | **Focus** | **Timeline** | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | | [Making Sense](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/688620) | Open design and digital maker practices, DIY environmental monitoring, air, water, soil and sound pollution | 2015-2017 | | [CAPTOR](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/688110) | Combining citizen science, collaborative networks and environmental grassroots social activism to raise awareness and find solutions to the air pollution problem | 2016-2018 | | [hackAIR](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/688363) | Development of an open technology toolkit for Citizens’ Observatories focusing on air quality | 2016-2018 | | [Ground Truth 2.0](https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/689744) |Flood risk management, environmental quality of life, land and natural resources
management, sustainable livelihoods, climate change adaptation
The Making Sense framework, showing eight steps and four cross-cutting principles
## Useful Resources **PROJECT REPORT:** This report contains guidance for co-designing a Citizen Observatory using the [**Ground Truth 2.0 co-design methodology**](https://gt20.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/GT2.0-D1.13-Guidelines-for-Citizen-Observatories-FINAL.pdf). It includes an inventory of suggested methods, techniques and tools for each stage of the process. **WEBSITE:** An [**overview of the Citizen Observatories**](https://gt20.eu/citizen-observatories) that were set up using the Ground Truth 2.0 co-design methodology. **TOOLKIT**: [**WeObserve Toolkit: Co-designing your observatory**](https://www.weobserve.eu/toolkit/) includes a range of open access tools developed by WeObserve partners, including some specifically for co-designing Citizen Observatories. **CoP:** The [**WeObserve Co-design & Engage Community of Practice**](https://www.weobserve.eu/weobserve-cop1-co-creating-citizen-observatories-and-engaging-citizens/) brings together practitioners of Citizen Observatories and citizen science to share and learn different ways of co-designing Citizen Observatories. **TOOLKIT**: [**Citizen Sensing: A Toolkit**](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/citizen-sensing-a-toolkit) is a collection of tools from the Making Sense project, many of which support a co-design approach in citizen science. **SCIENTIFIC PAPER:** “[Making Sense: Empowering participatory sensing with transformation design](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/making-sense-empowering-participatory-sensing-with-transformation)” demonstrates the value of co-design in citizen science projects through a case study on Making Sense. **SCIENTIFIC PAPER**: “[**Stop the Noise! Enhancing Meaningfulness in Participatory Sensing with Community Level Indicators**” ](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/stop-the-noise-enhancing-meaningfulness-in-participatory-sensing-)demonstrates the value of using a co-design approach through an entire citizen science campaign in Barcelona. **CARD GAME:** “[Design for Climate Services: A Co-Design Approach” is a co-design card game for developing citizen science projects. It was initially developed during the GROW project and](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/design-for-climate-services-a-co-design-approach-2) was also tested during a one-day workshop called “[Imagining the transformative future of Citizen Observatories to leverage the power of open data, technology and citizen science](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/one-day-workshop-imagining-the-transformative-future-of-citizen-o)”, held at the Transformations conference in Chile in October 2019. **PROJECT REPORT:** “[**GROW Observatory: Mission Outcomes**](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/grow-observatory-mission-outcomes)” demonstrates the co-design approaches used during a CO project. ## You may also be interested in: [I want to set up a Citizen Observatory by building a community](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/sJMtzYB6zzpiXdnVpYUA/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-by-building-community) [I want to set up a Citizen Observatory by identifying a shared issue](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/XBH8lBFms3sJN5szdSlo/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-by-identifying-a-shared-issue) [I want to set up a Citizen Observatory by finding and secure funding](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/XBH8lBFms3sJN5szdSlo/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-and-need-to-find-and-secure-funding) [I want to set up a Citizen Observatory by complying with ethics](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/XBH8lBFms3sJN5szdSlo/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-and-comply-with-ethics) *** *This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.* # I want to set up a Citizen Observatory and need to find and secure funding ## Why is it relevant? No matter what type of Citizen Observatory you wish to set up, you will need sufficient funding to ensure its successful start and its continuation. Significant effort goes into creating an engaged community of participants and setting up the technical infrastructure that supports the different phases of the environmental monitoring process. Both have financial implications. ## How can this be done? Citizen Observatories employ different operational models, depending on their scope and their expected structure, geographical scale, duration and participation. These elements determine the form of funding that can be used to finance the Citizen Observatory. #### **Research and innovation funding** For Citizen Observatories that aim to create new scientific or technical knowledge, or to demonstrate pilot and/or operational methods, funding from research and innovation programmes and grants are a realistic opportunity. Such projects are usually based on multidisciplinary consortia, including collaboration between academia and research institutes, industry, NGOs, volunteer organisations and public bodies. They typically include large-scale activities over a maximum duration of 5 years. Funding for Citizen Observatories has been gaining momentum since the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme and including the Horizon 2020 Framework Programme. Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation framework programme from 2021-2027, is another funding source that can offer financial support to the work of Citizen Observatories. #### **Crowdfunding** Crowdfunding can be useful for Citizen Observatories that have a limited spatial and temporal scale but which may continue and even expand in the future (e.g. Community Air Pollution Monitoring). Moreover, in reward-based crowdfunding, an all-or-nothing funding strategy can be applied: projects must set funding goals, and supporters only pay if that goal is met. This is appealing to many donors, since it means they are not spending money on a project that does not receive enough donations to operate or complete its mission. > ### Example from Mapping for Change > >
Image: Mapping for Change
> > [Mapping for Change](https://mappingforchange.org.uk/) is a social enterprise based in London that engages with communities around the UK to map air pollution across the country. In 2016, using online small crowdsourcing (SCS), they were able to secure funding from 26 individual funders to develop a Community Air Pollution Monitoring Map and Equipment library. With this they were able to purchase more sensors, which further supported communities in mapping air quality. #### **Diversification of funding** Longer standing initiatives led by civil society organisations are able to experiment and diversify their funding, thereby identifying the sources that best fit their needs. For example, [The Riverfly Partnership](https://www.riverflies.org/) is a dynamic network of organisations that run a range of projects related to the interests of the partners. Because of the long-term commitment of participating organisations, various streams of funding can be examined for each project in order to identify the most beneficial. In some projects, various streams of funding can even be combined to achieve the necessary financial backing. Another funding option is to create a partnership that runs on membership fees. This works well when the predominant mission of the Citizen Observatory to be established is well aligned with those of the partners. > ### Lessons learned from the AfriAlliance project > > The [AfriAlliance](https://afrialliance.org/) project highlighted four key types of challenges facing small-scale projects looking to secure funding: > > * Capacity-related challenges, > * Administration-related challenges, > * Fund-related challenges, > * Process-related challenges. > > Due to these challenges, local and small-scale actors often need to develop innovative approaches to secure funding. > >
Image: AfriAlliance Policy Brief #2
## Useful Resources **WEBSITE**: European Commission [**funding opportunities**](https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/funding-opportunities_en), such as Coordination and Support Actions (CSA), Research and Innovation Actions (RIA), Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) and specific thematic calls. **WEBSITE**: [Platforms](https://wiatri.net/cbm/resources/img/Crowdfunding.pdf) for crowdfunding citizen science research in search of funding, such as Kickstarter, Indiegogo, Rockethub and Experiment. **SCIENTIFIC PAPER**: “[**Crowdfunding Scientific Research: Descriptive insights and correlates of funding success**](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330148816_Crowdfunding_scientific_research_Descriptive_insights_and_correlates_of_funding_success)” presents a review of dedicated platforms for crowdfunding research and highlights differences between crowdfunding and traditional funding mechanisms for research. **POLICY BRIEF**: This [**policy brief**](https://www.weobserve.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Making-Citizen-Science-Work-%E2%80%93-Innovation-mnagement-for-citizen-science.pdf) from the DITOS project analyses existing funding practices across a range of citizen science projects. ## You may also be interested in: [I want to set up a Citizen Observatory by building a community](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/XBH8lBFms3sJN5szdSlo/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-by-building-community) [I want to set up a Citizen Observatory by identifying a shared issue](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/XBH8lBFms3sJN5szdSlo/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-by-identifying-a-shared-issue) [I want to set up a Citizen Observatory through a suitable co-design process](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/XBH8lBFms3sJN5szdSlo/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-through-a-suitable-co-design-process) [I want to set up a Citizen Observatory by complying with ethics](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/XBH8lBFms3sJN5szdSlo/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-and-comply-with-ethics) *** *This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.* # I want to set up a Citizen Observatory and comply with ethics ## Why is it relevant? Ethics touch upon a range of topics, including mutual respect; gender, equality and inclusion; democratic participation; active learning; collective action; personal integrity; privacy; and data security. Ethics are essential to all areas of science, and as such should be incorporated into every aspect of a Citizen Observatory. ## How can this be done? Ethical practice dictates that Citizen Observatories should strive to use information that is up to date and well-grounded in relation to strategic policy and to technological, social and cultural developments, while also taking into account the needs and desires of the wide range of stakeholders that are involved. Naturally, this will require engaging with these stakeholders and potentially including them in the development of relevant ethical frameworks. The potential social and environmental impacts of Citizen Observatories should also be considered as part of the ethics of your Citizen Observatory. Particular attention needs to be paid to the principle of proportionality, the right to privacy, the right to the protection of personal data, the right to physical and mental integrity, the right to non-discrimination and the need to ensure high levels of human health protection. To simplify ethics is to underestimate its potential complexity when applied, especially in Citizen Observatories. Nevertheless, ethics can be presented on the basis that 1. the research should do no harm, either physical or non-physical, and 2. participation in research should be voluntary. By adopting ethical approaches across the board, the potential for poor practice is reduced. Ethics relate to ‘responsibility’ for all stakeholders within the research and innovation community. They are part of a broad paradigm and framework for Citizen Observatories that also form an important part of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). #### **Structuring the ethical implications of your Citizen Observatory** The [Ethics Canvas](https://www.ethicscanvas.org/) helps you structure ideas about the ethical implications of any project (so also your Citizen Observatory), allowing you to visualise them on the canvas and to resolve them. It was developed by the ADAPT Centre for Digital Content Technology and is itself based on the original Business Model Canvas by Alex Osterwalder.
Image: EthicsCanvas
Among the range of issues to be addressed in order for Citizen Observatories to comply with ethical requirements, data security and data privacy are key. The General Data Protection Regulation is a European Union (EU) law on data privacy and security. This law came into force in May 2018 and imposes obligations on organizations anywhere that target or collect data related to people in the EU. As a general principle, you should limit the use of personal information to the minimum and define why you need it. The categories of personal data that are often collected and stored by Citizen Observatories are participant first name and surname; participant email address; participant organisation. > ### Lessons learned from the GROW project > > The [GROW Observatory](https://growobservatory.org/) conducted an exercise to foster long-term engagement for soil monitoring with people by understanding and reflecting on three key questions: 1) What is harm? 2) What is risk? 3) What is the benefit? > > **What is ‘harm’?** > > We need to consider the probability of harm occurring, understand its severity, and explain any risks. Harm can include subjective evaluations like distress, embarrassment and anxiety, which can be difficult to either predict or to control for. Other typical harms include inconvenience, time lost, intrusion, and boredom or discomfort. These may not seem like serious issues, but they may be serious to the person concerned. People can feel mistreated by participating if, for example, they feel that they have not been treated well, have been deceived, or that their values have been disregarded. GROW explained harms and how probable and severe these might be, and listened to people’s views. > > **How is ‘risk’ defined?** > > Risk is vague and covers harm, but for GROW it was important and useful to consider practical matters such as incurred costs and inconvenience. In contrast, ‘reward’ implies that there will be a definite ‘good’ for the participant, wider community, society and even the environment. Assessing the ‘risk-reward’ balance involves evaluating the relative significance of these two areas. It can be useful to think of this as an assessment between risks and ‘anticipated’ benefits or rewards; this is a more tentative approach and possibly more honest. The danger is that we may justify any research by claiming huge hoped-for rewards at an individual or project level. GROW was clear about the risk and reward to the individual participant, e.g. community champions and, where appropriate, used a looser equation of risk to the participant and hoped-for benefits to society and the environment. > > **How is ‘benefit’ defined?** > > The GROW consortium was clear about the difference that having a vision and specifying the benefits to individual and personal objectives can mean for an organisation (e.g. reputation and publications), participants (citizen scientists and community champions) and the wider community. It was important to be realistic about what GROW could achieve. GROW intended to improve knowledge about soil and growing, and to demonstrate new innovative services for society. GROW needed to disseminate this in ways that participants could also access and understand. **GROW was careful not to raise people’s expectations unfairly, and to be honest and realistic about what would happen as a result of their involvement in the research.** #### **General Data Protection Regulation** Among the range of issues to be addressed in order for Citizen Observatories to comply with ethical requirements, personal data security and protection, as well as privacy are key. The General Data Protection Regulation is a European Union (EU) law on data privacy and security. This law came into force in May 2018 and imposes obligations on organisations anywhere that target or collect data related to people in the EU. As a general principle, you should limit the use of personal information to a minimum and define why you need it. The categories of personal data that are often collected and stored by Citizen Observatories are participant’s first name and surname, participant’s email address and participant’s organisation. > ### Implementing data protection in the LandSense project > > The LandSense Citizen Observatory links many different applications together, which have been developed by different partners. To ensure compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation in the EU, all applications that use any type of personal data must have an associated Privacy Statement. This statement clearly indicates the data that are collected (including any personal data) and the purpose for which the data will be used, providing users with complete transparency. Users also always have opt-in consent, which means they must give their agreement to any application regarding their personal information, and they can request that their personal information be deleted at any time. In general, applications in LandSense have adopted a minimisation principle, i.e., only requesting personal information if it is necessary. Finally, any personal data are always securely stored in an encrypted database. More information can be found on the [LandSense Engagement Platform](https://landsense.eu/Project/LEP). > >
Source: Pfeiffer et al., 2016
> > The Ground Truth 2.0 project developed a generic stakeholder analysis for Citizen Observatories. This was applied in six countries (four in Europe, two in Africa), and the results identified ten main stakeholder categories. Stakeholders are deliberately listed as having more than one role (i.e., are placed in several categories), indicating potential role conflicts or the need to engage the same stakeholder for multiple reasons. Core stakeholders in any Citizen Observatory are citizens, scientists, (commercial) data aggregators, decision-makers and policy-makers. The ‘enabling environment’ category consists of stakeholders who either have a legal mandate or live in the project area. They influence how the activities of the Citizen Observatory are received, thereby enabling or limiting the impacts that the observatory can achieve. In contrast to the core stakeholders, the enabling environment can influence but cannot be chosen by the Citizen Observatory. ‘Market forces’ consist of those stakeholder groups that engage in direct economic (financial) transactions with the Citizen Observatory. Internal stakeholders (i.e. often partner organisations in a funded project, see inner circle) are important functional entities in the project or organisation. Typically, these are staff and managers of organisations, not all of whom are necessarily in favour of the observatory. This approach to stakeholder analysis can be applied in various geographical contexts and social settings and can be used with different types of issues. #### **Political, Environmental, Social, Economic and Legal Context Analysis** The so-called PESTEL analysis helps to explore the Political, Environmental, Social, Economic and Legal boundaries of a given project. Adjusted to Citizen Observatories by Ground Truth 2.0 (see “Useful resources”), the following guiding questions can help to map the context of a Citizen Observatory: * *Political and legal boundaries*: What is the political structure in the observatory area – how many levels of government are there, and how do the various levels affect the CO’s issue? What are defining features, drivers and conflicts of the local political culture? How open is the system to participation? What legislation and regulation at what levels govern the issue addressed by the Citizen Observatory? What laws establish the rights and limits to citizen participation? * *Environmental boundaries*: In what landscape does the Citizen Observatory exist: are there defining features in the geography, climate, ecosystems or seasons? What are the ‘natural boundaries’ of the issues investigated by the Citizen Observatory: is it linked to larger-scale phenomena such as river catchments, ecosystems or habitats, weather zones, or migratory species? * *Social/Cultural boundaries*: What factors inform the identity of the local population? Is the population homogenous, or are there major ethnic or tribal groups, different languages, or religious, social or cultural sub-groups? Is local culture highly autonomous, or do other cities or countries serve as role models and trend setters? * *Technical boundaries*: Are there any specific aspects in the technical infrastructure, such as access to and use of technology, that need to be considered when designing the Citizen Observatory? Are there any particular local preferences for social media networks or popular local online communities? * *Economic boundaries*: What is the structure of the local economy, and how is economic power distributed in the project region? Are there major employers or concentrated industrial clusters, ports or special economic zones inside or outside the project area? #### **Collaborative stakeholder mapping** Depending on the local context, the Citizen Observatory’s issue and how the Citizen Observatory is set up, you may need to identify and engage stakeholders through a collaborative process. This step is particularly important when some but not all core stakeholder types were already identified or engaged during your prior community building process. Collaborative mapping can be a fruitful way to build on existing networks and the local knowledge held within core stakeholder groups. To tackle this, you will first need to identify which stakeholder types you already have on board. It is useful to define who you will be working with if you have not already done so and ask: *Who will the final community be? Who are the other stakeholders we still need to involve?* Typically your start point will include a majority from one or more of the following groups: * **Citizens**, grassroots, bottom up and community groups, and NGO’s, * **Scientists**, academics, professionals across disciplines, technologists, or representation from key scientific organisations, or * **Policy– and decision-makers**, including local or regional authorities and representatives from municipalities As you expand your stakeholder groups, there are a number of tools you can use in workshops – or equivalent online environments such as Miro and Mural – to identify stakeholders that are relevant to the context and focus of your observatory. These include Geographic Mapping and Commons Mapping (more on those here). ## Useful Resources **PROJECT REPORTS**: These Ground Truth 2.0 reports explain the context and stakeholder mapping approach, including the adapted PESTEL. They present the findings of the [baseline context and stakeholder mapping](https://gt20.eu/knowledge-base/deliverable-d1-1-initial-stakeholder-analysis-of-the-demonstration-cases/) per case in Africa and Europe as well as the [subsequent updated analysis one year into the project](https://gt20.eu/knowledge-base/deliverable-d1-2-updated-stakerholder-analysis-of-the-demonstration-cases/). **SCIENTIFIC PAPERS:** The Ground Truth 2.0 project produced this [**conceptual framework for context, process and impact analysis**](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169419307607?via%3Dihub) and applied it in two of the Ground Truth 2.0 Citizen Observatories, [**one in the Netherlands and one in Kenya**](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022169419308790?via%3Dihub) to create a baseline. **CoP**: The [**WeObserve Co-design & Engage Community of Practice**](https://www.weobserve.eu/weobserve-cop1-co-creating-citizen-observatories-and-engaging-citizens/) brings together practitioners of Citizen Observatories and citizen science to share and learn different ways of engaging stakeholders in Citizen Observatories. ## You may also be interested in: [I want to engage stakeholders by learning how to work with various types of stakeholders](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/pEhuUFvLC2EDkerlG9az/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-engage-stakeholders-by-learning-how-to-work-with-various-types-of-stakeholders) [I want to engage stakeholders in ways that keep them motivated over time](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/pEhuUFvLC2EDkerlG9az/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-engage-stakeholders-in-ways-that-keep-them-motivated-over-time) *** *This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.* # I want to engage stakeholders by learning how to work with various types of stakeholders ## Why is it relevant? Working with a growing group of diverse stakeholders (citizens, scientists, policy-makers, practitioners, etc.) is at the heart of a Citizen Observatory. Yet it can be a real challenge to coordinate communication and activities among all the different groups. This is especially true when the Citizen Observatory is still fairly new and its members do not yet have an established way of working together. ## How can this be done? Finding ways in which to work with all stakeholders within a Citizen Observatory is often challenging. However, there are several methods and tools which can help you to engage with this variety of stakeholders from the start and throughout the lifetime of your observatory. #### **Choose and implement a suitable co-design process** A Citizen Observatory brings together (groups of) citizens (often from different age groups, socio-economic backgrounds or political orientations), scientists (including from different scientific disciplines) and decision-makers (civil servants as well as elected officials). A key aspect of working with these various stakeholders means turning separate individuals into a unified group with a shared interest. Choosing and implementing a suitable co-design process can help stakeholders to identify and agree on the common theme they feel passionate about (more on how to suitable co-design approaches [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/rBrkcbLSi5a5cxiXUTfp/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-through-a-suitable-co-design-process)). #### **Draw up a stakeholder engagement strategy** The different stakeholders of the observatory represent a large number of relevant organisations and individuals to keep track of and work with. It does not make sense to engage all stakeholders with the same intensity. Instead, identify the most efficient and effective approach for each stakeholder. Drawing up an engagement strategy can help to involve, in a sustainable way, the stakeholders that are needed to make the Citizen Observatory successful and to build relationships with the wider society in which the Citizen Observatory operates. To create an engagement strategy, you can prioritise the stakeholders by distinguishing them according to two criteria: their influence on the Citizen Observatory and their interest in the Citizen Observatory. For example, ‘push communication’ (one-way communication from the Citizen Observatory, such as sharing updates via email, Twitter or podcasts) is sufficient for low-interest/low-influence stakeholders. Attempts to establish a partnership would be a waste of resources and time. Collaboration and partnership are only appropriate for key players: stakeholders with high influence and high interest who could bring considerable benefits to the Citizen Observatory, but who conversely – if not managed well – would bring considerable risk.
Influence and interest of the different stakeholders are not the only important things; different circumstances and objectives require different approaches. It can be helpful to map the current and envisioned Citizen Observatory members on the [Stakeholder Influence Grid](https://www.academia.edu/34359784/Project_Management_ToolBox_2nd_Edition_2016_by_Russ_Martinelli_Dragan_Milosevic) (Milosevic, 2003). This matrix maps the level of commitment of a stakeholder, or Citizen Observatory member in this case, against the importance of their support.
High-commitment and high-importance Citizen Observatory members are ‘fully on board’. These ‘champions’ can be engaged to help drive change, take on specific tasks and take the Citizen Observatory to the ‘next level’. Citizen Observatory members with high commitment but low importance are ‘strong believers’ and are essential for the Citizen Observatory’s legwork’. Those Citizen Observatory members with high importance but low commitment are ‘conscientious objectors’, so the Citizen Observatory’s engagement strategy should focus on increasing this group’s commitment, for example by means of bilateral meetings and targeted communication. Low importance and low commitment Citizen Observatory members are known as ‘cheerleaders’; these people are good for morale but cannot ‘win the game’ for you.
> ### Lessons from the Ground Truth 2.0 Project
>
> While setting up Citizen Observatories in Europe and in Africa, the Ground Truth 2.0 project found that working with the different stakeholders of a Citizen Observatory can benefit from the following:
>
> * Build mutual relations between the members of the observatory by paying personal attention. Close personal connections at the most local level seems to be most promising. Citizen Observatory participants appreciate it when their names are remembered and they are welcomed and addressed with a personal touch; it has proven useful to invest some time in associating names with faces.
> * Consider the context and circumstances of the different stakeholders. For example, planning Citizen Observatory meetings after working hours is often valued by citizens who are volunteering their time. This provides a good base to build robust personal relationships with them. Decision-makers prefer to participate in meetings during working hours, so it can be necessary to brief them bilaterally before they will agree to join Citizen Observatory meetings at the end of the working day, together with citizens.
> * Set up a WhatsApp group (or similar) for the group communication. This is easy and accessible, but also dynamic and informal. This type of communication provides a stronger personal touch than email and can help to cross boundaries presented by the official roles and titles of representatives of public authorities. It also helps to integrate new people in the group; they can become familiar with the group dynamics in a very accessible way.
#### **Plan stakeholder engagement over time**
While some Citizen Observatories are focused on a local or regional issue, others aim to address a global issue and need to build a movement and active participation at that scale. When this is the case, the engagement strategy should focus on *building* communities, rather than being a *distribution* strategy focused on channels and platforms.
Citizen Observatories are powered by participants. It therefore follows that engagement should focus on building communities that support active participation instead of platform‐based communities that support passive information spreading. There should be a fundamental link between communication, engagement strategies and participant pathways, and a plan for how these will change as the Citizen Observatory matures.
The plan should respond to the following broad stages:
1. At the beginning of the project focus on using communication through partner channels with social media to *raise awareness* and *encourage* participants.
2. Then, as active participation begins, focus communication *between* participants to build sustainable, active communities.
3. Finally, as the Citizen Observatory produces real results, move to broadcasting only to the participant communities to *wider audiences*, using the Citizen Observatory’s channels and PR activities in mainstream media.
The use of social platforms and traditional media channels are most effective when they tightly focus on achieving the goals of building an active community at the heart of the Citizen Observatory, not building large groups of followers just for the sake of it. Over the last few years in particular, organic reach on social platforms like Twitter and Facebook has made it much harder to meaningfully engage participants.
> ### The GROW Observatory Narrative Design and Storytelling
>
> GROW built its engagement plan around ‘circulation’, encouraging participation, engagement and knowledge sharing between communities, rather than a traditional ‘distribution’ model.
>
> Narrative Design is at the heart of the GROW engagement strategy and is linked to research on the drivers for participation commissioned by the BBC in 2006. This report showed that while existing micro‐communities were the most important triggers for participation, storytelling plays a crucial role in upscaling, activating large audiences by serving as Catalysts, Instructions and Celebrations.
>
> GROW developed the Narrative Design process to create, curate and amplify stories, developing effective stories for each audience type: grower, policy/advocacy and science and specialist users. This is a user‐centred process, building on well-known personas and scenarios, looking at existing behaviour within GROW communities and using this information to make decisions about story formats.
>
> The broad structure for the Narrative Design process is detailed below:
>
> 1. How are stories shared in this community?
> 2. What are people discussing in this community?
> 3. What stories are already being shared by the community on this subject?
> 4. How can we add value to the community?
> 5. How will we listen to the responses?
>
> Finally, using an open research model, methods, tools and emergent results were iteratively evaluated and circulated as the Citizen Observatory matured over time. GROW developed different ways to circulate these materials to the full range of active participants. These included a programme of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), webinars, focus groups and community gatherings specifically to support peer-to-peer knowledge exchange across 24 communities. Insight workshops were a particularly successful approach to bringing all stakeholders together to share knowledge and results and to enable a more agile and responsive observatory at a large scale.
## Useful Resources
**PROJECT REPORT**: This [**Ground Truth 2.0 report**](https://gt20.eu/knowledge-base/deliverable-d1-4-updated-stakeholder-engagement-strategy/) presents the generic elements of a stakeholder engagement for Citizen Observatories (i.e., to sustainably engage active participants and influential supporters) and shows the tailored strategies of for six Citizen Observatories.
**VIDEO**: The GROW Insights Workshop held a [meeting and panel](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYd0vLqx9kA) with local and national authorities, policy-makers and decision-makers to explore Citizen Observatories’ contributions to the SDGs in Athens.
**BOOK**: [**Citizen Sensing: A Toolkit**](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/citizen-sensing-a-toolkit) from the Making Sense project presents a framework, tools and methods in action. See case sStudies “(Amsterdam AirQ” and “) , Commons Mapping Tool”.
**CoP**: The [**WeObserve Co-design & Engage Community of Practice**](https://www.weobserve.eu/weobserve-cop1-co-creating-citizen-observatories-and-engaging-citizens/) brings together practitioners of Citizen Observatories and citizen science to share and learn different ways of engaging stakeholders in Citizen Observatories.
**PROJECT REPORT**: [Engagement activities and their impacts on policy development](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/engagement-activities-and-their-impacts-on-policy-development). It includes UN FAO slides from one of the GROW MOOCs covering multi-stakeholder soil governance models.
## You may also be interested in:
[I want to engage stakeholders by understanding the context and identifying key stakeholders](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/R5pRZMh423VHCM8BdA6V/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-engage-stakeholders-by-understanding-the-context-and-identifying-key-stakeholders)
[I want to engage stakeholders in ways that keep them motivated over time](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/R5pRZMh423VHCM8BdA6V/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-engage-stakeholders-in-ways-that-keep-them-motivated-over-time)
***
*This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.*
# I want to engage stakeholders in ways that keep them motivated over time
## Why is it relevant?
The success of a Citizen Observatory hinges on the continued engagement of relevant stakeholders. Different types of people have different motivations and are drawn to different types of activities in a Citizen Observatory. The key stakeholders in a Citizen Observatory – citizens, scientists and decision-makers – all have different motivations, and these motivations can also change over time.
## How can this be done?
Given the diverse group of stakeholders to be involved in your Citizen Observatory, maintaining motivation can be a significant challenge. Fortunately, there are many ways in which you can help keep stakeholders motivated and involved in the process.
#### **Identify incentives and barriers for engagement**
When engaging Citizen Observatory members over time, a major pitfall can be the mismanagement of expectations. If expectations do not align with what actually happens, both during and after the activity, participants might become disappointed, even if the overall experience was not bad. It is therefore good to be aware of possible incentives that can be offered and barriers that may need to be addressed in order to ensure that the various stakeholders remain motivated to participate in the Citizen Observatory.
| Example of possible incentives | Barriers to consider and address |
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Access to raw data and visualised data | Insufficient time and/or resources |
| Access to the Citizen Observatory community (improving service delivery) | Doubts about the validity of the data |
| Contribution to the greater good (by addressing the target issue) | Lack of clarity about the Citizen Observatory’s objectives, methods, etc. |
| Learning opportunity to gain knowledge and skills | Need for a critical mass |
| Increased visibility of the member’s organisation | Concerns about the Citizen Observatory’s long-term sustainability |
| Political impact | |
Source: Anema et al.2018
#### **Ensuring the continued motivation of Citizen Observatory members** In general, practice-based experience suggests that the following activities are effective means by which Citizen Observatory leaders and community managers can ensure continued motivation of the Citizen Observatory members: 1. **Develop feedback loops** (about the validity and use of the data), 2. **Recognise** volunteer contributions (in meetings, on websites, in papers), 3. **Train and invest** in Citizen Observatory members, 4. **Provide** clear leadership, structure and organisation, and 5. **Organise** social events for the members. > ### Lessons learned from the Ground Truth 2.0 project > >
Image: Ground Truth 2.0
> > An analysis of the incentives and barriers for participation in the “Meet Mee Mechelen” Citizen Observatory (focused on air quality monitoring) showed that the citizens, scientists and decision-makers had clearly differing motivations and expectations: the citizens wanted to effect change, policy-makers wanted to collaborate with citizens in innovative ways, and the scientists wanted to gain experience with citizen science in order to move on to new projects. Clashes in their respective incentives systems affected their continued engagement in the observatory. For example, decision-makers were hesitant to share the air quality monitoring results with the public due to concerns about scrutiny and public pressure to act. The citizens were sceptical about the likelihood that their monitoring efforts would make a difference. The key aspect that ensured continued participation of citizens was evidence that the Citizen Observatory’s measurement results were being used and were helping to create change: public events were set up to disseminate and discuss the results, and air quality was placed high on political as well as policy agendas. On the other hand, the decision-makers needed to see relations with citizens in the Citizen Observatory shift from perceived ‘civil activism’ towards collaboration and partnership. Finally, the scientists involved in this Citizen Observatory were participating on a project basis, rather than for the long run. Their key motivations were to gain experience in citizen science and establish business partnerships that could open doors to new projects in this field. Responding to these different motivations required deliberate efforts by the community managers, including careful facilitation of meetings and steering towards clear agreements among the Citizen Observatory’s stakeholders. > ### Lessons learned from the Landsense project > >
Persona and Scenarios in the GROW Observatory
> > GROW undertook interviews and gathered feedback with different stakeholder groups around issues and concerns relating to soil health and moisture. Stakeholders included policy-makers, and a range of citizens who had concerns about land management, technology, education, health and soil moisture for growing food. ## Useful Resources **PROJECT REPORTS:** This [Ground Truth 2.0 report ](https://gt20.eu/knowledge-base/deliverable-d1-4-updated-stakeholder-engagement-strategy/)explains how stakeholder engagement strategies used in different Citizen Observatories in Europe and Africa were based on the incentives and barriers of different stakeholders. **SCIENTIFIC PAPER:** This [paper](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901118306361) presents an integrated overview of the incentives and barriers of citizens, scientists and decision-makers relating to participation in Citizen Observatories or similar initiatives. **CoP**: The [WeObserve Co-design & Engage Community of Practice](https://www.weobserve.eu/weobserve-cop1-co-creating-citizen-observatories-and-engaging-citizens/) brings together practitioners of Citizen Observatories and citizen science to share and learn different ways of engaging stakeholders in Citizen Observatories. ## You may also be interested in: [I want to engage stakeholders by understanding the context and identifying key stakeholders](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/x5I625C1iAGsddh976A6/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-engage-stakeholders-by-understanding-the-context-and-identifying-key-stakeholders) [I want to engage stakeholders by learning how to work with various types of stakeholders](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/x5I625C1iAGsddh976A6/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-engage-stakeholders-by-learning-how-to-work-with-various-types-of-stakeholders) *** *This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.* *This page partially draws upon the MOOC* [*Citizen Science Projects: How to make a difference*](https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/weobserve-the-earth/4)*, though the focus was shifted from citizen science projects to Citizen Observatories.* # I want to know what data & knowledge we need by finding out what exists already ## Why is it relevant? Many previous initiatives may have already addressed questions or problems similar to the ones that you wish to address. They can provide useful examples, a good starting point for your own initiative and research, as well as the opportunity to build on or expand on data and knowledge that are already available, so that you can focus on filling the gaps, not reinventing the wheel. ## Where can I find these examples? While there are now many examples of Citizen Observatories (and similar initiatives), as well as a developed background literature on the topic, there are several ways in which you can find out what data and knowledge exist already. In particular, online search tools provide a useful way in which to begin your search. #### **Past or existing initiatives & scientific studies** The process of finding existing examples and knowledge for your observatory should start with a wide search for past or existing initiatives and scientific studies addressing similar topics. First check the state-of-the-art of the discipline by searching for published works in scientific databases such as [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/), [Science Direct](https://www.sciencedirect.com/) or [Research Gate](https://www.researchgate.net/) to be aware of research advances and results. This will provide you with a clear view of the gaps in data and knowledge that can be covered by citizen participation. Knowing the current scientific needs will help you to better identify what data to collect. Also find out what data is already available for your research interest. Some global platforms provide specific data that can be useful or complementary for your purposes. For example: * the [Copernicus Information Services](https://www.copernicus.eu/en/copernicus-services) offer data from the Copernicus satellites and in-situ components; * the [GEOSS portal](https://www.geoportal.org/) is an access point for users seeking global Earth Observation data, imagery and analytical software packages; * the [Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)](https://www.gbif.org/) provides open access to data about all types of life on Earth, and many others resources exist related to specific topics; and * the [European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)](https://marketplace.eosc-portal.eu/services/c/sharing-discovery?q=\&service_id=\&sort=_score) offers an extensive catalogue of resources in which to find data, publications, tools and other resources in Europe. You may also find it useful to look for resources specific to your scientific field of study, or the environmental issue that you wish to investigate – such as the [Citizen Observatories webpage](https://medpan.org/citizen-observatories/) of the network of Marine Protected Areas managers in the Mediterranean (MedPAN). After this review, you can then also check if an existing Citizen Observatory is currently doing the same as what you had in mind or has been dedicated to the same or similar topics. That way, you can build on their knowledge and/or create synergies with them. Two good places to start searching are the citizen science platforms EU-Citizen.Science (aimed at practitioners) and SciStarter (aimed at volunteers and educators). #### **EU-citizen.science** [EU-citizen.science](https://eu-citizen.science/) is a European platform for sharing knowledge, tools, training and resources for citizen science, funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Framework Programme. It contains a database of more than 150 citizen science projects, with descriptions of their objectives, location, keywords and science topics addressed. A link to access the projects’ websites and databases is also offered, so you can start searching for similar initiatives here in order to know which data they have produced before. In the platform, you will also find a resources database, with more than 90 entries, training materials and links to more than 100 organisations involved in citizen science. #### **SciStarter** [SciStarter](https://scistarter.org/) is a USA-based online citizen science hub where more than 1,500 projects, searchable by location, topic, age level, etc., have been registered by individual project leaders or imported through partnerships with federal governments, NGOs and universities. SciStarter hosts an active community of close to 100,000 registered citizen scientists and millions of additional site visitors. It includes a comprehensive Project Finder that allows searches by location, context, topic, age level, specific characteristics or by any word. The description of the projects is also very comprehensive and links to the projects’ websites and responsible organisations are provided.
## Useful Resources
**PROJECT REPORTS**: From our research into the EU Landscape of Citizen Observatories within the WeObserve project, we produced three reports: a report that outlines [frameworks](https://zenodo.org/record/3670895) which can be used to describe and compare Citizen Observatories, a report on the [insights ](https://zenodo.org/record/4472670)from the experiences of Citizen Observatories, and a roadmap report that sets the stage for future Citizen Observatories.
**LANDSCAPE REPORT DATA FILE**: The 2016 report by the Finnish Environment Institute on Citizen Observatories contained a [database ](https://helda.helsinki.fi/handle/10138/164810)of all of the Citizen Observatories that they discovered during their survey of the landscape of Citizen Observatories, many of which are still active.
**DATA INVENTORY**: The European Union’s Joint Research Commission has compiled an [Inventory ](https://data.jrc.ec.europa.eu/dataset/jrc-citsci-10004)of citizen science activities for environmental policies, many of which can be considered to be Citizen Observatories.
**DATA HANDBOOK:** The [Afrialliance Data Collection Handbook](https://afrialliance.org/knowledge-hub/water-and-climate-updates/now-available-online-afrialliance-handbook-data-collection) a practical manual focusing on the development sector and the collection of data, mainly by people, and covers the main elements to consider when designing and implementing a data collection project.
**CoP**: The [WeObserve Co-design & Engage Community of Practice](https://www.weobserve.eu/weobserve-cop1-co-creating-citizen-observatories-and-engaging-citizens/) brings together practitioners of Citizen Observatories and citizen science to share and learn different ways of engaging stakeholders in Citizen Observatories.
## You may also be interested in:
[I want to know what data and knowledge we need by deciding what data to collect](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/x5I625C1iAGsddh976A6/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-know-what-data-and-knowledge-we-need-by-deciding-what-data-to-collect)
***
*This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.*
# I want to know what data & knowledge we need by deciding what data to collect
## Why is it relevant?
Deciding what kind of data the members of your Citizen Observatory should collect depends on the issue that your Citizen Observatory wants to address and what data and knowledge is still needed. Moreover, this decision needs to be informed by relevant scientific expertise in order to generate valid and reliable data and results.
## How can this be done?
Citizen Observatories are based on citizens observing specific aspects of the environment, sometimes using equipment. For this kind of data, the user’s identification, the time and place of the observation, the value of the observation and some supporting material like images, audio recordings or videos for validation purposes are usually collected.
Observations can be as simple as registering a temperature or as complex as taking a lot of measurements as in the [RiuNet project](http://www.ub.edu/fem/index.php/en/inici-riunet-en), where citizens conduct a complete scientific analysis of several organic and inorganic parameters indicating river water quality. These types of observational data include biodiversity observations, environmental monitoring, meteorological observations, hydrological measurements, land cover mapping and more.
In some cases there is no data collection by validation or interpretation of scientific data, and no contribution to pattern recognition or image analysis. An example is citizens helping scientists to map the ocean trajectories of marine microbes within a simulated web environment (the [Adrift project](http://adrift-project.com/)). Another is the annotation of satellite observations or other pictures with what humans can recognise (such as identifying wildlife captured by motion-triggered camera traps). In particular, [Zooniverse](https://www.zooniverse.org/) is probably the most well-known platform for hosting projects where citizens can participate from their homes, just by using a computer and their time.
> ### Example from the Citizen Observatory of Water in the Alto Adriatico Region
>
> A challenge for water management is the reduction of risk related to extreme events such as floods. Flood management requires the timely provision of early-warning information, particularly in densely populated urban areas. This information depends on reliable water level predictions, created through hydrological and hydraulic models. Yet the performance of these models is often uncertain due to the lack of sufficient observational data. In the Brenta-Bacchiglione catchment area, AAWA has chosen to use the Citizen Observatory on Water to collect complementary sources of hydrological monitoring data to obtain a more spatially distributed coverage, using dedicated apps, easy-to-use physical sensors and other monitoring technologies, linked to a dedicated platform. The crowdsourced water level observations are assimilated into a flood forecasting system: into the hydrological model by means of rating curves assessed for the specific river location, as well as directly into the hydraulic model. This improves the flood forecasting accuracy by integrating physical and social sensors distributed within the river basin, ensuring high model performance (see 
In order to define the type of data your Citizen Observatory needs to generate, you should think about the question you are trying to answer.
The *parameter to be observed* defines what should be collected and can be a list of names to be captured (with their units of measure, e.g. a temperature in degrees), pictures and annotations describing what is being observed.
Scientists can advise you on ***where*** the data needs to be collected (in a limited or in a vast zone, predetermined or random, in the field or from your computer at home) and ***how often*** (e.g. whether repeated observations are needed for the same sample).
You should take into account the ***type*** of information to collect, the sensors and technologies required, and in what level of detail and precision volunteers should collect that data (i.e., to comply with existing taxonomies), while also keeping in mind the implications in terms of personal data collected, the quality of the data and the provision of adequate metadata. The methods that should be employed for the definition of the above mentioned elements depend on the respective application domain and may differ from project to project.
When defining the data collection scheme it is essential to adhere to standardised definitions provided (OGC, INSPIRE, Public Participation in Scientific Research, etc.) in order to facilitate interoperability and combined use with other data sources.
The data collection scheme can inform the metadata describing the data set resulting from your data collections. Deciding on some metadata elements in advance can help you define the more technical aspects of your data collection scheme, such as the desired resolution of the data collected and thus the coordinate reference system used. See more on metadata for managing your data [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/WwGFgmKKvS9e1pqtjmsn/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-work-with-data-by-managing-the-data) and for sharing your data [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/WwGFgmKKvS9e1pqtjmsn/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-work-with-data-by-sharing-our-citizen-observatory-data).
The process of creating a data collection scheme can help a community to discuss what should be measured, when, where, how and by whom. Having a map of the geographic area where you would like to collect data allows everyone to pinpoint the location where they can capture data. Another useful tool is a shared calendar, so that everyone can collaborate on the best dates and times for capturing the data.
#### **Defining instruments and tools**
When defining suitable instruments and tools for your data collection, you need to consider the following:
1. **Type of information:** Different approaches require different types of data collection. Sometimes textual information is enough, but other times you may be looking for a photograph, sound or video recording, a physical sample or a digital file.
2. **Technology required:** If observations cannot be reported with only the visual observation of the citizen, a sensor will be needed. A careful selection of the sensor based on the kind of instrument, brands, models, precision and stability should be conducted. Sometimes a DIY sensor could be a possibility.
3. **Contextual information and privacy:** The data itself should be accompanied by contextual information, such as the date and time of collection, location, observer and conditions.
> ### Example from the LandSense project
>
> Working with partner BirdLife International and the associated monitoring organisations on the ground in Spain and Indonesia, the overarching aim was to collect data on threats to bird habitats in areas of importance to birds and biodiversity. The [categories of threats](https://www.iucnredlist.org/resources/threat-classification-scheme) were provided by the International Union of Conservation of Nature, so the challenge was to develop a tool for collecting this information on the ground. A simple-to-use menu of threats was embedded in a mobile app (called Natura Alert) to which additional comments, photographs and videos can be added. To render the threat information even more useful, additional questions were asked regarding the longevity and spatial extent of the threat so that these could be linked to the annual threat assessments that are undertaken by BirdLife for each area of importance to birds and biodiversity. The threat data were then made available via the [Natura Alert web application](https://www.natura-alert.net/), including contextual information such as the location and the date and time of collection.
>
> 
Screenshots from the Natura Alert mobile app, showing the choices for the type of threat on the ground (left side) and a map showing the locations of other threats (right side).
#### **Respecting privacy** When you are designing data collection efforts, consider whether you need to have your observers identified and to what extent, ideally limiting the personal data you require from them to the minimum necessary. In any case, you will need their consent so that they can participate in the data collection activities, especially when you also need to collect some of their own personal data. Also, remember that you may be inadvertently collecting personal data that is not relevant to your research question, such as where people live if they are spotting birds in their backyard or the unique identifiers of their mobile phones. Information like this can be used to identify a specific person. It is also essential to clarify what kinds of legal protections or sharing rights people want to assign to their data when they are contributing photos or measurements. For example, in the [Natusfera platform](https://natusfera.gbif.es/) each observer can decide whether their observations and photos are public or private, and whether their geolocation is masked or hidden. More [here](https://app.gitbook.com/o/-LbbpkbPn14_lT165GF4/s/xhdGyRLggMekKhjUZVP1/~/changes/7/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-and-comply-with-ethics) on how to ensure privacy, especially under the European General Data Protection Regulation, and how to obtain the informed consent of your observers. **Ensuring data quality from the start** Ensuring that the data collected by your Citizen Observatory are of adequate quality is mainly a matter of keeping processes simple and making sure that sufficient support, clear instructions, well-developed protocols and training are in place. Filtering the options that citizens can report, or using cross-validation mechanisms where some users validate others’ submissions, will contribute to a better data set. More on how to ensure data quality [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/WwGFgmKKvS9e1pqtjmsn/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-work-with-data-by-ensuring-data-quality). ## Useful Resources **BOOK:** The [AfriAlliance Data Collection Handbook](https://afrialliance.org/knowledge-hub/water-and-climate-updates/now-available-online-afrialliance-handbook-data-collection) is a practical manual focusing on the development sector and the collection of data. It covers the main elements to consider when designing and implementing a data collection project. **BOOK CHAPTER**: The chapter “Design and development of geographic citizen science: technological perspectives and considerations”, in the book ‘[**Geographic Citizen Science Design: No one left behind**](https://www.uclpress.co.uk/products/125702)’ highlights the various impact of information technology on the aims, goals and missions of citizen science and Citizen Observatories. ## You may also be interested in: [I want to work with data by collecting data](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/x5I625C1iAGsddh976A6/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-work-with-data-by-collecting-data) [I want to work with data by ensuring data quality](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/x5I625C1iAGsddh976A6/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-work-with-data-by-ensuring-data-quality) [I want to know what data and knowledge we need by finding out what exists already](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/x5I625C1iAGsddh976A6/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-know-what-data-and-knowledge-we-need-by-finding-out-what-exists-already) *** *This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.* # I want to work with data by collecting data ## Why is it relevant? Each Citizen Observatory has its own focus and objectives, depending on the issue it is trying to address. A common characteristic among all Citizen Observatories is that they need data to demonstrate a fact or to illustrate an issue. You therefore need to know how to collect data efficiently and make sure it is scientifically sound, and also what apps and sensors can help you with this. ## How can this be done? Thanks to modern electronics and smartphones, you don’t need expensive or complicated scientific equipment to collect data. There are lots of imaginative ways to collect data about the world around you and ways to build your own sensors with a little bit of technical skill. Data collected in this way can still be useful. At the same time, collecting data should be informed by the specific scientific discipline(s) that your Citizen Observatory needs to draw on. This scientific guidance will help identify a data collection methodology that is suitable for the purpose of the Citizen Observatory (incl. app design, devices required, and the location, frequency and intensity of the observations). It will also help you to devise appropriate training for the volunteers. This will vary depending on which environmental issue you are focusing on. It requires the involvement of one or more trained scientists from those fields (more on how to engage key stakeholders [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/WwGFgmKKvS9e1pqtjmsn/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-by-building-community)) to design the appropriate scientific methodology that ensures the Citizen Observatory’s data will be fit for its purpose. #### **Data collection methods** Data collection in Citizen Observatories can be done in different ways. A one-off data collection effort is often called a ‘blitz’. For example, during a water blitz, the intention is to collect as many water quality measurements as possible at one point in time (often on a single day or during one weekend), in a specific region, resulting in a ‘dense data cloud’. Apart from the data collected during a blitz, the focused attention and dynamics around this event can also be a good way to attract new participants and citizens, as well as authorities, to your Citizen Observatory (more on building a community [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/imRH1ZzyBN0OB51ieSfm/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-by-building-community)). Another form of data collection are campaigns, which can last a specific period of time, for example for one or more seasons. Depending on the environmental issue at the heart of the Citizen Observatory, continuous, long-term observations may be required. > ### Example from the Ground Truth 2.0 project > > In the Ground Truth 2.0 project, the different Citizen Observatories used different data collection methods. The VattenFokus Citizen Observatory in Sweden undertook ‘WaterBlitzes’ to collect water quality samples in a rural area (the municipality of Flen) using the [FreshWaterWatch](https://freshwaterwatch.thewaterhub.org/) Kit and app. More than 50 observations were collected in a single weekend; samples were taken by 39 participants in lakes (55%), streams (25%), ponds, city reservoirs and smaller streams. The aim was to collect as many water quality samples as possible to obtain an overview of the water quality in the water bodies within the municipality. By taking samples of the water quality over a limited period, a snapshot of water quality levels could be generated and conclusions could be drawn about the location of pollution sources. This campaign was paralleled by interviews on national Swedish radio, a feature article in a local newspaper and in the municipality’s magazine and website. > >
Example of a photograph from the CityOases mobile app with blurring from the LandSense quality assurance service applied to faces
> ### Reliability in Machine Learning > > Common examples of non-reliable data are observations provided by uncalibrated sensors (instrument biases) or human misinterpretations, but reliability problems can also emerge in artificial intelligence. In the Scent project, citizens are guided to areas where there is a need for environmental information. In those locations, they collect images of land cover/land use. Images can be submitted to the ScentIntelligence Engine (SIE); a tool that uses machine learning to automatically detect land cover types and objects in an image according to Scent’s taxonomy. The system works by assigning a score to each annotation tag. If the score is high enough, the annotation is considered valid. If not, the image is redirected to [Scent Collaborate, where citizen scientists manually annotate the images.](http://collaborate.scent-project.eu/) > >
Image: The GROW Observatory map of soil sensors across Europe.
This visualisation shows the location of GROW sensors and the data from one sensor. However, it shows the importance of interpreting the data and the need for relevant scientific experience. For instance, on the temperature and moisture graphs there are straight lines – what can these mean? In this case, it means that data is missing because the battery died on the sensor. Also notice the patterns in the moisture levels – what do these indicate? Someone with the necessary scientific expertise could interpret these graphs and, more importantly, compare them with graphs from other locations to draw conclusions on soil moisture. #### **Data visualisation in a simple and personal way** The [Data Postcard Tool](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/data-postcards-tool) is a creative way to visualise and share data from a citizen science project. It is designed for community members and citizen science practitioners who wish to share the data they collect. It can be used to illustrate something simple, like the amount of times you walk through an area with high air pollution over the course of a week, or the kinds of animals you have observed in a prescribed area. This tool is designed for participants in a citizen science project, and no previous experience of data visualisation is required.
Image: Data postcards from Making Sense project
## Useful Resources **WeObserve MOOC,** [**enrollment is now open**](https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/weobserve-the-earth)**:** The online course [Citizen Science Projects: How to make a difference](https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/weobserve-the-earth) on FutureLearn addresses data analysis and visualisation in depth, including many examples, discussion of biases in data visualisation, and data sets for you to experiment with. **VIDEO**: “[How we did it: Visualising Data](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Peo3ad828Yw)” provides more examples of data visualisations from four Citizen Observatory projects. **TOOL**: [WeObserve Toolkit for data quality and visualisation](https://www.weobserve.eu/toolkit/) is a selection of tools that can help you with all aspects of citizen-generated data management, including validation, analysis, quality assurance and visualisation. **TOOL**: The [**Data Postcard tool**](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/data-postcards-tool) is designed for community members and citizen science practitioners wanting to share the data they collect. It is a creative way to visualise and share data from a citizen science project. **Data visualisation applications:** * [**Matplotlib**](https://matplotlib.org/): For those of you with programming experience, Matplotlib is a popular choice for data visualisation and can be easily integrated into Jupyter notebooks. * [**Leaflet**](https://leafletjs.com/): Leaflet is an open-source JavaScript library for mobile-friendly interactive maps. It works efficiently across all major desktop and mobile platforms, can be extended with a variety of plugins, and is well documented. * Other free tools: [**Grafana**](https://grafana.com/), [**Rawgraphs**](https://rawgraphs.io/), and [**Apache Superset**](https://superset.incubator.apache.org/) ## You may also be interested in: [I want to generate insights & results from our data & knowledge by analysing the data](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/P2ESEVnb7x9THgs4UQg4/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-generate-insights-and-results-from-our-data-and-knowledge-by-analysing-the-data) [I want to achieve impact with Citizen Observatory results by communicating the Citizen Observatory results effectively](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/rDoyUvGphEeojUPmEyRQ/achieving-impact-with-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-achieve-impacts-with-the-co-results-by-communicating-the-co-results-effectively) *** *This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.* *This page partially draws upon the MOOC* [*Citizen Science Projects: How to make a difference*](https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/weobserve-the-earth/4)*, though the focus was shifted from citizen science projects to Citizen Observatories.* # I want to generate insights & results from our data & knowledge by analysing the data ## Why is it relevant? Your Citizen Observatory is fully up and running and you are collecting lots of data. Now you need to translate these data into meaningful information. You might also want to use this information to trigger behavioural change or feed these added value insights into current policies and decision-making. ## How can this be done? Turning data and information into knowledge and insights requires analysis of the data. It goes beyond data visualisation and interpretation (more about that [here](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GXcXXOEjynNdL9l9w7YRaPy_s-l8hP1MnjsfD7BiuNU/edit)), since it implies performing more complex operations and using the collected data. This step needs to be informed by scientific expertise, depending on which environmental issue you are focusing on, to make the analysis reliable. For this reason, it is important to make sure you don’t tackle this process without the support of relevant scientists, who will guide the data analysis and propose suitable methodologies for generating relevant and trustworthy conclusions (more on how to engage key stakeholders [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/UsqITyFD1zFpnWeai7G8/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-engage-stakeholders-by-learning-how-to-work-with-various-types-of-stakeholders)). Data analysis can be done deductively or inductively. Deductive data analysis means answering the research question using existing scientific concepts, theories and methods. Inductive data analysis starts with data broadly related to a topic (not with research questions) and looks for patterns in the data to arrive at insights and explanations for those patterns. #### **Research question-driven data analysis** This refers to data analysis that is driven by the research question that has been derived from the environmental issue that is at the heart of your Citizen Observatory (more on how to identify the issue [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/UsqITyFD1zFpnWeai7G8/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-set-up-a-citizen-observatory-by-identifying-a-shared-issue)). The research question might be related to understanding the current situation of a particular phenomenon. Examples of such questions are: How polluted is my city, and where are the pollution hotspots? What species of butterfly are most prevalent in my area and why? How do citizens perceive the green spaces in my city, and how can I use this information to make improvements? An example from the LandSense project tackles this latter question. Statistical methods can be used to answer these types of questions, from simple summaries (as shown in the BOX below) used to understand the current situation, to the development of statistical models that can be used to explain the reasons for these findings. > ### Example from the LandSense project > >
Recommendations for communication in citizen science (from Innovation in Citizen Science – Perspectives on Science-Policy Advances)
#### **Specific communication practices for Citizen Observatories** In the specific case of a Citizen Observatory, you will want to spend some time thinking about what types of impact you are aiming for; what information, data and results will be needed to achieve those impacts; and therefore what types of communication will be most appropriate. For example, is your aim to provide policy-makers with data that will inform the development of new policies or regulations? If so, you will want to spend some time working with them to understand their information needs: what format should that data be presented in, is there a specific moment in time that they will need to receive this data, and how will they use that data further to bring about the desired impacts? By finding out these needs in advance, you will be able to plan for them from the beginning. Consider these methodologies from the beginning of the observatory and try to plan what type of dissemination you will use with the citizen community. Plan also to dedicate some resources to this type of activities and to the elaboration of adequate contents. Putting in place mechanisms to collect citizens feedback will help in better focusing and addressing future dissemination activities. > ### Examples from the Mapping for Change project to measure noise pollution in London’s Pepys Estate > > People living in the Pepys Estate in London, England were suffering from noise pollution from a scrapyard near the centre of the estate and very close to both a primary and nursery school, but after more than six years of trying to deal with this problem and raising concerns with the Mayor of Lewisham and others, the disturbance started to escalate. > >
Participants of the Making Sense project in Barcelona use the Future Newspaper Tool to decide on which actions they would like to take. © Making Sense
> ### Example from the Making Sense project > > During the Making Sense project, a group of community champions wanted to find out about noise pollution in Barcelona, their home city. After they discovered that they were regularly being exposed to unhealthy levels of noise, they wanted to create a public action that illustrated the problem of noise levels in the city. Using the Future Newspaper tool they imagined a world in which their data was already actionable. They envisioned an event where people could visually see the noise levels in their community. This became the Noise Box, an interactive public intervention that hooked a sensor up to an LED strip which would light up and turn from green to red when the ambient noise picked up by the sensor went over the World Health Organisation’s recommendation of exposure. > > They brought the Noise Box to the streets of Barcelona and used it as a way to engage with lots of people on the issue of noise pollution. This is a great creative way to use the sensors and data to communicate with others about the problem! > >
Participants of the Making Sense project in Barcelona take their interactive Noise Box to the streets of the city to communicate issues around noise pollution. © Making Sense
> ### Lessons learned from the Landsense project > > One of the aims of the LandSense project was to work with stakeholders such as local authorities, farmers and indigenous communities to raise awareness about digital technologies and new sources of data from Earth Observation. Working with the City of Amsterdam’s planning department was challenging, because it had limited budgets and was used to more conventional methods of data collection, i.e., surveys. Together with the planning department, LandSense developed the *MijnPark* app to gather information about citizens’ perceptions of greenspace, focussing initially on Rembrandt Park. The city of Amsterdam saw the value of this type of data and is now continuing to work with one of LandSense’s partners (the Free University of Amsterdam) to gather more data from citizens. Another example is working with farmers in Serbia, who were not used to using digital technologies as part of their farming practices and were also reluctant due to being very busy. By helping them to digitise their fields with information using the CropSupport app developed in the project, we showed them how they can obtain Earth Observation data in return, e.g. on crop health. Finally, working with indigenous communities in Indonesia, threats were reported using the NaturaAlert mobile app developed during the project, which was fed by alerts of new threats from the Earth Observation-driven change detection service. Although many had mobile phones, such an application was entirely new to them. As part of LandSense, we successfully bridged some digital divides while raising awareness on how the use of digital technologies and Earth Observation can benefit the communities. > >
Banana farmers in Las Canarias part of GROW Place Spain
> > The GROW Observatory focused on soil monitoring and regenerative food growing places. GROW engaged 24 communities in 13 European countries to create an unprecedented network of 6,502 ground-based soil sensors and a dataset of 516M rows of soil data. One of the GROW Places was in El Hierro (one of the Canary Islands). The local government allowed access to public land for installing sensors; thanks to this involvement, sensors covered all the different climates of the island. In addition, because the resulting GROW soil moisture data were directly meaningful to the participants’ growing practices, they were able to interpret sensor data and take action. > > For example, just a month after citizen scientists in El Hierro began their sensing activities, some farmers realised that they were over-irrigating their banana crops, and as a result they reduced the use of water for irrigation by about 30% right away. > > “On our farm, we reduced water use by 30% just after a \[sic] month of data collection. We found that the plants are happy enough with 40 min irrigation instead of 1 hour.” (Michal Mos, El Hierro Community Champion) #### **Policy change** In the context of Citizen Observatories, there is an inherent intent to create policy impact, promoting a blueprint for making both science and policy *with* people, rather than only *for* people (more on the characteristics of Citizen Observatories [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/l8nzR3B5tbaag6XkXc7A/getting-to-know-and-understand-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-understand-what-citizen-observatories-are-by-learning-about-their-characteristics)). In principle, Citizen Observatories can play an important role in supporting evidence-based policy-making, and thus democratising the policy-making process as well as the knowledge creation process. This stems from the deliberate focus of Citizen Observatories on public decision-making and policy change, ideally facilitated via the involvement of decision-makers from public authorities who are in charge of implementing policy, and/or policy-makers who set policy. In practice, achieving this kind of impact requires deliberate attention and effort. Changing policy implies understanding how the so-called ‘policy-making cycle’ works, as this has its own dynamic. Moreover, you need to identify the policy domain(s) that are linked to the environmental issue that your Citizen Observatory focuses on. For example, your issue may cut across one or more of the following: urban and rural planning, flood risk management, biodiversity conservation, natural resources management, and climate adaptation and mitigation. It’s good practice to involve decision-makers from public authorities who are in charge of implementing the concerned policy, or at least to inform relevant policy-makers during the set-up of your Citizen Observatory (more on how to engage key stakeholders [here ](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/l8nzR3B5tbaag6XkXc7A/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-engage-stakeholders-by-understanding-the-context-and-identifying-key-stakeholders)and [here](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/l8nzR3B5tbaag6XkXc7A/creating-and-running-a-citizen-observatory/i-want-to-engage-stakeholders-by-learning-how-to-work-with-various-types-of-stakeholders)).
Policy cycle (Höchtl, Parycek & Schöllhammer, 2015)
As your Citizen Observatory evolves, liaising regularly with policy-makers from the relevant policy domains can ensure that you remain up to date on developments in their respective policy cycle, e.g. such as upcoming public consultations on spatial planning in your city or region. This enables you to understand what evidence is required for making or changing policy and to feed relevant data, information and insights into the process. #### **Transforming results into actionable recommendations** Triggering change in policy adoption can be facilitated through an effective dissemination of the citizen science research results. But reaching the policy community can be challenging. Targeted results should be disseminated to decision-makers to facilitate the uptake of results. Sharing results with policy-makers can ensure that your research is applied and that it can lead to behavioural or collective change. In summary, it can ensure that your research has an impact. Inherent to a Citizen Observatory is to involve policy-makers from the beginning and to also keep them informed during the development of the project. You should incorporate their perspectives in order not to advance in separate ways. When promoting your results with policy-makers, use dedicated events with dialogue and debate, and prepare clear and succinct policy briefs in which they can find the key impacts and implications of your project for their decision-making processes. The WeObserve project, aiming at moving citizen science into the mainstream, has developed two policy briefs and has organised and participated in several dedicated events where citizen science has been promoted in political agendas, in particular with regard to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. > ### Lessons learned from the Ground Truth 2.0 project > >
Storymap on the contributions of citizen science data to SDG Monitoring
According to a systematic review undertaken by the WeObserve SDGs CoP, citizen science and Citizen Observatory data are already contributing and could potentially contribute to 33% of the SDG indicators. Their greatest contributions to the SDG framework would be to SDG 15 Life on Land, SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities, SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing, and SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation. This also demonstrates that citizen science and Citizen Observatory data have the greatest potential for input to the environmental SDG indicators, 68% of which lack data [according to UNEP](https://www.unep.org/resources/report/measuring-progress-towards-achieving-environmental-dimension-sdgs). > ### Example by the Picture Pile initiative > >
Example of completed Co-Evaluation Tool ©GROW Observatory
The [Co-Evaluation Tool](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/co-evaluation-tool) for citizen science can also be applied to Citizen Observatories. It aims at capturing how participation in a project has changed knowledge, practices and policy. This tool builds on the [Place Standard Tool](http://www.placestandard.scot/); it focuses on ten indicators of the different types of impact that could result from a project. This tool, which encompasses a method and canvas, is designed for community members and citizen science practitioners wanting to evaluate a project. It provides prompting questions for discussions among participants, allowing communities and project managers to consider these indicators in a methodical way. This tool can be used at the end of a project to assess the impacts and changes achieved. It can also be useful at the beginning of a project as a way to collect an understanding among stakeholders.
Participants of the Making Sense project in Barcelona complete the CLIs tool worksheet to decide which type of indicators they would like to collect ©Making Sense
The [Community Level Indicators (CLI) tool ](https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/community-level-indicators-tool-2)is designed for community members and citizen science practitioners wanting to start a new project and is designed to be used throughout a citizen science project. The CLI method involves asking community members to identify extra information that a community in a citizen science project can collect to complement and contextualise sensor data. For example, if a community is concerned about air pollution in their area, they might start a campaign to reduce the number of cars that drive on their street while using a sensor to monitor changes in air quality. The CLI, in this case, could be the measurement of car traffic on the street over the same period of time that the air quality is also measured and comparing the data to see if there is any correlation between the car traffic and the air quality. This toolkit helps participants to track the potential impact of their actions. The CLI tool helps participants to collaboratively choose what information will be collected, and how. This tool can also be used at the end of a data collection period, to see how actions have made a difference. #### **Insight Workshops** Insight workshops are a great way to reflect on the collaborative efforts of the participants and organisers, as well as engaging additional stakeholders who are not part of the core membership. The sessions can be formal or informal but should aim at iteratively presenting insights and results from the Observatory as they emerge rather than waiting for traditional publication, as well as conducting rolling evaluations on what went well and what could be improved. There are many different ways of conducting an insight workshop, but having a space where people feel comfortable to express their opinions is key. Other helpful materials can be post-its for noting down pros and cons of the project, and sticker dots, which can be used for voting. Asking participants to fill out feedback questionnaires during these sessions is also a good way to have them reflect on the activities of the project.
A participant fills out a feedback questionnaire about the pilot during a final insight workshop during the Making Sense project in Barcelona. © Making Sense
#### **Impact stories** You can use impact stories to report on changes that result from your Citizen Observatory. An impact story is a narrative about your journey from when you started the Citizen Observatory. In your story, you will explain the issue you were trying to tackle and talk about moments or events when you were aware of a change that had occurred in relation to the problem you were working on. For example, you can use an impact story to report on a moment or event where you felt empowered in a discussion with authorities because you had gathered data and insights through your work as a citizen scientist. The WeObserve Impact Community of Practice developed an approach that focuses on capturing and promoting policy impacts. The Impact Inquiry Instrument is available [here](https://zenodo.org/record/4543603#.YCv1AZNKhTY). > ### **Example from the Making Sense project** > > For Making Sense, participatory evaluation was crucial to the development of the project and also the participants’ awareness of what they had learned about the environmental challenge. During a campaign in Barcelona, the participants got together for a workshop on CLI. They first agreed on a sensing strategy, which included where and when they would be collecting data on noise pollution using the Smart Citizen Kit. > > They then used the CLI tool and worksheet to collectively decide on one or two other indicators that could be used for data annotation in combination with the sensor strategy. The workshop helped participants think about the problem differently. For example, some of the participants wanted to monitor the public presence in the area where the data on noise levels was being collected and then compare this information to the noise sensor data. > > This allowed participants to overcome a culture of blame and to instead see the possibilities of collaborative decision-making. Also, the CLI workshop helped them make sense of the sensor data. By discussing the CLIs the participants were able to plan approaches that would build on the sensor’s datasets to reveal deeper insights into the issue of noise pollution. > > In one case, a participant used her phone to photograph the number of people on the street. These images evidenced the source of the problem. Once the community had gathered the sensor data, they used these photographs alongside the data sets to demonstrate the problem to local government officials. ## Useful Resources **TOOL**: The [**Co-Evaluation Too**](https://doi.org/10.20933/100001180)[**l**](https://doi.org/10.20933/100001180) is open source and has been developed with community-led citizen science projects in mind. **TOOL**: The [**Community Level Indicators Tool**](https://doi.org/10.20933/100001178) is open source and has been developed with community-led citizen science projects in mind. It is part of Citizen Sensing: A Toolkit, a collection of 25 methods and tools that can be used in citizen science projects. **SCIENTIFIC PAPER**: [**This paper**](https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3196709.3196762) presents a qualitative study on the development of a novel approach to CLI during two projects that focused on noise pollution. **CoP**: The [WeObserve Impact Community of Practice](https://www.weobserve.eu/weobserve-cop2-impact-and-value-of-citizen-observatories-for-governance/) brings together practitioners of Citizen Observatories and citizen science to share and learn different ways of capturing impacts, including via participatory evaluation. ## You may also be interested in: [I want to measure impacts of the Citizen Observatory via a suitable approach](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/YNcsnBo4H0633fzRkVIb/achieving-impact-with-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-measure-impacts-of-the-co-via-suitable-approach) *** *This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.* # Ensuring sustainability of Citizen Observatories # I want to ensure sustainability of the CO by making project outputs open access ## Why is it relevant? The incremental and regular release of outputs can help stakeholders develop a common understanding of the issue and solutions to it. In the long run, doing this may help stakeholders reorient the Citizen Observatory to new and emerging questions. For public authorities, such openness also facilitates the transparency, accountability and continuity of public participation. ## How is this done? Technology has changed the way knowledge and information is spread. When people invented printing and books, we had a tool for sharing knowledge that was costly to it in terms of writing and production, but this method could attribute the knowledge to its author. Now, moving forward into the increased use of online platforms and digital information, the outputs of Citizen Observatories can regularly be made open (publicly accessible) in the form of digested and impactful information that is useful and tailored for different stakeholders: citizens, scientists, and decision-makers. #### **Publishing results as open access** As scientific work, citizen science results should be made available through and follow the open science recommendations for research visibility in science. These recommendations are based on the assumption that science results made freely available to the scientific and social communities will lead to a more collaborative, transparent and comprehensive advancement of collective knowledge. To this goal, any publication, such as research papers, proceedings, policy briefs, books and letters, describing your research results should be made openly available through their publication into open access journals, platforms and repositories. There are two ways to do this: * **Gold Open Access**: This involves directly publishing your work in an online open access journal or repository. Open access platforms are those which guarantee that free access to research is made with no restrictions, both for the content and for the license agreements, entirely being open content licenses. This way the research results are made available for consultation, download, sharing and reuse immediately after their publication. Publication charges may apply to publications on open access platforms, as for other types of publications. * **Green Open Access:** With this you can publish your work in a journal or repository with any kind of access policy and at the same time make available a copy of the work through an open access platform. In this case, the copy you wish to make open will need to be consistent with the legal restrictions imposed by the journal or repository in which the work is published. This can consist of an embargo period, the ability to publish only a pre-print version or some copyright restrictions. Of course, this way is less adequate for making the research results immediately and completely available to the research and social communities, as complete free access to research results is not given immediately. Many sites and platforms offer open access storage and publication; you can find a list in the [Directory of Open Access Journals](https://doaj.org/) (for journals and articles) or in the [Registry of Open Access Repositories](http://roar.eprints.org/) (which includes data repositories and open access journals and databases). The ones most often sed by the research community are probably [Zenodo](https://zenodo.org/) and [OpenAIRE](https://www.openaire.eu/). In any case, when making your decision, it is essential to first check in detail the journal or site policy in relation to the copyright of the work in order to avoid further conflicts regarding the ownership and access rights to the content. In recent times, there has been a general agreement that publication of results should be traceable back to the data that supports the conclusion. Since most Citizen Observatories are constantly adding new observations to their data sets, a frozen version of the data, conveniently anonymised and without any sensitive information in it, should also be made available through an open repository cited in the publication using a permanent and unique identifier (PID) for your data set. Examples of repositories that provide PIDs along with some basic metadata are GitHub, [Zenodo](https://zenodo.org/), the [Open Data Repository](https://www.opendatarepository.org/) and the [B2SHARE catalog](https://eudat.eu/catalogue/B2SHARE). Many other thematic repositories exist, and you can find a catalogue on the [re3data ](https://www.re3data.org/)webpage. Make sure the repository you choose is adequate for the type and formats of your data and that it matches your needs in terms of licenses, as well as of costs of the service. Also, consider whether it will be useful for you to be notified about the use of your data. > ### Example from the LandSense project > >
Value Proposition Canvas
#### **Consider Data Driven Services and Innovation** Whether your Citizen Observatory is looking to fully sustain itself or to promote targeted innovation activities, there are opportunities to encourage the uptake and use of Citizen Observatory data by industry and SMEs. Initiatives such as an Open Data Challenge (ODC) can demonstrate how data acquired within Citizen Observatory can help private sector businesses address data needs and gaps. The purpose of this activity is not primarily to engage a large number of people, but rather to create a number of sample applications that might:
Planning an Open Data Challenge from the Nesta Open Data Challenge Series Handbook
To run a successful competition, you might wish to consider the following points and generate appropriate documentation. * Competition Call – Create a description of the ‘event’ and the format. Have you got mentors in mind? What frequently asked questions are likely? * Look at the data sets you have; are they suitable? * How are you going to give people access to your data? You might want to produce videos describing the data. You will need to create a licence for your data; you could consider a creative commons licence. * Who is going to judge your competition? You will need a panel of experts, some of them external to your organisation. * How are you going to award the winners? Will you hold an event, and who is going to organise it? Is there an opportunity for a demo at a conference or other event? * How will you publicise the competition? Can you reach parties that may be interested, perhaps through connected organisations, email lists, Twitter, Facebook, etc.? Have you got an organisational website that can carry details of the competition? * How will you support the competitors? WeObserve set up a Slack channel that all competitors were asked to join. Mentoring was carried out on Slack and through video calls. * The WeObserve ODC ran a webinar about the data which was publicised in a similar way to the competition, and this was used to draw competitors in. * Will you create a competition packet for the competitors with an FAQ and details of how they should enter the competition and how exactly what they need to do to satisfy the entry requirements? WeObserve required a code and a 5-minute video explaining the concept. An Open Data Challenge was publicised on the WeObserve website, but more importantly, through social media and personal communications with people likely to take part. The challenge was simple: take the data from one or more of the Citizen Observatories and combine it with other data to create a new and possibly commercialised service.
Video: Gulsen Otcu discusses the HI-TERRA project
Establishing a modular system architecture that is connected directly with the processes of end-user organisations is another way to facilitate the sustainability of the Citizen Observatory after the funding period. The underpinning mission is to make Citizen Observatory outputs easily replicable and scalable, while at the same time generating economic value and social capital. This is the approach realised by the Scent Citizen Observatory, which introduces a flood management and monitoring service relying on citizen-generated data while being directly exploited by relevant end-users > ### Lessons learned from the WeObserve Open Data Challenge > > The WeObserve team learned some valuable lessons from the Open Data Challenge, most importantly the need to mentor the teams during the competition. We found that the teams with strong mentoring produced the most viable proposals and projects. Not all teams had the experience to produce a product, but nevertheless they could contribute useful ideas. A team brokering exercise could have helped in that situation. Not surprisingly, the exercise produced some unexpected uses of the data, such as food energy calculators for farmers in Nigeria. You never know how external people will be able to use your data! All entries to the competition were open source, so that others could learn from the experience of those taking part. > > The competition attracted 44 teams. Nine final entrants provided all the material requested, including details of the project and a short video describing what the team had decided to do. These entries were judged by a panel of citizen science experts, and two were selected to spend 4 months creating a final demonstration project that was presented at the ECSA Berlin conference. ## Useful Resources **TOOL**: The [Business Model Canvas](https://strategyzer.com/canvas/business-model-canvas) will help design your business model. **TOOL**: Test the fit between your product and service with the [Value Proposition Framework.](https://www.strategyzer.com/canvas/value-proposition-canvas) **PROJECT REPORT:** [Flood modelling applications through the use of Citizen Observatories tools and data.](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4575320) **WEB PAGE:** The WeObserve [Open Data Challenge.](https://www.weobserve.eu/marketplace/opendatachallenge/) **CONFERENCE PRESENTATION**: [Sustainable Development Goals conference.](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1CE_qo3CWb0J3KuFw74h41Y-vU9FYWVUS/edit#slide=id.g9e5d4f09e3_0_0) **TOOL**: The WeObserve MOOC step on how to run an ODC: [**Citizen Science Projects: How to make a difference**](https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/weobserve-the-earth) online course on FutureLearn. [**Activity 4.6 Setting up your own Open Data Challenge**](https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/weobserve-the-earth/4/steps/1085629) and [**Activity 4.9 Citizen Observatories and service innovation**](https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/weobserve-the-earth/4/steps/1085632)**.** **PUBLICATION**: [The NESTA Open Data Challenge Series Handbook.](https://www.nesta.org.uk/report/the-open-data-challenge-series-handbook/) ## You may also be interested in: [I want to ensure sustainability of the Citizen Observatory after the funding period by making project outputs with open access](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/AVk10pGxUrxz6q4lko9L/ensuring-sustainability-of-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-ensure-sustainability-of-the-co-by-making-project-outputs-open-access) [I want to ensure sustainability of the Citizen Observatory after the funding period by accessing open funding calls](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/6ZSCHlrVElOLRrRDt5qI/ensuring-sustainability-of-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-ensure-sustainability-of-the-co-by-accessing-open-funding-calls) [I want to ensure sustainability of the Citizen Observatory after the funding period by moving the infrastructure of the observatory into the cloud](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/6ZSCHlrVElOLRrRDt5qI/ensuring-sustainability-of-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-ensure-sustainability-of-the-co-by-moving-the-infrastructure-of-the-co-into-the-cloud) [I want to ensure sustainability of the Citizen Observatory after the funding period by collaborating with other Citizen Observatories with similar objectives](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/6ZSCHlrVElOLRrRDt5qI/ensuring-sustainability-of-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-ensure-sustainability-of-the-co-by-collaborating-w-other-cos-that-have-similar-objectives) *** *This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.* # I want to ensure sustainability of the CO by moving the infrastructure of the CO into the cloud ## Why is it relevant? Citizen Observatories depend on the reaction levels of their users. If it is not possible to clearly estimate the number of infrastructure users supporting the community, the exact hardware requirements cannot be determined. If, at some point in time, more participants start providing observations, performance and reliability issues can emerge. Cloud providers offer ‘elastic’ infrastructure as a service which can solve this problem. Citizen Observatories can be deployed in the cloud, and the service can be designed to automatically request more resources when there is more demand. ## How can this be done? There are many cloud providers that can offer relevant services for Citizen Observatories. But from a strategic perspective, a Citizen Observatory should consider moving into the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The EOSC is an environment for hosting and processing research data that supports EU science. The EOSC was initiated by the European Commission in 2015. It aims to develop a federated environment that cuts across borders and scientific disciplines to re-use research data and software, following the FAIR principles. Since Citizen Observatories have demonstrated their capacity to complement official data sources, they should be part of this comprehensive initiative. To become a recognised institution by the EOSC, you should register your Citizen Observatory in the EOSC portal. Once this is done, you can register the Citizen Observatory services as EOSC resources. This process will give the Citizen Observatory more visibility among the scientific community. #### **Select a cloud provider** Currently, the EOSC is not imposing requirements on the infrastructure sustaining a Citizen Observatory. If your Citizen Observatory has not yet been moved into the cloud, it can request cloud access to the EGI Federated Cloud. EGI will determine which member of the federation can best serve the Citizen Observatory in terms of Cloud Compute, Cloud Container Compute or Training infrastructure. #### **Secure funding for the associated costs** Cloud providers rent infrastructure to their clients as a business model. Your Citizen Observatory needs to secure continuous funding to pay for the cloud services. Costs will depend on the computer resources reserved as well as the level of usage of the infrastructure. The organisation of successful data collection campaigns can increase the level of use, resulting in unforeseen costs. On the other hand, your Citizen Observatory will save in hardware costs that are necessary to manage a local infrastructure. The Citizen Observatory will benefit from providing a reliable and stable service whatever the circumstances, something very difficult to achieve with a local infrastructure (which can fail unexpectedly). > ### Example from the Cos4Cloud project > >
Screenshot of Citizen Observatory Landscape Map on www.weobserve.eu
#### **Express your interest and join the WeObserve Communities of Practice** So far, four WeObserve CoPs have been established: * The **Impact CoP** inventories methods for capturing the impacts of Citizen Observatories on governance, captures Citizen Observatory impact stories, and provides guidance on Citizen Observatory impact assessment for the Impact CoP members and beyond. * The **Co-design and Engage CoP** facilitates knowledge sharing on co-designing Citizen Observatories and engages stakeholders to learn about common successes and challenges across projects. * The **Interoperability CoP** adopts data quality, curation and preservation of Citizen Observatory data, addresses privacy and licensing issues, and conducts interoperability experiments within the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). The first IE experiment report has informed data architectures of the Earth Challenge 2020. * The **SDG CoP** connects citizen science practitioners and researchers, National Statistics Offices (NSOs), UN and international agencies and data/stats communities to exchange knowledge and resources to demonstrate the value of citizen science data and impact for SDG monitoring. The SDG CoP has comprehensively mapped citizen science projects against the SDG indicator framework. Results from the study have been taken up at high-level organisations, such as the UN Science-Policy-Business Forum. While the Horizon 2020 funding of WeObserve ends in March 2021, the CoPs will continue as long as they provide value for the groups and chairing can be secured via other projects or new funding being generated. You can sign up to the CoPs[ here](https://www.weobserve.eu/cops/).
#### **Join other regional or global working groups**
Several regional and transnational citizen science associations exist that run specific working groups, such as the Citizen Science Association in North America (CSA), the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA), or the Australian Citizen Science Association (ACSA). The GEO Citizen Science Community Activity works to elevate the value of citizen science communities and data from local to global scales. The Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP) is a global effort to bring together the citizen science community at large and provide concerted actions towards global policy and other important domains.
> ### Lessons learned from the WeObserve project
>
> WeObserve has launched and run four highly successful CoPs and learned a great deal on the barriers and opportunities of such knowledge exchange and networking activities. In this video, CoP chairs Uta Wehn (IHE Delft), Joan Maso (CREAF) and Dilek Fraisl (IIASA) provide their insights and lessons learned, recorded during the ECSA conference in Sept 2020.
## Useful Resources
**TOOL**: The [**WeObserve Landscape Map of Citizen Observatories**](https://www.weobserve.eu/about/cos-landscape-map/) presents a visualisation of Citizen Observatories (and related organisations) across Europe.
**COMMUNITIES**: The [**WeObserve CoPs**](https://www.weobserve.eu/cops/) are made up of practitioners, citizen observers, policy makers, scientists and researchers, among others, and aim to consolidate practice-based knowledge of Citizen Observatories, share information and resources, and further develop best practice guidelines and toolkits for Citizen Observatories.
**PROJECT** REPORT: D2.8 Final WeObserve CoP report.
**WORKING GROUPS AND CoPs**: There are many other communities dedicated to those interested in Citizen Observatories and citizen science:
* [**ECSA working groups**](https://ecsa.citizen-science.net/working-groups/)
* [**CSA working groups**](https://www.citizenscience.org/get-involved/working-groups/)
* [**ACSA regional chapters**](https://citizenscience.org.au/acsa-regional-chapters/)
* [**The CSGP Citizen Science and Open Science CoP**](http://citizenscienceglobal.org/projects.html#csos)
## You may also be interested in:
[I want to ensure sustainability of the Citizen Observatory after the funding period by making project outputs with open access](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/4pwIMlJNF160hrEwpahI/ensuring-sustainability-of-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-ensure-sustainability-of-the-co-by-making-project-outputs-open-access)
[I want to ensure sustainability of the Citizen Observatory after the funding period by accessing open funding calls](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/4pwIMlJNF160hrEwpahI/ensuring-sustainability-of-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-ensure-sustainability-of-the-co-by-accessing-open-funding-calls)
[I want to ensure sustainability of the Citizen Observatory after the funding period by defining a new service](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/4pwIMlJNF160hrEwpahI/ensuring-sustainability-of-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-ensure-sustainability-of-the-co-by-defining-a-new-service)
[I want to ensure sustainability of the Citizen Observatory after the funding period by moving the infrastructure of the observatory into the cloud](https://books.fablabbcn.org/creating-successful-and-sustainable-cos-toolkit/~/revisions/4pwIMlJNF160hrEwpahI/ensuring-sustainability-of-citizen-observatories/i-want-to-ensure-sustainability-of-the-co-by-moving-the-infrastructure-of-the-co-into-the-cloud)
***
*This work by parties of the WeObserve consortium is licensed under a* [*Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License*](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/)*.*