Here you find publications in the field of citizen science from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna in the year 2017.

Public participation: Time for a definition of citizen science

Involved BOKU Authors: Florian Heigl und Daniel Dörler Institute: Institute of Zoology Type of Publication: Correspondence Journal: Nature Date of Publication: 8th November 2017 Abstract: Florian Heigl and Daniel Dörler call in a text in the section "Correspondence" in the journal Nature to define Citizen Science more clearly. They argue that only in this way can quality, openness, communication, cooperation and compliance with applicable laws (such as privacy) be guaranteed. Although Citizen Science continues to grow, there is currently no globally consistent definition. That is why the Working Group for Quality Criteria was founded on Österreich forscht in order to secure and expand the quality of Citizen Science in Austria. With this step, they also want to encourage other platforms and networks to go in the same direction. You can find the full text here: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-017-05745-8

The Challenge of Evaluation: An Open Framework for Evaluating Citizen Science Activities

Involved BOKU Authors: Florian Heigl und Daniel Dörler Institute: Institute of Zoology Type of Publication: Preprint Date of Publication: 20th September 2017 Abstract: Based on an in-depth analysis of the characteristics and diversity of Citizen Science activities and current evaluation methods, the authors have developed an open framework that addresses a wide range of Citizen Science activities, from citizens' movements to projects run by scientists. This framework includes social, scientific and socio-ecological / economic perspectives of Citizen Science, providing a comprehensive set of indicators. The indicators can be selected and focused on all of these three perspectives at both the process and impact levels, depending on the specific context and objective. The framework therefore serves to critically evaluate Citizen Science projects in terms of the chosen objectives for both external evaluation and promotion as well as for internal project development. You can find the full text here: https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/enzc9

Amphibian and reptile road-kills on tertiary roads in relation to landscape structure: using a citizen science approach with open-access land cover data

  • Bufo viridis CC BY NobbiP | Wikimedia Commons (http://bit.ly/2AF28bR)

Involved BOKU Authors: Florian Heigl, Kathrin Horvath, Gregor Laaha and Johann G. Zaller Institute: Institute of Zoology and Institute of Applied Statistics and Computing Type of Publication: Research Paper Journal: BMC Ecology Date of Publication: 26th June 2017 Abstract: Amphibians and reptiles are among the most endangered vertebrate species worldwide. The aim of our study was to examine the applicability of open-access remote sensing data for a large-scale citizen science approach to describe spatial patterns of road-killed amphibians and reptiles on tertiary roads. Using a citizen science app we monitored road-kills of amphibians and reptiles along 97.5 km of tertiary roads. We recorded 180 amphibian and 72 reptile road-kills comprising eight species mainly occurring on agricultural roads. Overall, hotspots of amphibian and reptile road-kills were next to preferred habitats of green toad, common toad and grass snake, the most often found road-killed species. A citizen science approach appeared to be more cost-efficient than monitoring by professional researchers only when more than 400 km of road are monitored. You can find the full text here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186%2Fs12898-017-0134-z

Citizen Science Terminology Matters: Exploring Key Terms

  • Inverted world CC BY 2.0 kimmo tirkkonen | Flickr (http://bit.ly/2sbWU1Y)

Involved BOKU Authors: Daniel Dörler und Florian Heigl Institute: Institut of Zoologie Type of Publication: Review and Synthesis Paper Journal: Citizen Science: Theory and Practice Date of Publication: 5th June 2017 Abstract: To define citizen science, one should pay close attention to the words used to describe this method, because the terminology determines how knowledge is generated. Citizen Science is a rapidly evolving field based on population involvement in information creation, social action, social justice and information gathering. Currently, a variety of terms and expressions are used to refer to the concept of citizen science and the actors involved in it. In this article, we explore these terms to provide guidelines for the further development of this field. You can find the full text here: https://theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/article/10.5334/cstp.96/