Daniel Brett-Schneider, head of engagement and Eleanor Bullimore, engagement manager, Ramblers Visit the CharityComms website to view slides from past events, see what events we have coming up and to check out what else we do: www.charitycomms.org.uk

1. THE
BIG PATHWATCH :
CROWD SOURCED DATA GATHERING
OR
how we learnt to stop worrying and love paths
Daniel Brett-Schneider, Head of Engagement
Eleanor Bullimore, Engagement Manager

2. The humble (and unloved) footpath
• Oldest element of transport infrastructure
• 140,000 miles of RoW in England and Wales

3. Walking is good for…
- our physical health (believe it or not!)
- our mental health
- our NHS
- our environment
- our communities
- and the economy

6. Organising thought:
“If we are the guardians of the path network what do we
need to have to protect our paths for future generations?
• A national picture of the path network
• Data on the volume and nature of path problems
• More people engaged and feeling responsibility for and
pride in their path network

7. Phase 1 – Engagement & Data Gathering (July to Dec
2015)
• To survey all the nations footpaths (England and
Wales)
• To engage new audiences (target of 50% of BPW
participants being non members)
Phase 2 – Report writing and Campaign (now)
• To produce a statistically robust state of the nation
report on which to campaign and influence policy
and practice at a national and local level

8. Citizen Science:
How it worked
App Downloadable survey
PATH DATA
UPLOADED TO
THE RAMBLERS
Fun activity packs
+ - =
METHODOLOGY
PATH DATA
REPORTS SENT TO
LOCAL
AUTHORITIES

9. 1. Download the
app.
2. Pick one or
more 1km grid
square(s) to
survey.
3. Walk every
RoW in the
square,
recording
features found
(good and bad).
4. Take a
picture and
share on
social media.
How did the App work?

10. Getting the app right
We made a few crucial mistakes with getting the
app fit for purpose…
1. Curtailed testing time
2. Registration had glitches and was not user
friendly
3. Location services were faulty

11. Supporter journey
1. Walk every footpath in England and Wales
2. Produce a robust survey
3. Engage enough people to do 1 & 2

12. The mobile dilemma
…but not a popular one with all
our members.
Be nationwide
Produce accurate data
Allow local authorities to respond to problems
Provide comparisons
Be easy to use
The survey must:
Mobile was the only option
for delivering the project…

13. Who were our
audiences?
Registered, not walking
AIM: To motivate them to go
out and do a survey.
CHALLENGE: To understand
why they’re not walking.
Surveyors
AIM: To motivate them to do
even more squares.
CHALLENGE: To keep them
interested and make sure
they are valued.

14. What did we achieve?
• 14,000 people on the journey
• More than 75,800 surveys
submitted
• Surveyed 45% of all squares
• 128,000 features reported:
• Positive: 58,000
• Negative: 70,000
• Collected 46,771 photographs
Established relationships with local
authorities for the first time.

15. What did we discover?
In the summer
paths get
overgrown.
In the winter
paths get muddy.
They get blocked,
locked, signs and
stiles get broken
and people build
over them.

16. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
1.Produce the report
2.Launch the campaign
3.Pathwatch 2.0…?

17. WHAT DID WE LEARN?

18. Lesson:
It’s ok to make mistakes,
because anyone who has never made
a mistake has never tried anything
new (according to Einstein)

19. Lesson:
Be totally integrated across the
organisation in your planning and
approach with shared outcomes

20. Lesson
Be clear on Audiences and
Stakeholders

21. Lesson
Build in enough development and test
time and pilot

22. Lesson
Remember that citizen science is as
much about engagement as is it is
science

23. Lesson
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

24. Lesson
Get the methodology right
(Before you embark on developing
the technology!)

25. Lesson
Engage internally to engage externally

26. Lesson
Make the most of mobile in your
supporter journey

27. Visit the CharityComms website
to view slides from past events,
see what events we have
coming up and to check out
what else we do:
www.charitycomms.org.uk

28. 23 March 2016
London
#charitymobile
Mobile engagement
seminar
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