In Austria, as well as in many other parts of the world, we are currently experiencing what is probably the driest summer since measurements began. An unusually high number of hot days, forest fires, extremely low river levels, or even completely dried-up bodies of water – research data shows: such extreme periods of drought and heat as we have exp...
Trees are essential living beings of our cities and communities. They provide shade, improve air quality, increase biodiversity, and contribute significantly to a higher quality of life. In collaboration with SPOTTERON, BUND (Nature Conservation in Bavaria e.V.) developed the mobile and interactive App Mein Baum (My Tree) to support the p...
On the SPOTTERON Citizen Science App Platform, several initiatives are related to Citizen Science projects tackling problems related to marine and freshwater environments. As part of this blog, various aquatic-themed Citizen Science Apps running on the SPOTTERON Citizen Science App Platform will be spotlighted. A special section will be dedicated t...
Citizen Science projects often encompass a wide range of participation opportunities. From documenting observations and investigating specific research objects (like in Beweisstück Unterhose), to creating ponds in home gardens to support and study green toads (AmphiApp) — Citizen Science projects on the SPOTTERON platform often go beyond reporting ...
Imagine that all the little things you observe on a daily basis - your daily commute to work, the trees in your street, or the way rain collects on the road - could contribute to bettering your neighbourhood. That's exactly what communiMap - a new Citizen Science project running on the SPOTTERON Plaform aims to do. Led by the University of Glasgow'...
Since the release of the SPOTTERON Platform Version 4.0, citizen science & public engagement projects running on the Platform support multiple image upload per data submission. In practice, multiple image upload features are applied by projects for multiple reasons, for example, bringing more attention to the detail (e.g. for particul...
Multi-language capabilities have been extended on the SPOTTERON Citizen Science App Platform. From multiple translations of Project Apps, the platform also supports direct multi-language communication by sending direct messages to all participating citizens. Extended language capabilities have also been integrated in the platform's toolkit for inte...
At SPOTTERON we strongly believe that Citizen Science Apps can serve as a space for interactive collaboration in reaching positive change. Multi-level engagement, participatory processes and transdisciplinary approach are also principles shared by the New European Bauhaus which aims to reimagine sustainable living in Europe by bringing various acto...
Many Citizen Science and User Engagement projects utilize more than only point data for locations and spatial dimensions. Examples are plentiful - from setting up transects for counting butterflies to recording habitats and transformations. Spatial Data Recording in Citizen Science Apps For that purpose, we have developed a new feature for all Citi...
Every so often, the journey is the reward. When it comes to Citizen Science projects that include data about paths and routes traveled by citizens in the research, recording such geospatial data live is a crucial feature. Projects from areas like environmental health, urban transportation, or social science studies can benefit from being able to en...
In many Citizen Science projects, there are geographical location-related events or activities to interact with as a participant. Such activities can, for example, be simply a workshop taking place or something more permanent like an exhibition, a nature trail, or a project-related area that needs highlighting. With the integrated system called "Pr...
One of the most important aspects of Citizen Science is recognizing that participants voluntarily invest their time and effort into contributing to scientific projects—without compensation. While their passion for nature and curiosity about the environment drive participation, another crucial motivator is often overlooked: the desire to engage and ...
The climate crisis is undeniably reshaping our world, with its impacts becoming increasingly evident across various aspects of life. From record-breaking temperatures and shifting habitats to declining biodiversity and changes in infrastructure and politics, the effects of climate change are both vast and complex. Many of us can easily perceive war...
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a useful tool for analyzing data and supporting research. While the currently more popular forms of generative AI is impacting our daily lives and society and carries a considerable amount of risks, the intergration of predictive AI in interactive Apps can be highly beneficial for data analysis an...
COSEA is a collaborative, participatory, and community-driven project, funded by the European Union. It focuses on marine environments, marine species, and their habitats, as well as on various innovative approaches to their protection: TRANSEATION and EFFECTIVE are the two science projects that collaborate within COSEA with individual methods and ...
The SPOTTERON platform is always extending and together with projects across Europe, Australia, America, and Africa, new features and functionalities are constantly developed. With a new set of major core extensions and the overhaul of important system-related functionalities, the new platform version, SPOTTERON FOUR, brings new innovative tools an...
Suriname has roughly 14 languages - the official and most spoken language is Dutch. One of Suriname's indigenous languages is Trio, which is spoken by the Tarëno, a conglomeration of analogous subgroups and distinct Amerindian groups (Mirella Nankoe, 2017). The total Tarëno population (Tarëno means "people from here") in Suriname can...
In many Citizen Science projects, there are distinct data categories which have a sensitive nature. From endangered species to details about personal lives in social science programmes, working with such data elements requires an additional level of protection and security. An integrated feature for better data safety in Citizen Science Together wi...
Besides the visual component of a Citizen Science observation, in some projects, recording audio is as important. From bird songs to amphibian calls, from city noise to dialects - sound recordings offer a distinct form of data in natural science projects, in linguistic citizen science, or even in capturing reports about environmental quality. ...
In the course of our submission to the current "EU Prize for Citizen Science", we have produced a new video as an introduction to the SPOTTERON Citizen Science platform. The clip showcases the core aspects of what the platform brings to Citizen Science projects across Europe and beyond. As an interactive toolkit, every Citizen Science App not only ...
