SPOTTERON

Read what scientists and stakeholders say about the SPOTTERON platfom and our collaboration in their Citizen Science projects.

In the Citizen Science Web-App of "PolitikRadar" pupils from various schools were able to share their views of participatory possibilities in various field of politics. A forum for communication between the research team and the participant was available for further exchange. The results are available at the website of the project here: https://www.politikradar.at/ (german only)

We were very proud to see that the latest Citizen Science project to join the SPOTTERON platform and also winner of the Australian Citizen Science Conference competition was featured on Australian news last week.

Last week it was time for the annual European Researchers Night, a mega event which takes place simultaneously in hundreds of cities all over Europe, again. Of course we couldn't miss it and went to the event at the TGM in the 20th district of Vienna.

Nature's Calendar Upper Austria is a regional Nature's Calendar project, which also collects data for the Central Institution for Meteorology and Geodynamics (ZAMG). The data collected can be observed in nature and compared over years, so it's observations like plants starting to blossom, trees yielding fruit or throwing off leaves or animals being active that support scientific research in this project.

The new SPOTTERON platform version 2.5.0 has been released. Highlights are the new offline map mode and badges to earn & collect in all Citizen Science apps on the platform. Read more about the new features in our Citizen Science Blog!

With the new SPOTTERON platform version 2.5 we bring two more highlights to all apps on the Citizen Science platform: First of all, the Offline Maps & Spots feature allows users to download map areas and spots on their phone for having them present, even when there is no internet connection available. This feature is a big improvement, specially for Citizen Science Apps, in which the main activity takes place often outdoors in the field where web connectivitiy is not always a given thing.

We just added a new page listing publications based on Citizen Science data gathered through SPOTTERON apps. You can find links to the papers here.

On this page, you can find publications from projects running on the SPOTTERON platform. They are based on data collected through SPOTTERON as a tool for data collection as well as more overreaching studies where the Citizen Science Apps running on the SPOTTERON platform are mentioned.

By fostering data quality through design and community interaction, SPOTTERON provides a reliable platform for running Citizen Science projects. A flexible system with licences supporting both data ownership or open data is in place. At the same time, intellectual property rights of media elements, submitted by Citizen Scientists, are governed by CC:0 Creative Commons to provide data consistency in the research project while complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Research papers and publications

Publications listed are based on Citizen Science data, collected on the SPOTTERON platform as well as include more overreaching studies where the Citizen Science Apps running on the SPOTTERON platform are mentioned:

Authorship

Nees, F., Janson, K., Lehmler, S., Böttger, S., Tschorn, M., Hummer, P., Schumann, G. et al. (2025). Comprehensive perceptions at the interface between health and environment: Applications models with a Citizen Science Tool. European Psychiatry: 1-41. doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.10107

Prūse, B., Dieviņa, M., Bražinskis, R., Stolyarova, A., Pérez, N., Schulz, C., Tijsma, G., Rogge, S., Straka, T., Helmus, M., Ekström, E., Gianelli, I., Roumbedakis, K., Lazzari, N., Montecchio, L., Schreiber, M.A., Kinds, A., Hummer, P., Sánchez-Flores, E., Vinueza-Chérrez, R., Villasante, S., Urias, E., Kochalski, S. (2025). Connecting People and the Ocean Through Street Art and Citizen Science. In: C. Certomà (Eds.). Blue Kinships. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-78619-8_8

Hummer, P., Sgherri, I., Boschi, S., & Ortner, D. (2025). Vademecum Popillia Japonica, A New Threat To European Agriculture. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17536538

Sandén, T., Miloczki, J., Götzinger, S., Hummer, P., Milewski, A., Spiegel, H., and Guggiari Dworatzek, M. S. (2024). The potential of participatory citizen science in observing change in plastics in soils. EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-21237. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-21237

Martha Patricia Canto Farachala, David C Borgstrom, Alexandra Czeglédi, Philipp Hummer, Cathrine Marie Skovbo Winther, Nagore Valle González. (2024). Communication in Youth Citizen Social Science. In: D. Borgstöm, P. Canto-Farachala, A. Landsverk Hagen, R. Norvoll, L. Rådmark, S. Berge Lorenzen (Eds.) Handbook of Youth Citizen Social Science. Working with Young People and the Local Community for Social Change, Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10566411 (SPOTTERON layouting and design)

Ingar Brattbakk, Alexandra Czeglédi, Flora Gatti, Philipp Hummer, Melanie Saumer, David Borgström, Suzanne Wilson. (2024). Using Digital Tools in Citizen Social Science. In: D. Borgstöm, P. Canto-Farachala, A. Landsverk Hagen, R. Norvoll, L. Rådmark, S. Berge Lorenzen (Eds.) Handbook of Youth Citizen Social Science. Working with Young People and the Local Community for Social Change, Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10566411 (SPOTTERON layouting and design)

Augustin, H., Sudmanns, M., Weber, H., Baraldi, A., Wunderle, S., Neuhaus, C., Reichel, S., van der Meer, L., Hummer, P., and Tiede, D. (2021). SemantiX: a cross-sensor semantic EO data cube to open and leverage AVHRR time-series and essential climate variables with scientists and the public.EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-12722, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-12722

Simone Rüfenacht, Tim Woods, Gaia Agnello, Margaret Gold, Philipp Hummer, Anne Land-Zandstra & Andrea Sieber. (2021). Communication and Dissemination in Citizen Science. In: Vohland, K., et al. The Science of Citizen Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58278-4_24

Tauginienė, L., Hummer, P., Albert, A., Cigarini, A., Vohland, K. (2021). Ethical Challenges and Dynamic Informed Consent. In: Vohland, K., et al. The Science of Citizen Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58278-4_20

Lemmens, R., Antoniou, V., Hummer, P., Potsiou, C. (2021). Citizen Science in the Digital World of Apps. In: Vohland, K., et al. The Science of Citizen Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58278-4_23

Miloczki, J., Wawra, A., Gansberger, M., Hummer, P., and Sandén, T. (2020). TeaTime4App – Raising awareness about the role of soils with the educational “Tea Bag Index App”. EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-3068, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-3068

Hübner, T., Wanninger, K., Hummer, P., Scheifinger, H. (2019). "Nature's Calendar", a modular phenological smart phone app for collection of phenological observations by citizen scientists. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (p. 8890). https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2019/EGU2019-8890-1.pdf

Seibert, J., van Meerveld, H. J., Etter, S., Strobl, B., Assendelft, R., & Hummer, P. (2019). Wasserdaten sammeln mit dem Smartphone – Wie können Menschen messen, was hydrologische Modelle brauchen? Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung, 63(2), 74–84. https://doi.org/10.5675/HyWa_2019.2_1

Seibert, J., Strobl, B., Etter, S., Hummer, P., van Meerveld, H.J. (2019). Virtual Staff Gauges for Crowd-Based Stream Level Observations. Front. Earth Sci. 7:70. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00070

Hummer, P., Niedermeyer, C. (2018). Austrian Citizen Science Conference 2018: Don’t walk alone: Synergy effects for citizen science created through adaptive platform design in SPOTTERON. Frontiers, pp.66-69, ISBN: 978-2-88945-587-4

Contributions

Heigl, F., Dörler, D., Walter, T., & Morawetz, L. (2019). Citizen Science Network Austria Working Group on Open Biodiversity Databases in Citizen Science Projects: Catalogue of Questions for Project Managers. OSF Preprints. https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/b7eyx (Philipp Hummer from SPOTTERON as part of the Working Group)

Ulrike Sturm, M. Gold, Soledad Luna, S. Schade, L. Ceccaroni, CCM Kyba, B Claramunt, M. Haklay, D Kasperowski, A. Albert, J. Piera, J. Brier, C. Kullenberg. (2018). Defining principles for mobile apps and platforms development in citizen science: Research Ideas and Outcomes. (Philipp Hummer from SPOTTERON as part of the workshop participants)

Mentions

Plescia, C., & Abdala, M. B. (2025). How to Measure the Meanings of Voting? In: Carolina Plescia (Ed.). The Meanings of Voting for Citizens: A Scientific Challenge, a Portrait, and Implications, Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/9780198946335.003.0003

Lasser, M. F. S. (2022). Infrastructuring Digital Citizen Science: analysing a commercial app development platform. Master's Thesis. University of Vienna. https://doi.org/10.25365/thesis.72928

Liu, HY., Dörler, D., Heigl, F., Grossberndt, S. (2021). Citizen Science Platforms. In: Vohland, K., et al. The Science of Citizen Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-58278-4_22

Spasiano, A. (2021). Citizen science and socio-technical perspective: reflection on a possible integration. In Proceedings of the 7th International Workshop on Socio-Technical Perspective in IS Development (STPIS 2021), Virtual conference in Trento, Italy, October 11-12, 2021. CEUR Workshop Proceedings 3016, CEUR-WS.org 2021 (pp. 117-124). http://ceur-ws.org/Vol-3016/paper10.pdf

Varas Paneque, N. (2021). Analysis and comparison of local, national and European citizen science platforms. Bachelor Thesis. Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona. https://repositori.upf.edu/bitstream/handle/10230/48886/TFG_Nuria_Varas.pdf

Heinisch B. (2021). Knowledge Translation and Its Interrelation with Usability and Accessibility. Biocultural Diversity Translated by Means of Technology and Language—The Case of Citizen Science Contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability. 13(1):54. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010054

Fabian, C.M., Unterfrauner, E., ZSI, J.T., García, B. and Diaz-Merced, W. (2020). D2. 1 Citizen Engagement Plan. The REINFORCE project. https://reinforceeu.eu/sites/default/files/2020-08/REINFORCE_D2.1%20Citizen%20Engagement%20Plan.pdf

Woods, M., Coulson, S., Ajates, R., Amditis, A., Cobley, A., Domian, D., Hager, G., Ferri, M., Fraisl, D., Fritz, S. and Gold, M. (2020). Citizen Science Projects (MOOC) 4.5: Opening access to data. WeObserve. https://discovery.dundee.ac.uk/en/publications/citizen-science-projects-mooc-45-opening-access-to-data

Prinsloo, A., & Krasnikov, T. (2019). Researchers and citizens on par: Challenges and platform-based solutions to transitioning to co-created citizen science. Master Thesis at CBS. https://research-api.cbs.dk/ws/portalfiles/portal/60699274/785276_Prinsloo_Krasnikov_Researchers_and_citizens_on_par_0916.pdf

Dörler, D. und Heigl, F. (2019). Citizen Science in Österreich. Mitteilungen der Vereinigung Österreichischer Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekare, 72(2), S. 317–327. doi: 10.31263/voebm.v72i2.2836. https://journals.univie.ac.at/index.php/voebm/article/view/2836

Projects & Publications & Reports

CrowdWater | University of Zurich, Switzerland

Blanco Ramírez, S., van Meerveld, I. H., Camargo, A., & Seibert, J. (2025). "The water is murky, the water is not moving": Qualitative water quality assessment by citizen scientists. Frontiers in Water, 7, 1552646. https://doi.org/10.3389/frwa.2025.1552646

Blanco-Ramírez, S., Bañales-Seguel, C., Guardado-Torrez, C., Seibert, J., & van Meerveld, I. (2025). Implementation of a Global Citizen Science App in Community-Based Water Monitoring: Lessons Learned from the CrowdWater Experiences in Latin America. Citizen Science: Theory and Practice, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.5334/cstp.749

Clerc-Schwarzenbach, F., Seibert, J., Vis, M., van Meerveld, I. (2025). Value of water level class observations for parameter set selection in hydrological modelling. Hydrological Sciences Journal. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2025.2489994

Blanco Ramírez, S. (2025). Potential Value of Different Citizen Science Approaches for Water Quality Observations. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Zurich). https://www.zora.uzh.ch/entities/publication/1e531cd8-577b-450b-969d-34a345746df0

Saddi, K. C., Miglino, D., Moe, A. C., Caramiello, C., Poggi, M., van Meerveld, I., ... & Manfreda, S. (2025). The value of Crowd-sourced data in Image-based River Plastic Detection (No. EGU25-18045). Copernicus Meetings.https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-18045

Scheller, Mirjam. (2024). Quality and Use of Temporary Stream States Observed by Citizen Scientists. Dissertation. University of Zurich, Faculty of Science. https://www.zora.uzh.ch/entities/publication/ee5d57a8-e0f8-44ab-b362-d14a2ac86d62

Sonak, S. M. M. (2023). Improving data deficits of intermittent streams in protected areas in Switzerland and Germany using crowd sourced discharge data-A dialog on what is needed and what could be provided. (Master's thesis, University of Zurich). https://www.zora.uzh.ch/entities/publication/9b44111e-d2f6-4730-9d17-22469ef28536

H. J. Ilja Meerveld, Jan Seibert, Sara Blanco Ramírez. (2023). Citizen science approaches for water quality measurements. Science of the Total Environment, 897, 165436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165436

Etter, S., Strobl, B., Seibert, J., van Meerveld, H. J., Niebert, K., & Stepenuck, K. F. (2023). Why do people participate in app-based environment-focused citizen science projects?. Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, 1105682.https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1105682

Wang, Z., Seibert, J., van Meerveld, I., Lyu, H., & Zhang, C. (2023). Automatic water-level class estimation from repeated crowd-based photos of streams. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 68(13), 1826-1840.https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2023.2240312

Scheller, M., van Meerveld, I., Blanco, S., and Seibert, J. (2023). How consistent are citizens in their observation of temporary streams? EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-529, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-529

van Meerveld, I., Schwarzenbach, F., Goebel, R., Scheller, M., Blanco Ramirez, S., and Seibert, J. (2023). Water observations by the public- experiences from the CrowdWater project. EGU General Assembly 2023, Vienna, Austria, 23–28 Apr 2023, EGU23-13505, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-13505

Ramírez, S. B., van Meerveld, I., Seibert, J., Scheller, M., & Schwarzenbach, F. (2022). A visual approach for water quality monitoring within the CrowdWater project (No. EGU22-523). Copernicus Meetings.https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-523

Seibert, J., Blanco, S., Scheller, M., Schwarzenbach, F., Ze, W., and van Meerveld, I. (2022). Engaging the public for water data collection – experiences from the CrowdWater project. EGU General Assembly 2022, Vienna, Austria, 23–27 May 2022, EGU22-6319, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-6319

Seibert, J., Etter, S., Strobl, B., Blanco, S., Scheller, M., Schwarzenbach, F., & van Meerveld, I. (2021). CrowdWater: How well can citizens observe water levels and other hydrological variables using a smartphone app?. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (pp. EGU21-13285). https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU21/EGU21-13285.html

Tasseron, P.; Zinsmeister, H.; Rambonnet, L.; Hiemstra, A.-F.; Siepman, D.; van Emmerik, T. (2020). Plastic Hotspot Mapping in Urban Water Systems. Geosciences 2020, 10, 342. https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10090342

van Emmerik T, Seibert J, Strobl B, Etter S, den Oudendammer T, Rutten M, bin Ab Razak MS and van Meerveld I. (2020). Crowd-Based Observations of Riverine Macroplastic Pollution. Front. Earth Sci. 8:298. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2020.00298

Seibert, J., Etter, S., Strobl, B., & van Meerveld, I. (2020). Citizen observers in hydrology-experiences from CrowdWater. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (p. 12793).https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-12793

Etter, S., Strobl, B., Seibert, J., & van Meerveld, H. I. (2020). Value of crowd‐based water level class observations for hydrological model calibration. Water Resources Research, 56(2), e2019WR026108.https://doi.org/10.1029/2019WR026108

Etter, S., Strobl, B., van Meerveld, I., & Seibert, J. (2020). Quality and timing of crowd‐based water level class observations. Hydrological processes, 34(22), 4365-4378. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.13864 

H. J. Ilja Meerveld, Eric Sauquet, Francesc Gallart, Catherine Sefton, Jan Seibert, et al. (2020). Aqua temporaria incognita. Hydrological Processes. Wiley, 34 (26), pp.5704-5711. https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03138300/file/Aqua%20Temporaria%20Incognita_v4_20201103_clean.pdf

Strobl, B. (2020). Quality of crowdsourced water level observations. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Zurich). https://www.zora.uzh.ch/entities/publication/c5ae9377-ef53-4de7-92c0-df51650f09fc

Etter, S. (2020). CrowdWater: motivations of citizen scientists, the accuracy and the potential of crowd-based data for hydrological model calibration. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Zurich). https://www.zora.uzh.ch/entities/publication/58a1d6e2-ecf0-481b-869e-e88dd93904e2

Strobl, B., Etter, S., van Meerveld, H. J. I., and Seibert, J. (2020). Training citizen scientists through an online game developed for data quality control. Geosci. Commun., 3, 109–126. https://doi.org/10.5194/gc-3-109-2020

Seibert, J., Strobl, B., Etter, S., Hummer, P., van Meerveld, H.J. (2019). Virtual Staff Gauges for Crowd-Based Stream Level Observations. Front. Earth Sci. 7:70. https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2019.00070

Etter, S., Strobl, B., Seibert, J., & van Meerveld, H. J. (2019). Citizens review citizens: a game-based quality control of stream level observations. In Geophysical Research Abstracts (Vol. 21). https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2019/EGU2019-571.pdf

Strobl, B., Etter, S., van Meerveld, I., & Seibert, J. (2019). Stream level observations by citizens for water resources monitoring. In Geophysical Research Abstracts (Vol. 21).https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2019/EGU2019-564.pdf

Seibert, J., van Meerveld, H. J., Etter, S., Strobl, B., Assendelft, R., Hummer, P. (2019). Wasserdaten sammeln mit dem Smartphone – Wie können Menschen messen, was hydrologische Modelle brauchen? Hydrologie und Wasserbewirtschaftung, 63(2), 74–84. https://doi.org/10.5675/HyWa_2019.2_1.

Strobl, B., Etter, S., van Meerveld, I., & Seibert, J. (2019). Accuracy of crowdsourced streamflow and stream level class estimates. Hydrological Sciences Journal, 65(5), 823–841. https://doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2019.1578966

 Strobl, B., Etter, S., van Meerveld, I., & Seibert, J. (2019). The CrowdWater game: A playful way to improve the accuracy of crowdsourced water level class data. PloS one, 14(9), e0222579. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222579

Etter, S., Strobl, B., Seibert, J., & Van Meerveld, H. I. (2018). Value of uncertain streamflow observations for hydrological modelling. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 22(10), 5243-5257.https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-22-5243-2018

Pilzfinder | Austrian Mycology Society, Austria

Friebes, G., Gallé, A., & Michelitsch, S. (2022). Ergänzungen zur Funga der Steiermark 4. Joannea Bot, 18, 5-51. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gernot-Friebes/publication/359732763_Erganzungen_zur_Funga_der_Steiermark_3/links/624c1ba485d141677f41ac3e/Ergaenzungen-zur-Funga-der-Steiermark-3.pdf

Krisai-Greilhuber, I. (2021). Pilzfinder. at Diversity and distribution of fungi in Austria. Let us search for fungi, take pictures, document them and thereby contribute to biodiversity research. In Austrian Citizen Science Conference 2020. 14-16 September 2020. Vienna-Austria. Published April 12 (p. 26). https://pos.sissa.it/393/026/pdf

Big City Birds / Brushturkeys | The University of Sydney, Australia

Matteson, K. (2024). Avian Escapees and Budgie Snugglers. Springs: The Rachel Carson Center Review, (6). https://springs.ub.uni-muenchen.de/index.php/springs/article/view/58/49

Preston, Christine, Yaela Golumbic, Ciara Kenneally, Thant Sin Phway, Larissa Braz Sousa, John Martin, Peter Rutledge, and Alice Motion. (2023). "Citizen science in schools-perceptions of project leaders and teachers." Teaching Science 69, no. 3: 22-35. https://indd.adobe.com/view/444ba3ad-1a20-471a-8bee-d86f25f46638

Hall, Matthew J., John M. Martin, Alicia L. Burns, and Dieter F. Hochuli. (2023). "Mound‐building behaviour of a keystone bioturbator alters rates of leaf litter decomposition and movement in urban reserves." Austral Ecology 48, no. 7: 1426-1439.https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13409

Roger, E., Motion, A. (2022). Citizen science in cities: an overview of projects focused on urban Australia. Urban Ecosyst 25, 741–752. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-021-01187-3

Sheikh, H., Foth, M. and Mitchell, P., 2022. (Re) imagining the ibis: multispecies future (s), smart urban governance, and the digital environmental humanities. In Routledge handbook of the digital environmental humanities (pp. 490-515). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003082798-39

Hall, M. J., Martin, J. M., Burns, A. L., & Hochuli, D. F. (2021). Ecological insights into a charismatic bird using different citizen science approaches. Austral Ecology, 46(8), 1255-1265. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13062

Klump, B. C., Martin, J. M., Wild, S., Hörsch, J. K., Major, R. E., & Aplin, L. M. (2021). Innovation and geographic spread of a complex foraging culture in an urban parrot. Science, 373(6553), 456-460. DOI: 10.1126/science.abe7808

Roadkill | University of Natural Ressources and Life Sciences, Austria

Issel, D., Laaha, G., Laimighofer, J., Zaller, J. G., Zink, R., Dörler, D., and Heigl, F. (2025). Urban wildlife monitoring using citizen science suggests that European hedgehogs and badgers select different habitats. Web Ecol., 25, 177–188, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-25-177-2025

Heigl, F., Lutter, S., Hoppe, I., Zaller, J. G., and Dörler, D. (2024). Urban roadkill assessment in Vienna reveals low incidence rates. Web Ecol., 24, 41–46, https://doi.org/10.5194/we-24-41-2024

Rieder, C., Kaiser, F., Filzmoser, K., Kanda, B., Schabernag, L., Wanka, A., Haring, E., Pascher, K., Zaller, J. G., Siebert, J., Dörler, D., & Heigl, F. (2024). Regelmäßiges Monitoring vs. Zufallsmeldungen in Bezug auf landschaftliche Einflüsse. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10973286

Heigl, F., Teufelbauer, N., Resch, S. et al. (2022). A dataset of road-killed vertebrates collected via citizen science from 2014–2020. Sci Data 9, 504. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01599-6

Dörler D, Heigl F. (2021). A decrease in reports on road-killed animals based on citizen science during COVID-19 lockdown. PeerJ 9:e12464 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.12464

Peer, M., Dörler, D., Zaller, J.G. et al. (2021). Predicting spring migration of two European amphibian species with plant phenology using citizen science data. Sci Rep 11, 21611. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-00912-4

Shilling, F., Collinson, W., Bíl, M., Vercayie, D., Heigl, F., Perkins, S. E., & MacDougall, S. (2020). Designing wildlife-vehicle conflict observation systems to inform ecology and transportation studies. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108797

Bíl, M., Heigl, F., Janoška, Z., Vercayie, D., & Perkins, S. E. (2020). Benefits and challenges of collaborating with volunteers: Examples from National Wildlife Roadkill Reporting Systems in Europe. Journal for Nature Conservation, 54, 125798. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125798

Dörler, D. und Heigl, F. (2019). „Citizen Science in Österreich“. Mitteilungen der Vereinigung Österreichischer. Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekare, 72(2), S. 317–327. doi: 10.31263/voebm.v72i2.2836.

Heigl, F., Horvath, K., Laaha, G. et al. (2017). Amphibian and reptile road-kills on tertiary roads in relation to landscape structure: using a citizen science approach with open-access land cover data. BMC Ecol 17, 24. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12898-017-0134-z

Heigl, F., Stretz, C. R., Steiner, W., Suppan, F., Bauer, T., Laaha, G., & Zaller, J. G. (2016). Comparing Road-Kill Datasets from Hunters and Citizen Scientists in a Landscape Context. Remote Sensing, 8(10), 832. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8100832

Was geht ab? | University of Natural Ressources and Life Sciences, Austria

Stark, J; Uhlmann, T; Fanninger, C; Schützhofer, B; Berger, WJ; Kirchner, M. (2018). Seeing the world through the eyes of a child – A smartphone application to visualize children’s perceptions of their transport geographies. In: Zvobgo, J; de Vos, K (Eds.), Book of Abstracts: 9th Child in the City World Conference.

Teabag Index | AGES, Austria

Sandén, T., Wawra, A., Berthold, H., Miloczki, J., Schweinzer, A., Gschmeidler, B., Spiegel, H., Debeljak, M. and Trajanov, A. (2021). TeaTime4Schools: Using Data Mining Techniques to Model Litter Decomposition in Austrian Urban School Soils. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 9, p.432. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fevo.2021.703794/full

Miloczki, J., Wawra, A., Gansberger, M., Hummer, P., and Sandén, T. (2020). TeaTime4App – Raising awareness about the role of soils with the educational “Tea Bag Index App”. EGU General Assembly 2020, Online, 4–8 May 2020, EGU2020-3068, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-3068

Sandén, T., Spiegel, H., Wenng, H., Schwarz, M., & Sarneel, J. M. (2020). Learning Science during Teatime: Using a Citizen Science Approach to Collect Data on Litter Decomposition in Sweden and Austria. Sustainability, 12(18), 7745. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187745

Eggleton, P., Griffiths, H., Ashton, L., Law, S., Evans, T.A. and Parr, K. (2020). Not our cup of tea: the Tea Bag Index (Kueskamp et al. 2013) for assessing decomposition is problematic in most environments, due to macrofauna. Authorea Preprints. https://www.authorea.com/doi/full/10.22541/au.160502884.44867586

Dörler, D. und Heigl, F. (2019). Citizen Science in Österreich. Mitteilungen der Vereinigung Österreichischer Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekare, 72(2), S. 317–327. doi: 10.31263/voebm.v72i2.2836. https://journals.univie.ac.at/index.php/voebm/article/view/2836

SemantiX | Z_GIS - University of Salzburg, Austria

Sudmanns, M., Augustin, H., Killough, B., Giuliani, G., Tiede, D., Leith, A., … Lewis, A. (2022). Think global, cube local: an Earth Observation Data Cube’s contribution to the Digital Earth vision. Big Earth Data, 7(3), 831–859. https://doi.org/10.1080/20964471.2022.2099236

van der Meer, L., Sudmanns, M., Augustin, H., Baraldi, A., and Tiede, D. (2022). SEMANTIC QUERYING IN EARTH OBSERVATION DATA CUBES. Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLVIII-4/W1-2022, 503–510, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLVIII-4-W1-2022-503-2022

Augustin, H., Sudmanns, M., Weber, H., Baraldi, A., Wunderle, S., Neuhaus, C., Reichel, S., van der Meer, L., Hummer, P., and Tiede, D. (2021). SemantiX: a cross-sensor semantic EO data cube to open and leverage AVHRR time-series and essential climate variables with scientists and the public. EGU General Assembly 2021, online, 19–30 Apr 2021, EGU21-12722, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-12722

Martin Sudmanns, Hannah Augustin, Lucas van der Meer, Christian Werner, Andrea Baraldi, Dirk Tiede (2021). One GUI to Rule Them All: Accessing Multiple Semantic EO Data Cubes in One Graphical User Interface. GI_Forum 2021, Volume 9, Issue 1, pp. 53-59, 2021/06/29 12th International Symposium on Digital Earth

NestCams | University of Vienna, Austria

Rittenschober, J., Puehringer-Sturmayr, V., & Frigerio, D. (2021). The relevance of a digital platform for the citizen science project NestCams. PoS (ACSC2020). https://pos.sissa.it/393/009/pdf

SpiderSpotter | Ghent University, Belgium

Hesselberg, T. (2021). The habitat preferences of Meta bourneti (Simon, 1922) (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) in the UK differ from populations in southern Europe. Arachnology, 18(9), 1006-1012. https://doi.org/10.13156/arac.2021.18.9.1006

Duerinckx, A., Hens, C., Kerckhoffs, S., Van Laer, J., & Verstraelen, K. (2021). The citizen in Flemish citizen science: Demography, motives, and experiences. Scivil, Leuven, Belgium. Available at:https://www.scivil.be/sites/default/files/paragraph/files/2022-04/RapportBurgerwetenschappers_ENG-V3.pdf

Nyffeler, Martin, and Dries Bonte. (2020). "Where Have All the Spiders Gone? Observations of a Dramatic Population Density Decline in the Once Very Abundant Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus (Araneae: Araneidae), in the Swiss Midland". Insects 11, no. 4: 248. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11040248

Anslagstavlan / "Public boards"  | University Gothenburg, Sweden

Nielsen, H.L., Rosendal, T., Järlehed, J., Kullenberg, C. (2020). Investigating Bulletin Boards with Students: What Can Citizen Science Offer Education and Research in the Linguistic Landscape? In: Malinowski, D., Maxim, H.H., Dubreil, S. (eds) Language Teaching in the Linguistic Landscape. Educational Linguistics, vol 49. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-55761-4_15

Kullenberg C, Rohden F, Björkvall A, Brounéus F, Avellan-Hultman A, Järlehed J, et al. (2018). What are analog bulletin boards used for today? Analysing media uses, intermediality and technology affordances in Swedish bulletin board messages using a citizen science approach. PLoS ONE 13(8): e0202077. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202077

spotFIRE   | Institute of Silviculture, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna

 Von Harald Vacik & Mortimer M. Müller. (2025). Die österreichische Waldbrand-Datenbank und was sie europaweit einzigartig macht.  Available at: https://www.yumpu.com/de/document/read/70875437/boku-magazin-4-2025 

Beweisstück Unterhose | University of Zürich, Agroscope, Switzerland

S. Franz Bender, Marcel G. A. van der Heijden. (2025). Assessing soil health with underpants. Science 387, 936-936.DOI:10.1126/science.adw0030

NatureSpots | SPOTTERON

Prūse, B. et al. (2025). Herbarium with Poetry: How to Connect People and Plants. In: Bentz, J., Ristić Trajković, J. (eds) Imagining, Designing and Teaching Regenerative Futures: Art-Science Approaches and Inspirations From Around the World. Science for Sustainable Societies. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-9029-9_14

PATIOSpots | Ludwig Boltzmann Institute, Austria

Moldovan, S., Fribék, N., Büchler, E., & Dorn, A. (2023). Fostering citizen engagement with the PATIO health guide. In Austrian Citizen Science Conference 2022 (p. 10). https://pos.sissa.it/407/010/pdf

Dorn, A., Moldovan, S., Büchler, E., Fribék, N., Niederleithinger, M., & Mitterhauser, M. (2023). Project PATIO: Towards an improved quality of life through lived patient and caregiver engagement in oncology. https://pos.sissa.it/407/009/pdf

ClimateWatch | Earthwatch Australia, Australia

Garcia-Rojas MI., Keatley MR., Roslan N. (2022). Citizen science and expert opinion working together to understand the impacts of climate change. PLoS ONE 17(8): e0273822. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273822

Naturkalender | Central Institution for Meteorology and Geodynamics, Austria

Etter, S., Strobl, B., Seibert, J., van Meerveld, H. J., Niebert, K., & Stepenuck, K. F. (2023). Why do people participate in app-based environment-focused citizen science projects? Frontiers in Environmental Science, 11, 1105682.https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2023.1105682

Kalita, H., Sharma, N. (2023). Phenology: Nature’s Calendar. Reson 28, 1117–1133. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-023-1641-1

Hübner, T., Wanninger, K., Hummer, P., Scheifinger, H. (2019). "Nature's Calendar", a modular phenological smart phone app for collection of phenological observations by citizen scientists. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (p. 8890).

CoastSnap | University of New South Wales, Australia

Briceño de Urbaneja, Idania, Waldo Pérez-Martínez, and Natalia Tapia-Pineda. (2024). "CoastSnap Valparaíso Region: An Experience of Citizen Science in Chile". Environmental Sciences Proceedings 29, no. 1: 67. https://doi.org/10.3390/ECRS2023-16700

Soriano-González, J., Sánchez-García, E., & González-Villanueva, R. (2024). From a citizen science programme to a coastline monitoring system: Achievements and lessons learnt from the Spanish CoastSnap network. Ocean & Coastal Management, 256, 107280.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2024.107280

Harley, M.D. and Kinsela, M.A. (2022). CoastSnap: A global citizen science program to monitor changing coastlines. Continental Shelf Research, 245, p.104796. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csr.2022.104796

ArtSpots | SPOTTERON

 Prūse, B., Dieviņa, M., Bražinskis, R., Stolyarova, A., Pérez, N., Schulz, C., Tijsma, G., Rogge, S., Straka, T., Helmus, M., Ekström, E., Gianelli, I., Roumbedakis, K., Lazzari, N., Montecchio, L., Schreiber, M.A.,  Kinds, A., Hummer, P., Sánchez-Flores, E., Vinueza-Chérrez, R., Villasante, S., Urias, E., Kochalski, S. (2025). Connecting People and the Ocean Through Street Art and Citizen Science. In: C. Certomà (Eds.). Blue Kinships. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-78619-8_8

Prūse B, Kochalski S, Dieviņa M, Gianelli I, Roumbedakis K, Helmus M, Ekström E, Montecchio L, Straka T, Rogge S, Kinds A, Lazzari N, Schreiber MA, Villasante S. (2024). "From sea to street": initiating change for stronger connection with our ocean. ARPHA Proceedings 6: 67-71. https://doi.org/10.3897/ap.e126595

BiciZen | Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, Spain

Honey-Rosés, J., Liebscht, L., Batista, P., Benatallah, B., Brussel, M., Flacke, J., Häkli, J., Kallio, K. P., Lynn, T., Mäkelä, M., Melo, L., Simón-I-Mas, G., & Vilariño, F. (2025). BiciZen: Lessons in the development of a crowdsourcing mobile app to make cities more bikeable. Journal of Participatory Research Methods, 6(1), 143-168. https://doi.org/10.35844/001c.126552

Forschen im Almtal | University of Vienna, Austria

Puehringer-Sturmayr, V., Rittenschober, J., Gegendorfer, G., Kleindorfer, S., & Frigerio, D. (2023). Assessing quality of contributions to avian monitoring by non-scientists: a case study on individually banded wild birds. Environmental Research Letters, 18(6), 065001. 10.1088/1748-9326/acd073

Frigerio, D., Puehringer-Sturmayr, V., Steinbacher, C., Rittenschober, J., & Kleindorfer, S. (2019). Citizen science, animal behaviour and digital devices: Challenges and solutions. Proceedings of Science, 366, Article ACSC2019_002.https://pos.sissa.it/366/002/pdf

AmphiApp  | University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Austria

 Burgstaller S., Siebert J., Krall MM., Kornilev YV., Spießberger M., Hamernik D., Kremser J., Ofenböck T., Zaller JG., Schweiger S., Graf W., Dörler D., Heigl F., Landler L. (2024). The citizen science project “AmphiBiom”: a quest to mitigate habitat loss for the European green toad. ARPHA Proceedings 6: 43-47. https://doi.org/10.3897/ap.e126483

Global2000 LitterBug  | GLOBAL2000, Austria

 GLOBAL2000. (2020). Müll in Österreichs Natur [Littering in Austrian Nature]. Available at: https://www.global2000.at/publikationen/muell-bericht (in German)

GLOBAL2000. (2020). MÜLL IN DER NATUR Welche Marken verschmutzen unsere Umwelt? Available at: https://www.global2000.at/sites/global/files/Report-Muell-in-der-Natur-2020.pdf (in German)

StreetMind  | University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel University Institute of Medical Psychology and Medical Sociology, Germany

Nees, F., Janson, K., Lehmler, S., Böttger, S., Tschorn, M., Hummer, P., Schumann, G. et al. (2025). Comprehensive perceptions at the interface between health and environment: Applications models with a Citizen Science Tool. European Psychiatry: 1-41. doi:10.1192/j.eurpsy.2025.10107

 >>More Publications from StreetMind Project

Landauf, LandApp BW | LEO-BW, Germany

Hähner, J., & Rincke, E. (2023). Den Frühling begrüßen mit der Landeskunde-App "Landauf, LandApp": Die LEO-BW-Mitmach-App für Lieblingsorte im Ländle [Welcome spring with the regional studies app "Landauf, LandApp"]. Archivnachrichten, (66), 54. https://doi.org/10.53458/an.vi66.6298 (in German)

Horizon 2020 & Horizon Europe Projects

COSEA | EFFECTIVE | TRANSEATION (Horizon Europe) 

Pruse, B., Bentz, J., Cumiskey, L, Iulia Reida, C., Hummer, P. (2025). #FindWhereFound & #SeaweedPoetry. The European Marine Science Educators Association (EMSEA), Ostend, Belgium.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/395954501_FindWhereFound_SeaweedPoetry?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7InBhZ2UiOiJwcm9maWxlIiwicHJldmlvdXNQYWdlIjoicHVibGljYXRpb24iLCJwb3NpdGlvbiI6InBhZ2VDb250ZW50In19

Reid, C. I., Sousa, D., & Sá Vieira, I. (2024). D5.7 Best practice in methods of citizen engagement and knowledge transfer: Citizen Assemblies, workshops, and surveys. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17588821

SoilPlastic | MINAGRIS (Horizon 2020) 

 Sandén, T., Miloczki, J., Götzinger, S., Hummer, P., Milewski, A., Spiegel, H., and Guggiari Dworatzek, M. S. (2024). The potential of participatory citizen science in observing change in plastics in soils. EGU General Assembly 2024, Vienna, Austria, 14–19 Apr 2024, EGU24-21237. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-21237

YouCount (Horizon 2020) 

Martha Patricia Canto Farachala, David C Borgstrom, Alexandra Czeglédi, Philipp Hummer, Cathrine Marie Skovbo Winther, Nagore Valle González. (2024). Communication in Youth Citizen Social Science. In: D. Borgstöm, P. Canto-Farachala, A. Landsverk Hagen, R. Norvoll, L. Rådmark, S. Berge Lorenzen (Eds.) Handbook of Youth Citizen Social Science. Working with Young People and the Local Community for Social Change, Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10566411 

Ingar Brattbakk, Alexandra Czeglédi, Flora Gatti, Philipp Hummer, Melanie Saumer, David Borgström, Suzanne Wilson. (2024). Using Digital Tools in Citizen Social Science. In: D. Borgstöm, P. Canto-Farachala, A. Landsverk Hagen, R. Norvoll, L. Rådmark, S. Berge Lorenzen (Eds.) Handbook of Youth Citizen Social Science. Working with Young People and the Local Community for Social Change, Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10566411 

Canto-Farachala, P., & Norvoll, R. (2023). Guest Editorial of thematic series: YouCount: Action Research and Citizen Social Science. IJAR–International Journal of Action Research, 19(2), 107-111. https://budrich-journals.de/index.php/ijar/article/view/42285

Eglė Butkevičienė, Raminta Pučėtaitė, Paulina Budrytė, Jolanta Vaičiūnienė, Reidun Norvoll, & Philipp Hummer. (2021). D1.1 Internet list of stakeholders (Version 1). Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4876824

IPM Popillia (Horizon 2020)

Hummer, P., Sgherri, I., Boschi, S., & Ortner, D. (2025). Vademecum Popillia Japonica, A New Threat To European Agriculture. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17536538

Strangi, A., Paoli, F., Nardi, F. et al.  (2024). Tracing the dispersal route of the invasive Japanese beetle Popillia japonica. J Pest Sci 97, 613–629. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10340-023-01653-1

Fionna Knecht, Yolanda Bel, Dafne Toledo, Giselher Grabenweger and Baltasar Escriche (2023). Effect of Bacillus insecticidal proteins on the Japanese beetle, Popillia japónica (Scarabaeidae). Agri Res & Tech: Open Access J., 27 (3): 556375. DOI: 10.19080/ARTOAJ.2023.27.556375

Straubinger FB, Venus TE, Benjamin EO and Sauer J. (2023). Private management costs of Popillia japonica: a study of viticulture in Italy. Front. Insect Sci. 3:1176405. doi: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1176405

Paoli, F., Iovinella, I., Barbieri, F., Sciandra, C., Sabbatini Peverieri, G., Mazza, G., ... & Marianelli, L. (2023). Effectiveness of field‐exposed attract‐and‐kill devices against the adults of Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): a study on duration, form and storage. Pest Management Science, 79(9), 3262-3270.

Graf T, Scheibler F, Niklaus PA and Grabenweger G. (2023). From lab to field: biological control of the Japanese beetle with entomopathogenic fungi. Front. Insect Sci. 3:1138427. doi: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1138427

Gotta P, Ciampitti M, Cavagna B, Bosio G, Gilioli G, Alma A, Battisti A, Mori N, Mazza G, Torrini G, Paoli F, Santoiemma G, Simonetto A, Lessio F, Sperandio G, Giacometto E, Bianchi A, Roversi PF and Marianelli L. (2023). Popillia japonica – Italian outbreak management. Front. Insect Sci. 3:1175138. doi: 10.3389/finsc.2023.1175138

Barzanti, G. P., Enkerli, J., Benvenuti, C., Strangi, A., Mazza, G., Torrini, G., ... & Marianelli, L. (2023). Genetic variability of Metarhizium isolates from the Ticino Valley Natural Park (Northern Italy) as a possible microbiological resource for the management of Popillia japonica. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 197, 107891.

Iovinella, I., Barbieri, F., Biazzi, E., Sciandra, C., Tava, A., Mazza, G., Marianelli, L., Cini, A., Roversi, P. F., & Torrini, G. (2023). Antifeedant and insecticidal effects of alfalfa saponins in the management of the Japanese beetle Popillia japonica. Journal of Applied Entomology, 147, 651–660. https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.13153

Fionna Knecht, Yolanda Bel, Dafne Toledo, Giselher Grabenweger and Baltasar Escriche (2023). Effect of Bacillus insecticidal proteins on the Japanese beetle, Popillia japónica (Scarabaeidae). Agri Res & Tech: Open Access J.; 27 (3): 556375. DOI: 10.19080/ARTOAJ.2023.27.556375

Torrini G, Paoli F, Mazza G, Simoncini S, Benvenuti C, Strangi A, Tarasco E, Barzanti GP, Bosio G, Cutino I, et al. (2020). Evaluation of Indigenous Entomopathogenic Nematodes as Potential Biocontrol Agents against Popillia japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Northern Italy. Insects. 2020; 11(11):804. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects11110804

 Other Publications & News

Rachwani, M. (2020). App allows city-dwellers to turn citizen scientists and track Australia's urban birds. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/12/app-allows-city-dwellers-to-turn-citizen-scientists-and-track-australias-urban-birds?fbclid=IwY2xjawNFBkhleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHvWOTfX_ynOgMx67Jvm8UzROdjWCpMFHoyaYe-eUrvotlSH9itkShRq8DWyf_aem_GW3CX9ZpYeatwQwj7Nab-Q