Application of Modern Web Technologies to the Citizen Science Project BAYSICS on Climate Research and Science Communication

Abstract

Participatory sensing has become an important element in citizen science projects. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as web platforms and mobile phones can generate high-resolution data for science and progress assessment of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (e.g., SDGs 11, 13, and 15). This paper gives an overview of web technologies in citizen science and illustrates how these technologies were applied in the citizen science project BAYSICS (Bavarian Citizen Science Information Platform for Climate Research and Science Communication) in Bavaria, in the south-eastern part of Germany. For the project, three digital platforms were developed: a website, web portal, and mobile application, each of which fulfills different tasks based on the project’s needs. The website informs visitors about the project structure, makes the project known to the community, and advertises the latest activities. The web portal is the main interface for citizens who want to join and actively participate in the project. The mobile application of the web portal was realized in the form of a progressive web application, which allows installation on a mobile phone and is connected with offline access to the content. The provision of an IT service for participatory sensing-based research which covers a development package, including a database, website/web application, and smartphone application, is further discussed.

Maps, trends, and temperature sensitivities—phenological information from and for decreasing numbers of volunteer observers

“…Phenological data especially by observers on the ground and in situ measurements have been collected worldwide, contributing to a series of long-term phenological records for climatic research studies such as trend analysis and validation for remote sensing and imaging (Izquierdo-Verdiguier et al 2018), as well as for pollen and agrometeorology (Chuine et al 2004;Migliavacca et al 2012) and citizen science, since the majority of observers in these networks are volunteers (citizen scientists) (Lehmann et al 2018). Ground observations are valuable since they start from observing responses of individual species, later on sum changing patterns or even (warming) trends from the long-term series, and finally end up with assessing consistency among dominant phenology (Badeck et al 2004). Based on these data, many studies have shown the attributable link from climate variability to phenology, particularly referring to the occurrence dates of earlier (i.e., advanced) flowering and other spring onset phases (e.g., Chmielewski et al 2004;Menzel et al 2020;Rafferty et al 2020).…”

The state of online citizen science in Mongolia and its potential for environmental challenges

“…Approximately 2,210,600 observations and 47,100 observers currently exist on iNatualist, with animals being the most commonly observed category (37%), followed by insects (22%), plants (22%), and birds (9%). Social sciences are represented to a slightly lesser extent by projects in the fields of history, humanities, and health [ 13 , 67 ]. A steep increase in the number of observers and observations occurred in 2017.…”

“…However, the proportions of international and local projects vary widely among countries. Compared to Mongolia, where the share of local projects is 10%, the share in Germany, for example, is significantly higher at approximately 70% [ 13 ].…”

Web Technologies to Support Scientific Research and Education in Citizen Science—A Case Study in Germany

“…Indicator 1 addresses the use of the well-known online platforms (websites, web apps, and mobile apps) in citizen science projects [31][32][33][34][35]. Traditionally, projects are presented on a website; this is where interested citizens make initial contact with a project and are then directed to a web app.…”