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Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - WeObserve (An Ecosystem of Citizen Observatories for Environmental Monitoring)

Teaser

The rising trend in citizen science has led to the development of Citizen Observatories (COs) for environmental monitoring, which have been supported in FP7 and H2020. To improve the coordination between existing COs and related regional, European and international activities...

Summary

The rising trend in citizen science has led to the development of Citizen Observatories (COs) for environmental monitoring, which have been supported in FP7 and H2020. To improve the coordination between existing COs and related regional, European and international activities, the WeObserve Coordination and Support Action tackles three key challenges that face COs: awareness, acceptability and sustainability. The WeObserve mission is to create a sustainable ecosystem of COs that can systematically address these identified challenges and help move citizen science into the mainstream.

The WeObserve approach applies several key instruments to target, connect and coordinate relevant stakeholders. The first is to develop and foster four communities of practice (CoPs) to strengthen the current knowledge base surrounding COs. CoP themes include citizen engagement, the value of COs for governance, CO data interoperability, and UN Sustainable Development Goals and COs. In co-creating this knowledge base, CO practitioners have a platform to effectively share best practices and avoid duplication. The second instrument aims at expanding the geographical reach of the knowledge base to different target groups via toolkits, a Massive Open Online Course, capacity development roadshows, and an Open Data Exploitation Challenge, to strengthen the uptake of CO-powered science by public authorities and SMEs. A third mechanism is actively forging links with GEOSS and Copernicus to demonstrate how COs can complement the EU’s Earth Observation monitoring framework.

The WeObserve consortium brings together the current H2020 COs (Ground Truth 2.0, GROW, LandSense, and Scent) to actively open up the CO landscape through wide ranging networks, users and stakeholders, including ECSA, GEOSS and Copernicus, to foster social innovation opportunities. The WeObserve approach and outcomes have the potential to create a step-change in EO innovation and make COs a valuable component of managing environmental challenges and empowering resilient communities.

Work performed

The WeObserve project had a highly productive initial 18 months. The Consortium has focused on launching and successfully running four Communities of Practice (CoPs) on the following citizen observatory (CO) related themes: Co-design & Engage; Impact & Value for Governance; Interoperability & Standards; and UN-SDGs. The project is running its first Interoperability Experiment and laying the foundation for the upcoming launch of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). In addition, WeObserve has raised the profile of citizen science within the GEO community through key notes, side events, and publications, and has engaged in the successful dissemination of project activities.

They key results achieved thus far include:
• Produced the first Landscape Report of EU citizen observatories (COs), thereby laying the foundation for a baseline analysis of existing and emerging CO initiatives;
• Launched and coordinated the four WeObserve CoPs as key mechanisms for consolidating knowledge on COs;
• Developed and distributed a Toolkit survey to collect information on existing toolkits in citizen science and COs;
• Developed and distributed a survey on online learning to lead the pedagogy for MOOC development;
• Held the first WeObserve Roadshow, and developed a Roadshow structure and event selection criteria for consistency in implementing future Roadshows;
• Developed the structure for the Open Data Exploitation Challenge (ODEC);
• Promoted citizen science within the GEO Work Programme through leadership positions within the GEO Community Activity: Earth Observations and Citizen Science;
• Organized and ran the first Interoperability Experiment, named the OGC Citizen Science Interoperability Experiment. A second will follow with the completion of the first;
• Developed the WeObserve knowledge platform and ran successful dissemination activities including through social media channels.

While the first period focused on CoP development and activities, the second period will see the synthesis of the knowledge attained in a Cookbook on COs. Activities in the second period will also focus on the launch and running of the first MOOC in the fall of 2019, with a second iteration in 2020. In addition, the project will run the ODEC challenge in 2020 to promote innovation in the business of in-situ Earth observation.

Final results

WeObserve aims to deliver concrete, measurable and quality-assured results to help advance the mainstreaming of citizen science to tackle environmental challenges and empower resilient communities. The project’s key expected outcomes have considerable potential to improve coordination between existing citizen observatories (COs), expand the geographical coverage of COs, promote the uptake of data management strategies, increase opportunities for SMEs, and increase value of COs for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS).

To these ends, the currently running Communities of Practice (CoPs) are a key method for coordinating existing environmental COs and expanding their geographical coverage through the project activities and the networks of the consortium partners. In addition, the groundwork has been laid for the launch of both, the WeObserve distance learning activities, which can reach people globally, and the Open Data Exploitation Challenge (ODEC), which will likewise expand geographical coverage with a focus on creating opportunities for SMEs.

WeObserve is engaging in awareness raising events that highlight the cost benefit of using COs for disaster risk and emergency management to promote uptake of citizen science by a range of public authorities. The project has already implemented one Roadshow to this end, with more planned in the second half of the project.

Within the project’s Interoperability-CoP, an Interoperability Experiment represents a main activity that is gaining visibility through OGC support. The first Interoperability Experiment, named OGC Citizen Science Interoperability Experiment, is currently running. Its results contribute not only to the interoperability and possible standardization program of the OGC, but also to GEOSS.

Through active dissemination activities, WeObserve continues to promote such project outcomes and findings to ensure its visibility and to support its sustainability.

Website & more info

More info: https://www.weobserve.eu/.