Citizen Science App Packages Add-Ons
In addtion to the SPOTTERON App Package, additional components can be added to extend the scope of the toolkit with project-spcific functionalities.
Info-Panels for in-App Information and Glossary Pages
In the SPOTTERON Info-Panels feature, additional information and pictures can be displayed on-click in lists and input fields directly in the data submission dialogue. The project-specific implementation is based on SPOTTERON Package B and the project team can self-edit content of infopanels via the project website's administration interface.
Project-specific Intro-Slides on App start-up
When opening up an App the first time, a number of Intro Slides are welcoming new users and give tips about how to use the app. As a graphic design task, we can create your project-specific customized Intro Slides in all included languages of your App and integrate them in the Apps for Android and IOS.
Additional translations & languages for Apps
Extending to the two languages already included in each basic package, we can implement an unlimited number of translations in your project's Apps. During the App development process, we provide project-specific translation files for your project with all yet untranslated strings included and implement the languages for the release.
Regional or Country-based Access to Data & Communication Tools
If your project's scale integrates more partner organisations on regional or national level, the SPOTTERON Project Internationalization Toolkit enables regional or country-based data access, community administration and the use of the integrated communication tools. This allows project partners to independently manage and download data and to communicate in the own native language with the local user community.
Media: Audio Feature for the live recording and playback of audio in Apps
The project-specific integration of Audio Recording feature enables to attach audio as recording or audio file directly in a user data submission and features a playback component for the detail views of data submissions in the Apps (Android, IOS, Web-App). Audio data is included in the administrator data downlods and in the project-specific API Add-On.
Media: Multiple Images Upload per Data Submission
For project with extended need of photo or image submissions and media data volumes, the Multiple Images feature is enabling participants to add a multitude of images one data submission at once in an easy-to-use interface. The feature includes an extended data upload system for data streaming and background upload of contributions to provide a high level user experience and technical quality. The Mutlitple Images feature comes with an image gallery, integrated in the detail view of each user submission in the Apps.
User Roles with specific options per role in data submission dialog
Project User Roles can be utilized in a project to identify different target groups and to display data input options specific to a participant's user role in the App. The project-specific setup of User roles can be used to reflect various levels of knowledge, experience, or different areas of interest for each user, and provide data submission categories specialized for each user role. User role identifiers are inclued in the export and the API for each data point.
Data Scoring and Custom Data Visualizations
Live Route Recording
Satellite Map Overlay
Project-specific Data fields on User Profiles with Consent & GDPR Compliance
Background information on users can sometimes be very important for a research project. The add-on allows projects to include a range of project-specific questions on each user profile, which users can answer and give their consent for sharing the data with the project's team.
Co-Creation Package
Additional co-creation cycles can implement user feedback for input options in the data input dialogue of the apps of the project in an open process. A first prototype version of the app toolkit can be presented to user groups, feedback gathered, changes identified and new app versions are produced to include the co-creation outcomes.
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”Our collaboration with SPOTTERON has been essential for our citizen science project. The ideas of our research have been efficiently implemented into the app in a simple and didactic way, thanks to the good communication and professionalism of the team.Sara Blanco Ramirez, PhD student, Hydrology and Climate
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”Mammals Atlas Kenya (MAKENYA), an operational mobile application to submit mammal sightings by citizens was launched in January 2021. I found the SPOTTERON team very magnanimous, highly professional, meticulous and committed to their work; and definitely I recommend the team to anyone interested in citizen science applications worldwide.Simon Musila, Mammalogy Section, National Museums of Kenya
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Working with SPOTTERON for our citizen science app was the best decision our team could have made! Philipp and his team led us through the design process and helped us translate our ideas into reality. As US clients, we were surprised that there was no lag in communication due to the time difference where the SPOTTERON team works. I am convinced they work around the clock! They always responded quickly to our emails and scheduled calls to meet our schedule. I highly recommend working with SPOTTERON if you are designing a citizen science app.
Jules Bruck, University of Delaware -
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Choosing SPOTTERON for our CrowdWater project was the best decision we could have made for developing the app. Excellent implementation of our (sometimes not entirely thought through) ideas, competent advice, and a fair business model - working with SPOTTERON is a major factor why CrowdWater is working so well.
Prof. Jan Seibert, Department of Geography Hydrology and Climate, University of Zurich -
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SPOTTERON has enabled Tea Bag Index to widen our citizen scientist engagement methods and helped us to come up with ideas on how to bring soils closer to the public. It is a pleasure to work with a company who wants to create a platform that is a communication possibility for everybody involved in the project!
Dr. Taru Sandén, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety - AGES -
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Working together with Spotteron has been a smooth and fast way to get our Citizen Science project started! Their impressive experience in app building as well as in communication with citizens has proven to be invaluable and complements nicely with a team of scientists taking their first steps in citizen science!
Bram Vanthournout, Ghent University -
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GLOBAL 2000 has been working closely with Spotteron for more than 3 years. Together we have started the DreckSpotz app and are constantly developing it. The SPOTTERON team is not only incredibly competent, but above all very flexible and uncomplicated. That's why we feel extremely well looked after as an environmental organization and NGO.
Johannes Frauscher, GLOBAL 2000, Friends of Earth Austria -
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The decision to use the SPOTTERON Citizen Science platform for our participatory project can be summarized best in this way: it was possible in a short time to create a well-working and user-friendly Citizen Science app for our research. The positive feedback on our project "Landauf - LandApp" shows that involving citizens in a scientific project can be a lot of fun when using the right tool.
Daniel Fähle, National Archive Baden-Württemberg, Germany -
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The app developed by SPOTTERON is an ideal extension to our established methods and strengthens the inclusion of Citizen Scientists. The design and intuitive usability relate also to a young audience. Especially the community features make a direct feedback possible and it is especially motivating that the SPOTTERON team themselves are actively contributing in the app - a win-win situation for everyone.
Irmgard Greilhuber, Mycological Society Austria, University of Vienna -
”Working with SPOTTERON to design the app was an interesting experience for me. As an ecology PhD student, I knew how to catch Brush-turkeys and design experiments to learn about their behaviour. I knew next to nothing about how to engage with the broader community at large. SPOTTERONS’s expertise was invaluable here, they have experience in designing apps that people want to use, and balance detail with ease of function.Matthew Hall, University of Sydney
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”I've worked with loads of app developers over my career, but none so high quality as SPOTTERON. Their capabilities are astounding. They are incredibly innovative, creative and agile with a keen sense of humour and lightness. SPOTTERON apps are the benchmark of how to do citizen science well. They are elevating our ability to engage with the natural world in a meaningful way.Jen Sutfin, EarthWatch Australia
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SPOTTERON brings a lot of passion and lots of expertise in the field of Citizen Science to the table, to present projects - not only in technical terms - in the right light. The websites for both schweiz-forscht.ch and ecsa-conference.eu are based on good and easy cooperation with our Austrian partners.
Yasemin Tutav, Science et Cité -
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I’m amazed by SPOTTERON's passion for CitizenScience, impressed by their energy and initiatives and grateful for what I’ve learned by collaborating with them on the Fjällkalendern app.
Kjell Bolmgren, University of Stockholm -
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As a scientist, collaborating with SPOTTERON to create our Citizen Science App ‘Fågelbär’ was the right choice. We could focus on what type of data we want to collect and the team at SPOTTERON designed, built and are now running the App!
Matilda Arnell, University of Stockholm -
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With our SPOTTERON App Nature's Calendar ZAMG we are always technically up-to-date. As a result we are able to offer our Citizen Scientists a tool which is also appealing to today's generation without having to worry about any technical questions.
Thomas Hübner, Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik ZAMG -
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Working with SPOTTERON implies working with a professional partner on the topics of Apps & Citizen Science. I was always very pleased about the reliability, but also the openness to try new things and the possibility to exchange with competent partners. Thanks!
Dr. Dott. Didone Frigerio, University of Vienna, KLF Grünau/Almtal -
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With our project Roadkill, we were on the SPOTTERON platform since its beginnings, this way we got to witness the great development of this tool first-hand and were able to contribute in the shaping process. SPOTTERON manages the fine balance between scientific research, community management and modern design. The personal collaboration on a professional level supports the comfortable atmosphere in the project.
Florian Heigl PhD, University of Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna -
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If you are looking for a dedicated team for the development of a Citizen Science App - even if that has to happen quite fast- you are in good hands at SPOTTERON. Fast communication, straightforward coordination and running updates of the app, even after the release, characterize our successful collaboration.
Magdalena Gärtner, Center for Human-Computer Interaction, University of Salzburg -
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Through the SPOTTERON App "Was geht ab?" we were able to create an appealing and useful possibility for kids, to spot problem- and feel-good areas in their home- and school surroundings. In the SPOTTERON team we found reliable and creative partners, that care about more than just the implementation.
Juliane Stark, University of Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna -
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Thanks to the experience and the knowhow as well as the basic structure of SPOTTERON, we were able to have the CrowdWater apps developed in no time. We consider the model that allows every project to use all newly developed tools very fair and transparent. This way our apps even got some new features, we didn't even know we needed before.
Simon Etter, University of Zurich -
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Through SPOTTERON we share more than just an app infrastructure with other projects, we also share ideas. This way we get to develop and constantly improve user-friendly apps, which are easy to handle and work for many different kinds of projects.
Barbara Strobl, University of Zurich -
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To me, SPOTTERON is the successful combination of scientific claim and aesthetic design. The apps work intuitively, are extremely appealing and still fulfill all my scientific requirements when it comes to data quality and safety. Working together happens in a very loyal and trusting way and that allows us to profit from the design- and usability experience SPOTTERON has.
Daniel Dörler, University of Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna -
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What I especially like about SPOTTERON, is that we get to use many ideas and new tools that were developed for other projects in the SPOTTERON family without having to pay for them..
Klaus Wanninger, Lacon
