The Ground Truth 2.0 generic methodology tested in six citizen observatories
Abstract
Technologies that allow for a widespread connectivity have given citizen science more energy than ever. Despite this, particular methodologies are used in each citizen science project to get citizens engaged in the observatories and to achieve the desired results in decision making and management. Ground Truth 2.0 is developing a novel methodology for co-designing citizen observatories by involving in its creation the main three stakeholders in any citizen science project: citizens, scientists and decision makers. The stakeholders' interaction from the beginning of citizen science initiatives allows the creation of strong communities working jointly and with common interests in the development and sustaining the observatory. These co-designed citizen observatories become more efficient and with stronger influence in decision making as a result of the cooperative process of creation. Since September 2016, Ground Truth 2.0 is setting up and validating six co-designed citizen observatories in real conditions, in four European and two African demonstration cases. The project is proving that such observatories are technologically feasible, can be implemented sustainably and that they have many societal and economic benefits, with the same social innovation approach and mainly reusing existing technological components. The six demo cases are thematically diverse and located in different parts of the world. Zambia CO is dealing with community-based natural resources management, Kenya CO is focused on biodiversity conservation, Sweden CO is monitoring water quality management, Spain CO is collecting evidence of the climate change, the Netherlands CO is helping water management and Belgium CO is monitoring environment quality of urban areas. The objective is to empower citizens' active role in planning, decision making and governance which results in the improved management of environmental issues. The project has two ultimate goals: integrate the observatories in the Global Earth Observations System of System GEOSS (by applying a set of standards) and devise a concept that permits global market uptake and self sustainability of the observatories.
- Publication:
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EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- April 2018
- Bibcode:
- 2018EGUGA..20.5259W