What is Extreme Citizen Science? Volunteerism & Publicly Initiated Scientific Research

Extreme Citizen Science (ExCiteS):one end of the citizen science spectrum

Valentine Seymour & Cindy RegaladoExtreme Citizen Science group @ucl_excites

University College London | Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering

public involvement in scientific researchWhat is ‘citizen science’?

Science communication

volunteered/distributed computing

Grassroots/DIY science

Citizen ScienceCitizen Science

Problem definition

Data collectionVisualisation &

analysisAction

Classification & basic analysis

Public Laboratory for Open Technology & Science

Problem definition

Data collection

Visualisation & analysis

ActionClassification

& basic analysis

Basic School

High School

University/College

Postgraduate

PhD

Literacy

Citizen Science today

Problem definition

Data collection

Visualisation & analysis

ActionClassification

& basic analysis

Basic School

High School

University/College

Postgraduate

PhD

Literacy

Towards an inclusive Citizen Science

Engagement in citizen science

• Collaborative science – problem definition, data collection and analysisLevel 4 ‘Extreme’

• Participation in problem definition and data collection

Level 3 ‘Participatory science’

• Citizens as basic interpreters Level 2 ‘Distributed intelligence’

• Citizens as sensors Level 1 ‘Crowdsourcing’

Extreme Citizen Science• Support bottom-up problem definition• Facilitate engagement throughout the

scientific process: from defining the project, agreeing protocols, collecting, analysing and using the results

• Support inclusive engagement, including people who are usually not involved in citizen science

• Support research in places that are usually excluded

Extreme Citizen Science initiatives

• Community mapping,• Pollution monitoring,• Noise monitoring,• Environmental monitoring,• Illegal poaching,• Publicly initiated scientific research…

tackling climate changein Dorset

Community members assess key issues of importance & device action plan using community map online

focused community mapping in London

Participatory mapping supporting & promoting community engagement in decision-making

community mapping

use of public space

crime mapping

public perception

local knowledge

pollution levels…

monitoring nitrogen dioxide…

Low-tech DIY methods for data collection = increased capacity to influence/call for change

…& metal particles

Capacity to devise methods to remediate situation

air-quality monitoring

community noise mapping

Source: Wikimedia

During Eyjafjallajökull eruption

• UCL and London 21 charity owned social enterprise

• Promote and supports community-based initiatives for sustainable communities

• Participatory mapping & GIS application connecting online and off line community engagement

• Support geographical analysis in the third sector

Mapping for Change

Mapping for Change platform

Mapping for Change platform

EU FP7 project EveryAware

Extreme Citizen Science in Congo

Sapelli data collection suite

ExCtieS working across

boundaries

Sapelli data collection in the Arctic

PubliclyInitiated Scientific Research

Cindy RegaladoUCL_ExCiteS | @CwB_london

the challenge

• Problem-solving based primarily on institutionalised and professionalised science practices: ‘objective’ models, controlled experiments, reduced uncertainty

• hinders understanding of the complex multi-scale web of emerging problems & the conception of new methods for their solution

• undermines creativity, skills, competence, and aspirations of a large portion of the population

• Collaborative Science – problem definition, data collection and analysisType 4 ‘Extreme’

• Participation in problem definition and data collection

Type 3 ‘Participatory science’

• Citizens as basic interpreters Type 2 ‘Distributed Intelligence’

• Citizens as sensors Type 1 ‘Crowdsourcing’

• PIScR Tryers & doers – do it yourself, discover it yourself, design it yourselfType 5 ‘Beyond’

types of engagement incitizen science

the complication

“There are no process at the institutional level for the recognition and integration of multiple claims to

knowledge and institutional arrangements cannot yet conceive a process for the validation of bottom-up

knowledge claims because powerful interests subvert the process” – Yvonne Rydin, The Bartlett (2007)

Symptoms of government

& culture

Status of Science

(Self-)trustCognitive / technical mastery

inclusion / exclusion

Publicly Initiated Scientific Research is…

Community oriented & developed

Community owned

Tools can be adapted & spread in an open source

fashion

Civic Science based practice by Public Laboratory for Open Technology & Science

camera

Kite

DIY spectrometry

In Publicly Initiated Scientific

Research…

Locals regarded as experts of their own

environments

Stems from public exploration &

investigation of environments

the power of grassroots & DIY

• range from politicised responses to satisfaction of having a job well done

• referred to as amateurs, hobbyists, makers, hackers…

• essence of DIY is one of self-: self-reliance, self-learning, self satisfaction

• taking ownership, figuring things out by ourselves

• yes, of course, it is frustrating at times

the essence of DIY

the range of DIY

Converting a digital camera into Near Infrared

DIY Arduino-based humidity & temperature

sensor

Explorer of the world playshops

“grassroots bottom-up efforts provide granularity and nuance that renders them inclusive of local issues, knowledges, politics, and sustainable solutions”

Gowanus canal initiative

DIY grassroots in NY: Collecting samples for water quality testing

Do it yourself aerial photographywww.grassrootsmapping.org

LOCAL CITIZEN PHOTOGRAPHY !

2008 State Photo Program

2011 Citizen Kite Photo Program

IMPROVING PUBLIC DATA &CREATING TOOLS FOR LOCAL INSIGHT

mapping a park

mapping

forest damag

e

mapping a

parade

the challenge

• how do we support grassroots initiatives, DIY efforts?

• more science education? …patronising• increased transparency? …anxiety• a shift in focus from “a lack of scientific literacy as a

problem to a recognition of a range of different knowledges that people have and use as they confront science and technology in their everyday lives” Cunningham-Burley (2006)

ENGAGEMENT   

TRUST

COMMUNITY

…let’s focus on FACILITATORS

…let’s focus on OUR ROLE

…let’s focus on ENABLERS

to question

to do

it matters

The proposal

[Jayne Evan’s 2010 MSc Project]

Mapping the socio-demographics of

volunteersValentine Seymour

UCL_ExCiteS | @ValentineSeymou

[Jayne Evan’s 2010 MSc Project]

Mapping the socio-demographics of volunteers

“Mobile Goodwill – Realising the Wider Potential”

• From Bean Counting to Behaviour Analysis

• Partnership with European Centre for the Environment & Health at University of Exeter’s Peninsula College of Medicine & Dentistry

• Using TCV’s Management Information system database as an effective monitoring tool

• Measuring the health and wellbeing of volunteers

• What do we know so far? …

Research Questions

Does environmental volunteering improve a person’s mental wellbeing and physical health?

What environmental volunteering activities, if any, influence a person’s mental wellbeing and physical health?

How can this be modelled and analysed effectively so it can be used as a widely accessible monitoring tool?

Wellbeing, Connection to Nature & Engagement

Nature

Individual Wellbeing

Social Interactions

Aesthetic values

LifestyleSocioeconomic Values

Future research directions for wellbeing…

[TCV - Stave Hill]

The future of citizen science• Foster long-term community-level involvement

& activities

• Making use of appropriate cyber infrastructure

• Developing diverse goals & evaluation strategies

• Engaging under-represented audiences

• Effectively disseminating results

“Extreme Citizen Science is science by citizens, where anyone, regardless of their background, can take ownership over and investigate issues that are of concern to them to bring about meaningful change”

valentine.seymour.12@ucl.ac.uk cindy.regalado.11@ucl.ac.uk

www.ucl.ac.uk/excites | @ucl_exciteshttp://www.communitymaps.org.uk