Higgins, C. 2014. Introduction to COBWEB. Presentation as part of the COBWEB Workshop, 22nd May 2014, y Plas, Dyfi, UK.

1. Introduction to COBWEB
Plas Machynlleth,
20th May, 2014
Chris Higgins,
Project Coordinator,
EDINA, University of Edinburgh
chris.higgins@ed.ac.uk

2. Citizen Observatory Web
• 4 year research project
• Crowdsourced environmental data to aid
decision making
• Introduce quality measures and reduce
uncertainty
• Combine crowdsourced data with existing
sources of data

3. Project Partners

4. COBWEB Biosphere Reserves
• Germany: Wadden See and Hallig Islands
• Greece: Mount Olympus & Gorge of Samaria
• Left open possibility of expansion to further BRs
later in project
UK (Wales): Biosffer Dyfi
– Development work
concentrated here

5. What are we going to build?
A number of demonstrator mobile phone
applications
– Stakeholder discussion to provide detail
3 pilot case study areas:
1. Validating earth
observation products
2. Biological monitoring
3. Flooding

6. Case Studies
1. Community Woodlands
2. Pollinators
3. FP7 BIO_SOS
4. Validation of EO Products (Gwylio)
5. Education
6. Ecotourism
7. Smart Citizen
8. Flooding

7. Where we are at the moment
• Month 19 of 48
• Milestone 3 (First Welsh Demonstrator) Nov
2014, coming over horizon
• By 2015: ready for field testing with citizens
• Some tentative steps already taken:
– Dyfi Woodlands
– Outward Bound Aberdyfi
– Ysgol Bro Dyfi/RSPB
– Talybont Floodees
– Abersystwyth University MSc group

8. Some objectives
• Increase in local awareness of the project
• More individuals/organisations willing to
work with us in various ways
– or at least thinking about it
• Provide information to enable attendees to
begin formulating a response to a Call for
Proposal
• Better understanding of how the citizen
engagement aspects of the project might
progress

10. Launch for proposals
• More of a pre-launch, town meeting
• Brief key organisations/individuals
• Feedback to help us run the Call for
Proposals more effectively
• Actual CfP will be go up on the COBWEB
website on 16th June
• A number of small contracts (of the order
£500 – £10000)

11. Two main components to engagement
1. Co-design: test prototype apps and
provide feedback as we develop them
• Underway already, to an extent
2. Get people (volunteers) out and about
with COBWEB software in
• Citizens in field from Jan 2015 onwards
Not mutually exclusive. Proposals could
include both

12. Co-Design Objectives
• Engage in dialogue with members of the
COBWEB consortium to assist in the
design of applications
• Engage in dialogue with members of the
COBWEB consortium to assist in identifying
further user requirements

13. “Citizen in the field” Objectives
• Adapt the generic COBWEB capability to
address specific needs within your area of
expertise
• Arrange and manage groups of volunteers
in field testing COBWEB application(s) in
the Dyfi Biosphere area

14. Process
• Mon 16th June: CfP issued
• Mon 21st July: deadline for proposals
– May contact some applicants individually for
refinement
• Mon 4th Aug: decision, contact applicants
• Mid Sept: kickoff meeting with all successful
applicants
– Looking for cooperation opportunities
– Discuss technical support
– Schedule

15. Open questions
• Further rounds?
• Terms and conditions will be published with
the CfP
• Will require some kind of report