Invited presentation for plenary session 1: Leveraging a Never Ending Technological Revolution as part of the 4th GEOSS Science and Technology Stakeholder Workshop: Concepts, Technologies, Systems and Users of the Next GEOSS, Norfolk, VA, held on March 24-26, 2015. http://www.gstss.org/2015_Norfolk_4th/program.php

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NEXT GENERATION
CITIZEN SCIENCE
Lea Shanley
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Presidential Innovation Fellow @ NASA
Co-chair, US Federal Community of Practice on Citizen
Science and Crowdsourcing
Presented to 4th GEOSS Science and Technology
Stakeholder Workshop, Norfolk, VA, on March 25, 2015
What is Citizen Science?
• A form of open collaboration where members of the public
participate in the scientific process to address real world
problems, ranging from identifying research questions,
collecting and analyzing the data, conducting
experiments, interpreting the results, making new
discoveries, developing technologies and applications,
and solving complex problems.

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Big Data Characteristics Challenges
Volume
Size
Multi-dimensionality
Inter-linkages
Storage
Transfer
Analysis
Variety
Sources and types
Semi- and unstructured
Metadata
Semantics
Integration
Velocity
Speed of collection and
processing
Stream reasoning
Rule systems
Veracity
High variability
Bias
Verification
Uncertainty
Viewpoints/Values
Audience
Authorship, Platform
Personal data, locations
Cost
Culture, language
Copyright, Licensing
Privacy and security
Procurement
Visualization
Need for speed
Understanding context
Displaying meaningful
results
Viewing outliers
Sources: Gartner 2011, GIScience 2012, McKinsey 2011, Goolsby 2013, SAS 2013
THE CITIZEN SCIENCE
ECOSYSTEM

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Source: http://CitizenScienceAssociation.org/
Source: http://CitizenScienceAssociation.org/

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Source: http://CitizenScienceAssociation.org/
Engineering
Astrophysics and Astronomy
Earth Sciences
Ecology and Evolutionary
Biology
Forestry and Forest Sciences
Microbiology
Oceanography and Atmospheric
Sciences and Meteorology
Public Health
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Source: http://CitizenScienceAssociation.org/

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GOALS
• European citizenship
• Public engagement with science
Source: Muki Haklay
ECSA Constitution
• Support the growth of national citizen science communities
across the EU;
• Share knowledge and skills on citizen science;
• Develop EU wide citizen science programmes;
• Identify, develop and promote best practice and excellence in
citizen science;
• Collaborate with the growing international citizen science
community;
• Develop and support a common European approach to citizen
science, in terms of methodology, education and training materials,
time and performance criteria. Source: Muki Haklay

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ECSA
Ideas and network building starting
around OPAL (UK) and Linda Davis
Launch in Brussels at Green
Week 2013, further development
of principles and governance;
decision for the secretariat in
Berlin
Building an association according to
German law, with Johannes Vogel as
director and Katrin Vohland as assessor,
and Andrea Sforzi and Jaqueline McGlade
forming the board of trustees
2014
First General Assembly to develop working
programme, develop new project ideas and
consortia, exchange experience
Copenhagen April 8th 2014
http://ecsa.citizen-science.net
2013
Source: Muki Haklay
Supported by:
CITIZEN SCIENCE NETWORK
AUSTRALIA:
a developing community of practice for citizen
science within Australia

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Background
† Australians are active in over 120 discrete citizen
science projects, engaging well over 100,000
participants
† primarily engaged in environmental fields,
(particularly ecology, zoology, water quality
monitoring, marine science, and land
management) less so medical and physical
sciences
Development of the CSNA
Pre Oct 2013 informal discussions, collaborations
Oct 2013 Earthwatch release white paper on call for a national
association (60 formal responses, 3 organisational letter of
support)
Jan 2014 Working group established to run workshop (16ppl)
April National survey of citizen science practitioners
May Inaugural workshop in Brisbane (90 attendees), establish 4
working groups (entity & governance, communication,
funding and mission & objectives)
July Working group conveners and deputies selected (Chris
Gillies- E&G, Carla Sbrocchi-M&O, Philip Roetman-F, Gretta
Pecl (dep)-C, Michelle Neil-C )
Aug EOI for host organisation released
Oct EOI for board members released

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BUILDING A US FEDERAL
COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
US Federal Citizen Science
• Advance and accelerate scientific research through group
discovery and co-creation of knowledge.
• Increase science literacy and provide students with skills
needed to excel in science, technology, engineering, and math.
• Improve delivery of government services with significantly lower
resource investments.
• Connect the public to the missions of US Federal agencies by
promoting a spirit of Open Government and volunteerism.
• http://www2.epa.gov/innovation/federal-community-practice-
crowdsourcing-and-citizen-science

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• Determine where government can effectively leverage
crowdsourced and citizen science data to augment existing
information or intelligence for improved science and decision-
making. Conversely, determine where it is not appropriate.
• Identify, assess and manage the risks.
• Develop methods to verify and validate crowdsourced data.
• Establish best practices and durable workflows for integrating
crowdsourced and authoritative datasets. Construct
methods and processes that can streamline this integration and
synthesis.
Fed Community of Practice
• Streamline bureaucratic approval processes. Determine
which policies need to be adapted or established.
• Collaborate and build partnerships with citizen science
organizations, academia, and the private sector.
• Evaluate and increase impact on science, management,
and public policy
• Develop ways for agencies to look ahead in their
policymaking 5-10 years with rapid technological change
– “Strategic Foresight.”
Fed Community of Practice

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• Data ownership and licensing
• Data access
• Liability / risk mitigation
• Privacy Act
• Paperwork Reduction Act
• Information Quality Assurance Act
• Anti-Deficiency Act
• Procurement regulations
• Freedom of Information
• Records management and retention
Legal and Policy Issues
US Nat’l Plan for Civil Earth Observations
• Focus on user needs and
measurements
• Crowdsourcing and citizen science
included for:
• Improving data management
• Increasing efficiency and cost savings
• Improving observational density and
sampling
• Expanding availability and use of open
data

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US Open Gov National Action Plan 2013
“Creating a more Open Government and
addressing our Nation’s most challenging issues
requires and informed and active citizenry.
Recognizing the value of the American public as
a strategic partner in addressing some of the
country’s most pressing challenges, the Unites
States will work to more effectively harness the
expertise, ingenuity, and creativity of the
American public by enabling, accelerating, and
scaling the use of open innovation methods
across the Federal Government, including
commitments to:”
• Create an Open Innovation Toolkit
• New Incentive Prizes and Challenges
• Increase Citizen Science and Crowdsourcing
Programs
Citizen Science Toolkit

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CITIZEN SCIENCE AND
CLIMATE INDICATORS
US Global Climate Change Program
USGCRP Strategic Plan
• “…observation of ecological and social systems can be
dramatically improved by collecting new kinds of data or using
new data collection methods, including emerging opportunities
to vastly scale-up the use of non-traditional data sources and
“citizen science” research programs…however it will be
challenging to integrate these measurement networks into
broader observational systems.”
• “Distributed computing, applications for mobile technology, and
social networking have the potential to dramatically scale up
citizen science where interested members of the public serve
as observers, modelers, and analyzers of the Earth system,
contributing to the scientific enterprise and broadening the
meaning of global change in their own lives.”
Source: Emily Therese Cloyd, USGCRP

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Citizen Science Contributions to Climate Indicators
• Collect data both across larger temporal and spatial
scales and in finer detail
• Linking volunteer data collection with climate trends can
encourage awareness of specific climate dynamics
• Participants can see a trend emerge in real-time as they
collect their own data
Source: Emily Therese Cloyd, USGCRP
Tracking a Changing Climate
2014 USGCRP Public Forum & Workshop
to explore ways in which crowd-based
approaches, such as citizen science, and
community-based monitoring, are and can
be used to support indicators or indicator
systems of climate change, impacts, and
response

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Physical Climate Indicators
• Precipitation (CoCoRaHS, GLOBE, WeatherBug, Cooperative
Observer Program, mPING)
• Drought (UNISDR)
• Flooding (census data, insurance)
• Snow cover (CoCoRaHS, GLOBE, Cooperative Observer
Program)
• Air & surface temperature, Humidity (GLOBE, WeatherBug,
Cooperative Observer Program)
• Soil Moisture (CoCoRaHS, GLOBE)
• Wind (WeatherBug)
• Water temperature, pH, and Salinity (Multiple regional and local
programs)
• Albedo (In development – GLOBE)
Source: Emily Therese Cloyd, USGCRP
Impacts Indicators
• Phenology (National Phenology Network, Project
BudBurst, GLOBE)
• Bird Species Range and Migration (Audubon Christmas
Bird Count, USGS Breeding Birds Survey, eBird,
Hummingbirds at Home)
• Endangered species and cherished species (Thriving
Earth Exchange, Forest Watch)
• Invasive species (What’s Invasive, SEEDN, EDDMapS)
• Fish catch (dock landing reports)
• Pollinators (Great Sunflower Project)
• Growing season and agricultural yields (Maple Watch)
Source: Emily Therese Cloyd, USGCRP

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Responses Indicators
• Recognition of climate change as an issue (media reports,
voting)
• Incorporating climate change into individual and collective
decision making (insurance)
• Planning and implementing adaptation and mitigation
(local and state publications)
• Energy use (electric bills, renewable energy adoption)
• Transportation choices (public transit ridership)
Source: Emily Therese Cloyd, USGCRP
Connecting Indicators, Citizen Science,
and Remote Sensing
• Pilot indicator system will debut this spring
• Additional indicators are in development
• For any given indicator…
• What remote sensing products could (do) contribute?
• What citizen science data could (do) contribute?
• How can these two types of data be used to expand or
strengthen the indicator?
Source: Emily Therese Cloyd, USGCRP

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PROJECT EXAMPLES
Community Collaborative
Rain, Hail, and Snow
Network (CoCoRaHS)
• Volunteers monitor
standardized rain
gauges to measure
precipitation
• Sponsors: CO State
University, NOAA
NWS, NSF, Nat’l
Hydrologic Warning
Council, and State
agencies
Weather

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Nature’s Notebook
• Scientists and
volunteers collection
natural observations
about the timing of
seasonal events
• Sponsors: USA-NPN
thru USGS, NSF, and
others
Climate/Phenology
GLOBE Program
• GLOBE – SMAP
collaboration for soil
moisture
measurements
• GLOBE increases
STEM literacy while
collecting research-
quality data
• Sponsors: NASA,
NSF, NOAA, and
DOS
Earth Science

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OldWeather.org
• Volunteers transcribe
old ship’s logs for
weather data
• On Zooniverse, an
online portal of digital
citizen science
projects for discovery
and data analysis
Climate/Weather
Ventus
• Volunteers contribute
info about power
plant locations,
power generation,
fuel type, and
emissions
• Sponsor: Arizona
State University
Carbon Dioxide Emissions

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• EPA supports
volunteer air and
water quality
monitoring projects,
coordinated at the
state and local levels.
• http://www.epa.gov/heasd/
airsensortoolbox/
Water and Air Quality
FLOAT Beijing
• Community art
project that offers a
simple and non-
confrontational
approach to air
quality monitoring
through DIY kites and
drones
Air Quality

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Adopt A Pixel
• Volunteers collect
ground-based
reference data to
help Landsat
scientists better
understand
landscape changes
• Creation of a national
archive of
geospatially-tagged
ground-based land
cover photographs
Land Cover Change
Horseshoe Crab
Spawning Survey
• Volunteers and
scientists in
Delaware Bay survey
horseshoe crab
spawning in late
spring
• Sponsors: NOAA,
USFW, USGS, and
States
Ecosystems/Fisheries

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Propeller Health
• Exploring drivers of
asthma with spatially-
explicit, real-time
data
Public Health
FoldIt and Eterna
• Players propose
designs for synthetic
RNA; the best of
these are tested in
research labs
• Sponsors: NIH, NSF,
Stanford Bio-X, and
Media X
Public Health

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Did You Feel It?
• Rapid and automatic
intensity maps based
on felt reports
submitted online by
the public
• Sponsor: USGS
• Tweet Earthquake
Dispatch and
NetQuakes
Disasters/Seismology
Advanced Rapid
Imaging and
Analysis Project
• Researchers working
on an automated
system using radar
imagery to detect
surface change, and
collaborating with
GISCorps volunteers
for validation.
• Sponsors: NASA JPL,
CalTech, DOE, UCSD,
and Agenzia Spaziale
Italiana
Disasters/Change Detection

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Disasters/ Haiti 2010 OpenStreetMap
570 GISCorps and HOT
volunteers mapped
163,912 buildings and
critical infrastructure in
Pedang, Indonesia, for
disaster resilience, with
assistance of Australian
Aid and World Bank.

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National Map Corps
• Volunteers find
missing data, fix
spatial locations and
attributes, and verify
existing structures
• Pilot exceeded
USGS quality
standards
• Sponsor: USGS, with
GISCorps, OSM, and
others
Mapping the Nation
• An online ‘global
public information
network’ for creating
and sharing
information
• Sponsors: European
Environment Agency,
UNEP, JRC, and
others
Eye on Earth

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CONTACT:
@GEODATAPOLICY
WWW.LINKEDIN.COM/IN/LEASHANLEY