Here you find publications in the field of citizen science from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna in the year 2016.

Comparing Road-Kill Datasets from Hunters and Citizen Scientists in a Landscape Context

  • Road CC BY 2.0 Kārlis Dambrāns | Flickr (http://bit.ly/2l37fqQ)

Involved BOKU Authors: Florian Heigl, Carina R. Stretz, Wolfgang Steiner, Franz Suppan, Thomas Bauer, Gregor Laaha and Johann G. Zaller Institutes: Institute of Zoology; Institute of Wildlife biology and Game Management; Institute of Surveying, Remote Sensing and Land Information; Institute of Applied Statistics and Computing Type of Publication: Research Paper Journal: Remote Sensing Date of Publication: 10th October 2016 Abstract: Road traffic has severe effects on animals, especially when road-kills are involved. In many countries, official road-kill data are provided by hunters or police; there are also road-kill observations reported by citizen scientists. The aim of the current study was to test whether road-kill reports by hunters stem from similar landscapes than those reported by citizen scientists. We analysed the surrounding landscapes of 712 road-kill reportings of European hares in the province of Lower Austria. Hunters reported hares from landscapes with significantly higher percentages of arable land, and greater lengths of secondary roads. In contrast, citizens reported hares from landscapes with significantly higher percentages of urban or industrial areas and greater lengths of motorways, primary roads, and residential roads. From this we argue that hunters tend to report data mainly from their hunting areas, whereas citizens report data during their daily routine on the way to/from work. We conclude that a citizen science approach is an important source for road-kill data when used in addition to official data with the aim of obtaining an overview of road-kill events on a landscape scale. You can find the full text here: http://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/8/10/832/htm

AUSTRIAN CITIZEN SCIENCE CONFERENCE 2016 Citizen Science – Quo vadis?

Involved BOKU Editors: Florian Heigl, Daniel Dörler, Gabriele Weigelhofer and Johann G. Zaller Institutes: Institute of Zoology and WasserCluster Lunz Type of Publication: Conference Proceedings Date of Publication: 06th September 2016 Abstract: Citizen Science is gaining momentum in various scientific fields. Under the motto "Citizen Science –Quo vadis?", the platform Österreich forscht and the Wassercluster Lunz welcomed stakeholders from science, humanities and economy to present and discuss their citizen science projects and initiatives. The aim of the conference was to further increase the quality of citizen science in Austria and to demonstrate, to what extent this method can generate scientifically robust results. The conference featured international keynote speakers, oral presentations and a poster session. Workshops and a mini bar camp addressed urging questions regarding data quality, developments and challenges for citizen science in Austria and beyond. You can find the full text here: https://www.frontiersin.org/books/Austrian_Citizen_Science_Conference_2016/1026

Citizen Science für alle – Eine Handreichung für Citizen Science Beteiligte

Involved BOKU Authors: Florian Heigl and Daniel Dörler

Institute: Institute of Zoology

Type of Publication: Report

Date of Publication: 2016

Abstract:

The GEWISS consortium in Germany has published a guideline on Citizen Science, in which we were allowed to collaborate. It deals with questions such as: What points do I have to take into account when planning the project? How can I do fundraising? Which form of public relations supports my research and motivates participants? In the first part, many practical tips help with the development of the project. A figure of the project milestones and a checklist complete the presentation.

In the second part, the implementation of Citizen Science in certain areas such as nature conservation, humanities or in the digital space is described and reflected. Fourteen different projects are presented through built-in "Geschichten" and share their experiences with the reader.

You can find the full text here: https://www.citizen-science.at/literatur/wegweiser