CitiMeasure
Using citizen measurements to create smart, sustainable, and inclusive cities
Latest News
Not all data is comparable
A big challenge of citizen science is to develop methods to compare data coming from different sources and often of varying quality. This is an issue close to the heart of the University of Aveiro.
Bringing citizen science to everyone
The Flemish Citizen Science Knowledge Centre, Scivil, has recently joined CitiMeasure and is hoping to help the project bring citizen science to as many organisations as possible.
Challenges
Establishing a successful, sustainable citizen science initiative with relevance for society, science and policy is a challenging task. CitiMeasure focuses on three specific challenges:
Comparability and interoperability
Data can be gathered by multiple stakeholders (e.g., researchers, businesses, public administrations, or by citizens via citizen science initiatives), and at different levels (local, regional, national, etc.). Therefore, data comparability and interoperability are essential for exploring the full potential of citizen science initiatives. This is a challenge because guidance and frameworks that would allow greater comparability are missing.
Changing behaviours and impacting policies
Citizen science can underpin environmental policies, support policymaking, and prompt behavioural change. However, there are many barriers for the use of citizen science data for behaviour and policy change. More efforts thus need to be addressed at breaching this gap, supporting fit-for-purpose approaches as well as appropriately measuring these impacts.
Addressing the digital divide
There is a digital divide in citizen science, i.e., there are differences in motivation, physical access to technology, digital skills, and usage patterns. Enhancing the digital inclusion of citizen science initiatives is thus key for their legitimacy and representativeness.
Working groups
CitiMeasure follows a co-creation and collaborative approach and has established four working groups to develop and test three instruments with the aims of improving comparability of air quality monitoring initiatives, fostering behaviour and policy change outcomes of citizen science, and reducing digital divide in citizen measurement initiatives. From May to December 2022, the prototype instruments will be piloted. The CitiMeasure pilots and working groups collaborate to collect and use feedbacks form the pilot cases and use those feedbacks to improve and consolidate the CitiMeasure instruments.
The development of the CitiMeasure European Knowledge Centre is an ongoing process, and its content will be gradually updated. Make sure to visit us again!
Strategy and oversight WG
This working group oversees the development of the instruments, implementation of the pilots and ongoing development of the Knowledge Centre by identifying linkages between the instruments being developed, sharing good practices and new information, ensuring connections with external stakeholders, and being advocates for citizen science and CitiMeasure.
Comparability WG
this working group investigates and compares existing technical (data) and interoperability standards that supports the gauging of consumer grade air quality sensors to reference sensors of (regional national, and municipal) authorities. The aim is to develop a basic guideline that informs citizens and city officials on what sensors to use to ensure the comparability of data with other citizen science initiatives, as well as with official observations.
Behaviour & Policy WG
this working group works towards increased understanding of the changes in behaviour of different stakeholder groups, as well as decision and policy making processes. This includes changes in trust, participation behaviour, new culture of collaboration, sharing responsibilities, as well as established decision and policy making processes.
Digital inclusion WG
this working group works towards advancing the understanding of the issue of ‘competencies’ for digital inclusion. This includes both unpacking competencies required by citizens to participate in citizen science initiatives, as well as those of policy makers, decision makers and municipal employees to engage citizens in such initiatives.
Who is part of the CitiMeasure working groups?
Knowledge centre
The project will create an online European Knowledge Centre with a repository of good practices as well as the co-created instruments, user-guidelines, and training material.
Instruments, guidelines and training
Public deliverables
News
Find all the updates, events, and news about the CitiMeasure project in this section!
Not all data is comparable
A big challenge of citizen science is to develop methods to compare data coming from different sources and often of varying quality. This is an issue close to the heart of the University of Aveiro.
Bringing citizen science to everyone
The Flemish Citizen Science Knowledge Centre, Scivil, has recently joined CitiMeasure and is hoping to help the project bring citizen science to as many organisations as possible.
Linking citizen scientists to policymakers
To ensure citizen science informs the local political agenda, organisations like The Green Land work as moderators and facilitators.
Citizen science for a just transition
A Research Fellow for the University of West England, Sophie Laggan, says citizen science is a way to listen to the most vulnerable and ensure a just transition for all.
How to win court cases by leveraging citizen science data
Citizen science might be still flying under the radar, but there are signs that its impact can go even further than changing behaviours and influencing policies. What happens when it makes its debut in court?
CitiMeasure
Using citizen measurements to create smart, sustainable, and inclusive cities
Latest News
Not all data is comparable
A big challenge of citizen science is to develop methods to compare data coming from different sources and often of varying quality. This is an issue close to the heart of the University of Aveiro.
Challenges
Establishing a successful, sustainable citizen science initiative with relevance for society, science and policy is a challenging task. CitiMeasure focuses on three specific challenges:
Comparability and interoperability
Data can be gathered by multiple stakeholders (e.g., researchers, businesses, public administrations, or by citizens via citizen science initiatives), and at different levels (local, regional, national, etc.). Therefore, data comparability and interoperability are essential for exploring the full potential of citizen science initiatives. This is a challenge because guidance and frameworks that would allow greater comparability are missing.
Changing behaviours and impacting policies
Citizen science can underpin environmental policies, support policymaking, and prompt behavioural change. However, there are many barriers for the use of citizen science data for behaviour and policy change. More efforts thus need to be addressed at breaching this gap, supporting fit-for-purpose approaches as well as appropriately measuring these impacts.
Addressing the digital divide
There is a digital divide in citizen science, i.e., there are differences in motivation, physical access to technology, digital skills, and usage patterns. Enhancing the digital inclusion of citizen science initiatives is thus key for their legitimacy and representativeness.
Working groups
This working group oversees the development of the instruments, implementation of the pilots and ongoing development of the Knowledge Centre by identifying linkages between the instruments being developed, sharing good practices and new information, ensuring connections with external stakeholders, and being advocates for citizen science and CitiMeasure.
The development of the CitiMeasure European Knowledge Centre is an ongoing process, and its content will be gradually updated. Make sure to visit us again!
Strategy and oversight WG
This WG focuses on providing strategic direction and ensuring cohesion of activities across the three Instrument Sub-Groups, and the project in general.
Digital inclusion WG
this working group works towards advancing the understanding of the issue of ‘competencies’ for digital inclusion. This includes both unpacking competencies required by citizens to participate in citizen science initiatives, as well as those of policy makers, decision makers and municipal employees to engage citizens in such initiatives.
Behaviour & Policy WG
this working group works towards increased understanding of the changes in behaviour of different stakeholder groups, as well as decision and policy making processes. This includes changes in trust, participation behaviour, new culture of collaboration, sharing responsibilities, as well as established decision and policy making processes.
Comparability WG
this working group investigates and compares existing technical (data) and interoperability standards that supports the gauging of consumer grade air quality sensors to reference sensors of (regional national, and municipal) authorities. The aim is to develop a basic guideline that informs citizens and city officials on what sensors to use to ensure the comparability of data with other citizen science initiatives, as well as with official observations.
Who is part of the CitiMeasure working groups?
Knowledge centre
The project will create an online European Knowledge Centre with a repository of good practices as well as the co-created instruments, user-guidelines, and training material.
Instruments, guidelines and training
The project will produce three co-created instruments together with user guidelines and training material that will be available online in 2022.
Public deliverables
This sub-section will include all the public deliverables of the CitiMeasure project.
News
Find all the updates, events, and news about the CitiMeasure project in this section!
Not all data is comparable
A big challenge of citizen science is to develop methods to compare data coming from different sources and often of varying quality. This is an issue close to the heart of the University of Aveiro.
Bringing citizen science to everyone
The Flemish Citizen Science Knowledge Centre, Scivil, has recently joined CitiMeasure and is hoping to help the project bring citizen science to as many organisations as possible.
Linking citizen scientists to policymakers
To ensure citizen science informs the local political agenda, organisations like The Green Land work as moderators and facilitators.
Citizen science for a just transition
A Research Fellow for the University of West England, Sophie Laggan, says citizen science is a way to listen to the most vulnerable and ensure a just transition for all.
How to win court cases by leveraging citizen science data
Citizen science might be still flying under the radar, but there are signs that its impact can go even further than changing behaviours and influencing policies. What happens when it makes its debut in court?