The global FreshWaterWatch programme involves citizen science volunteers in a coordinated water quality monitoring campaign linked to academia, with networking tools to keep volunteers intersted.

1. NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES — FEBRUARY 26, 2015
Dr Neil Bailey
October2015A Citizen Science Platform to Monitor
Global Water Quality

2. NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES — FEBRUARY 26, 2015
WHAT IS FRESHWATER WATCH?
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• A global Citizen Science project initially established
to engage over 7000 HSBC staff to monitor water
quality
– To protect freshwater effectively we need more data
– Citizen Science is an ideal way to gather this
– Getting employees involved in field research and
understanding the science
– Provides data for 25+ ‘local’ research projects
– Agglomerates data for global research

3. NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES — FEBRUARY 26, 2015
WHAT IS THE VALUE?
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• Earthwatch deliver Citizen Science with high Scientific
value AND Personal Value
– Data gathering tied to clear scientific hypotheses /
knowledge gaps
– Data of high quality and volume
– Participants engaged through a training day and a
commitment to sample
– Providing personal development & attribution/recognition
• FWW Platform enables ongoing engagement beyond
initial training
– Learning Content
– Interactions with scientists and peers
– Informative news, blogs, forums, webinars
– Gamification (Leader boards, points etc.)

4. NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES — FEBRUARY 26, 2015
THE FRESHWATER WATCH PLATFORM
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5. NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES — FEBRUARY 26, 2015
LESSONS LEARNED
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• Establishing a Global Citizen Science Project
requires a great deal of investment and expertise
(The science of Citizen Science)
• Engagement is maximised when there is good
communication between the scientist and the
participants
• No one global blueprint (socio-cultural influences)
• A group of super-enthused individuals are clearly
visible
• Need for progression for these super CSLs.

6. NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES — FEBRUARY 26, 2015
THE FUTURE – SCALING THE SOLUTION
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• EW engaging with wider stakeholders
(communities, NGOs, schools etc.)
• Leverage the flexibility of the platform and app to
gather wider data
• Bring together ad hoc CS projects and share
benefits of the platform.
• A ‘Zooniverse’ for fresh water citizen science

7. NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES — FEBRUARY 26, 2015
THE BENEFITS OF PARTNERING (PISCES)
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• Participants - sharing participants and enabling
them to progress from one project to another
• Impact – a bigger presence achieved through
collaboration and dissemination
• Shared data - data not in silos and easily
combined to generate greater insights
• Costs - overheads of development, maintenance
and hosting shared across partners
• Expertise - technical, scientific and engagement
skills pooled and shared
• Scale - increased likelihood for projects to
expand and grow as a result of the above

8. NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES — FEBRUARY 26, 2015
Totally Thames
Heathrow
RECENT PARTNERS & PROJECTS

9. NEW RESEARCH PROGRAMS AND PRIORITIES — FEBRUARY 26, 2015
• Interested in joining FreshWater Watch?
OR
• Seeking to develop your own water-based citizen science programme?
• Corporate event 21st October
Dr Neil Bailey
nbailey@earthwatch.org.uk
www.freshwaterwatch/thewaterhub.org
CONTACT