1.
Citizen Science & Geographical
Technologies: creativity,
learning, and engagement
Muki Haklay
Extreme Citizen Science (ExCiteS) research group, UCL
@mhaklay @UCL_ExCiteS

2.
Acknowledgement
This talk would not be possible without the generosity of
the many people and communities that we have worked
with over the years…

3.
Acknowledgement
… and the funders, project partners, and sponsors that we’ve
worked with (and will work with in the future)

4.
Outline
• Citizen science – why now?
• Citizen science today: across disciplines, technologies,
and levels of engagement
• Pushing citizen science to the extremes
• Learning & creativity in citizen science
• Over to you!

5.
Citizen Science (OED 2014)
citizen science n. scientific work undertaken by members of the
general public, often in collaboration with or under the direction of
professional scientists and scientific institutions.
citizen scientist n. (a) a scientist whose work is characterized by a
sense of responsibility to serve the best interests of the wider
community (now rare); (b) a member of the general public who
engages in scientific work, often in collaboration with or under the
direction of professional scientists and scientific institutions; an
amateur scientist.

6.
Citizen Science & Science
Early science
(1600’s – early 1800’s)
Professional science
(late 1800’s – 1900’s)
Opening Science
(since 2000s)

7.
Citizen Science & Science
Early science
(1600’s – earl 1800’s)
Professional science
(late 1800’s – 1900’s)
Opening Science
(since 2000s)
Illiteracy
Basic to
High-school
Higher
Education

8.
Citizen Science & Science
Early science
(1600’s – early 1800’s)
Professional science
(late 1800’s – 1900’s)
Opening Science
(since 2000s)
Illiteracy
Basic to
High-school
Higher
Education
Citizen Science
as Gentlemen/
Gentlewomen
science
Mary Anning (1799-1847)

9.
Citizen Science & Science
Early science
(1600’s – early 1800’s)
Professional science
(late 1800’s – 1900’s)
Opening Science (since
2000s)
Illiteracy
Basic to
High-school
Higher
Education
Citizen Science
as Gentlemen/
Gentlewomen
science
Citizen Science
diminishing
© WMO–No. 919
Volunteer rainfall observer Rick Grocke checks
the rain gauge at Tanami Downs cattle station in
the Northern Territory of Australia

10.
The era of professional science
• Involvement continued: archaeology, astronomy, ornithology,
conservation, meteorology …
• No recognition, views of volunteers as ‘untrustworthy’
contributors
Shoemaker-Levy 9 on 17 May 1994

11.
Why Now?
• Societal trends:
– Education and qualifications
– Leisure
– Sharing economies / peer production systems
• Technological trends:
– Internet access (broadband)
– Collaborative Web
– Mobile devices
– DIY electronics

12.
Years of school completed by population 25+ years 1940-2009

13.
Part of a global trend…
>200 million
Source: UNESCO

14.
… with many PhD students (>1%)
>2.5 million
Source: UNESCO

15.
Leisure
• Across the developed
world there have been a
marked declined in the
number of working
hours
Source: the Atlantic

16.
Sharing economies
• In many areas, especially in production and sharing of
information

17.
Collaborative Web

18.
Active mobile-broadband subscriptions, 2007-2013*
R Nial Bradshaw

19.
DIY electronics

20.
Citizen Science & Science
Early science
(1600’s – early 1800’s)
Professional science
(late 1800’s – 1900’s)
Opening Science
(since 2000s)
Illiteracy
Basic to
High-school
Higher
Education
Citizen Science
as Gentlemen/
Gentlewomen
science
Citizen Science
diminishing
Citizen Science as
open & inclusive
science

21.
Citizen Science Today
Haklay, M., 2013, Citizen Science and Volunteered Geographic Information – overview and typology of
participation in Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge
Citizen Science
Long running
Citizen Science
Ecology &
biodiversity
Meteorology Astronomy
Citizen
Cyberscience
Volunteer
computing
Volunteer
thinking
Passive
Sensing
Community
Science
Participatory
sensing
DIY Science Civic Science

22.
A new era of citizen science
Haklay, M., 2013, Citizen Science and Volunteered Geographic Information – overview and typology of
participation in Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge
Citizen Science
Long running
Citizen Science
Ecology &
biodiversity
Meteorology Astronomy
Citizen
Cyberscience
Volunteer
computing
Volunteer
thinking
Passive
Sensing
Community
Science
Participatory
sensing
DIY Science Civic Science

23.
Biodiversity/Ecology
Participating in Big Garden
Bridwatch (source: RSPB)
Participating in BioBlitz (source: OPAL, Esri)
Kerski, J., 2016, Mapping BioBlitz Field Data in ArcGIS Online Esri GIS Education Community Blog

24.
Meteorology
• Community Collaborative Rain,
Hail & Snow Network
Rebecca Jacobson

25.
Astronomy
Using an app to learn
about the importance
of dark skies – and
about the stars

26.
A new era of citizen science
Haklay, M., 2013, Citizen Science and Volunteered Geographic Information – overview and typology of
participation in Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge
Citizen Science
Long running
Citizen Science
Ecology &
biodiversity
Meteorology Astronomy
Citizen
Cyberscience
Volunteer
computing
Volunteer
thinking
Passive
Sensing
Community
Science
Participatory
sensing
DIY Science Civic Science

27.
Volunteer computing
You can join World Community Grid at http://www.worldcommunitygrid.org/

28.
Volunteer Thinking

29.
Passive Sensing

30.
A new era of citizen science
Haklay, M., 2013, Citizen Science and Volunteered Geographic Information – overview and typology of
participation in Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge
Citizen Science
Long running
Citizen Science
Ecology &
biodiversity
Meteorology Astronomy
Citizen
Cyberscience
Volunteer
computing
Volunteer
thinking
Passive
Sensing
Community
Science
Participatory
sensing
DIY Science Civic Science

31.
Mapping for ChangeEveryAware website at http://www.everyaware.eu

32.
Download WideNoise at http://cs.everyaware.eu

33.
October2012

34.
More information at http://publiclaboratory.org
DIY/Civic Science

35.
Coming soon: the Crowd & the Cloud
Follow the Crowd & the Cloud at crowdandcloud.org

36.
Gathering pace…

37.
Problem
definition
Data collection
Visualisation &
analysis
Action
Classification
& basic analysis
Basic School
High School
Postgraduate
PhD
Literacy
Current Citizen Science
University/
College

38.
Problem
definition
Data collection
Visualisation &
analysis
Action
Classification
& basic analysis
Basic School
High School
University/
College
Postgraduate
PhD
Literacy
Where next for Citizen Science?

39.
Participation in citizen science
• Collaborative science – problem
definition, data collection and analysis
Level 4 ‘Extreme/
Up-Science’
• Participation in problem definition
and data collection
Level 3 ‘Participatory
science’
• Citizens as basic interpreters
Level 2 ‘Distributed
intelligence’
• Citizens as sensors
Level 1
‘Crowdsourcing’
Haklay. 2013. Citizen Science and volunteered geographic information: Overview
and typology of participation, Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge
Haklay, M., 2013, Citizen Science and Volunteered Geographic Information – overview and typology of
participation in Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge

40.
Extreme Citizen Science
Extreme Citizen Science (ExCiteS) is a situated,
bottom-up practice that takes into account local
needs, practices and culture and works with broad
networks of people to design and build new devices
and knowledge creation processes that can transform
the world.
Creating technologies that are designed to be
embedded within participatory processes.

41.
Engagement: Free, Prior Informed Consent
44

42.
Jerome Lewis, ExCiteS

43.
Participatory Software design

44.
Recording community resources

45.
Towards Intelligent Maps
Survey 123
ArcGIS Web Services

46.
Ashaninka village “Apiwtxa”
José Frank Melo

47.
Community based monitoring
Carolina Comandulli

48.
Earthquake preparedness

49.
What Citizen Science offers?
• Learning to volunteer for a wider goal (contribute to
science)
• Awareness of environmental and scientific issues
• Education in science, technology, engineering &
mathematics
• Developing new skills and insights
• Linking studies to place and local community
• Adapting to different types of learning

50.
What do they learn?
1. Task/game mechanics
2. Pattern recognition
3. On topic learning
5. Off topic knowledge and skills
4. Scientific process
6. Personal development
Participation
as volunteer
Source: Laure Kloetzer, University of Geneva
See citizencyberlab.eu

51.
Rich diversity:
• A taxonomy on learning outcomes
in citizen science projects
• 3 mains categories:
1. personal development,
2. generic knowledege &
skills,
3. project-specific knowledge
and skills
Source: Laure Kloetzer,
University of Geneva

52.
Model for volunteers who lead projects
Source: Charlene Jennett, UCL

53.
Doing It Together Science ‘escalator’
See TogetherScience.eu

54.
Start you own project

55.
Other opportunities
• Join the Citizen Science Association, or the European
Citizen Science Association – both have education
working groups
• Link to local or national projects (e.g. eBird, iNaturalist,
CoCoRHaS)
• Check citizenscience.gov and SciStarter.com
• Let’s talk more in the unconference session (Tuesday
8:30am)

56.
Conclusions
• Citizen science has grown dramatically over the past
decade
• With suitable effort, it is possible to engage people at
all levels, and all stages of the process
• Citizen science provide ample opportunities for
creativity and learning, and geographical technologies
have a major role to play in this

57.
• Follow us:
– http://www.ucl.ac.uk/excites
– Twitter: @UCL_ExCiteS @mhaklay
– Blog: http://uclexcites.wordpress.com
http://povesham.wordpress.com
– m.haklay@ucl.ac.uk