IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i7p4078-d782836.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Networks of Citizen Observatories Can Increase the Quality and Quantity of Citizen-Science-Generated Data Used to Monitor SDG Indicators

Author

Listed:
  • Sasha Marie Woods

    (Earthwatch Europe, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

  • Maria Daskolia

    (Environmental Education Lab, Department of Educational Studies, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, University Campus, 15784 Athens, Greece)

  • Alexis Joly

    (INRIA, Université de Montpellier, 34090 Montpellier, France)

  • Pierre Bonnet

    (Botany and Modeling of Plant Architecture and Vegetation (AMAP), French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), French National Institute for Agriculture, Food and Environment (INRAE), Research Institute for Development (IRD), University of Montpellier, 34398 Montpellier, France)

  • Karen Soacha

    (EMBIMOS Group, Institute of Marine Sciences-Spanish Research Council (ICM-CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, Spain
    Information and Knowledge, Doctoral School, Open University of Catalonia (UOC), 08035 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Sonia Liñan

    (EMBIMOS Group, Institute of Marine Sciences-Spanish Research Council (ICM-CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Tim Woods

    (European Citizen Science Association (ECSA), Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany)

  • Jaume Piera

    (EMBIMOS Group, Institute of Marine Sciences-Spanish Research Council (ICM-CSIC), 08003 Barcelona, Spain)

  • Luigi Ceccaroni

    (Earthwatch Europe, Oxford OX2 7DE, UK)

Abstract

There is a growing acknowledgement that citizen observatories, and other forms of citizen-generated data, have a significant role in tracking progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This is evident in the increasing number of Sustainable Development Goals’ indicators for which such data are already being used and in the high-level recognition of the potential role that citizen science can play. In this article, we argue that networks of citizen observatories will help realise this potential. Drawing on the Cos4Cloud project as an example, we highlight how such networks can make citizen-generated data more interoperable and accessible (among other qualities), increasing their impact and usefulness. Furthermore, we highlight other, perhaps overlooked, advantages of citizen observatories and citizen-generated data: educating and informing citizen scientists about the Sustainable Development Goals and co-creating solutions to the global challenges they address.

Suggested Citation

  • Sasha Marie Woods & Maria Daskolia & Alexis Joly & Pierre Bonnet & Karen Soacha & Sonia Liñan & Tim Woods & Jaume Piera & Luigi Ceccaroni, 2022. "How Networks of Citizen Observatories Can Increase the Quality and Quantity of Citizen-Science-Generated Data Used to Monitor SDG Indicators," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-17, March.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:4078-:d:782836
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/7/4078/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/7/4078/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katharina Schleicher & Constanze Schmidt, 2020. "Citizen Science in Germany as Research and Sustainability Education: Analysis of the Main Forms and Foci and Its Relation to the Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-12, July.
    2. Loreta Tauginienė & Eglė Butkevičienė & Katrin Vohland & Barbara Heinisch & Maria Daskolia & Monika Suškevičs & Manuel Portela & Bálint Balázs & Baiba Prūse, 2020. "Citizen science in the social sciences and humanities: the power of interdisciplinarity," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Nicola Moczek & Silke L. Voigt-Heucke & Kim G. Mortega & Claudia Fabó Cartas & Jörn Knobloch, 2021. "A Self-Assessment of European Citizen Science Projects on Their Contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    4. Raquel Ajates, 2021. "Reducing the Risk of Co-Optation in Alternative Food Networks: Multi-Stakeholder Cooperatives, Social Capital, and Third Spaces of Cooperation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-20, October.
    5. James Sprinks & Sasha Marie Woods & Stephen Parkinson & Uta Wehn & Hannah Joyce & Luigi Ceccaroni & Mohammad Gharesifard, 2021. "Coordinator Perceptions When Assessing the Impact of Citizen Science towards Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-15, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ainhoa González & Shane Mc Guinness & Enda Murphy & Grainne Kelliher & Lyn Hagin-Meade, 2023. "Priorities, Scale and Insights: Opportunities and Challenges for Community Involvement in SDG Implementation and Monitoring," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-15, March.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Regina Grazuleviciene & Sandra Andrusaityte & Aurimas Rapalavicius, 2021. "Measuring the Outcomes of a Participatory Research Study: Findings from an Environmental Epidemiological Study in Kaunas City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-15, August.
    2. Justus Henke, 2022. "Can Citizen Science in the Humanities and Social Sciences Deliver on the Sustainability Goals?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-20, July.
    3. Irati Otamendi-Irizar & Olatz Grijalba & Alba Arias & Claudia Pennese & Rufino Hernández, 2021. "Effective Implementation of Urban Agendas through Urban Action Structures (UAS): The Case of the Basque Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-18, May.
    4. Stephen Parkinson & Sasha Marie Woods & James Sprinks & Luigi Ceccaroni, 2022. "A Practical Approach to Assessing the Impact of Citizen Science towards the Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-26, April.
    5. Stefan Thomas & David Scheller & Susan Schröder, 2021. "Co-creation in citizen social science: the research forum as a methodological foundation for communication and participation," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 8(1), pages 1-11, December.
    6. Fernando Almeida, 2022. "The Contribution of Local Agents and Citizens to Sustainable Development: The Portuguese Experience," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-18, October.
    7. Nicola Moczek & Silke L. Voigt-Heucke & Kim G. Mortega & Claudia Fabó Cartas & Jörn Knobloch, 2021. "A Self-Assessment of European Citizen Science Projects on Their Contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-18, February.
    8. Raffael Heiss & Desirée Schmuck & Jörg Matthes & Carolin Eicher, 2021. "Citizen Science in Schools: Predictors and Outcomes of Participating in Voluntary Political Research," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(4), pages 21582440211, October.
    9. Anna Berti Suman & Edwin Alblas, 2023. "Exploring Citizen Science over Time: Sensing, Technology and the Law," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-13, March.
    10. Walid Mukahhal & Gumataw Kifle Abebe & Rachel A. Bahn, 2022. "Opportunities and Challenges for Lebanese Horticultural Producers Linked to Corporate Buyers," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-16, April.
    11. Isabelle Bonhoure & Anna Cigarini & Julián Vicens & Bàrbara Mitats & Josep Perelló, 2023. "Reformulating computational social science with citizen social science: the case of a community-based mental health care research," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, December.
    12. Chia-Hsiang Chen & Kuo-Wei Yen, 2023. "Developing International Collaboration Indicators in Fisheries Remote Sensing Research to Achieve SDG 14 and 17," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-22, September.
    13. Benedict Sheehy & Federica Farneti, 2021. "Corporate Social Responsibility, Sustainability, Sustainable Development and Corporate Sustainability: What Is the Difference, and Does It Matter?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-17, May.
    14. Jooseok Oh & Minho Seo, 2022. "Evaluation of Citizen–Student Cooperative Urban Planning and Design Experience in Higher Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-18, February.
    15. Ralph Sonntag & Gerard J. Lewis & Andrzej Raszkowski, 2022. "The Importance of Implementing SDGs by Small and Medium Size Enterprises: Evidence from Germany and Poland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(24), pages 1-14, December.
    16. Claudia Göbel & Sylvi Mauermeister & Justus Henke, 2022. "Citizen Social Science in Germany—cooperation beyond invited and uninvited participation," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, December.
    17. Bianca Vienni-Baptista & María Goñi Mazzitelli & María Haydeé García Bravo & Inta Rivas Fauré & Daniel Felipe Marín-Vanegas & Cecilia Hidalgo, 2022. "Situated expertise in integration and implementation processes in Latin America," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-14, December.
    18. Hossein Vahidi & Mohammad Taleai & Wanglin Yan & Rajib Shaw, 2021. "Digital Citizen Science for Responding to COVID-19 Crisis: Experiences from Iran," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-34, September.
    19. Yasutaka Ozaki & Rajib Shaw, 2022. "Citizens’ Social Participation to Implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-18, November.
    20. Maria Panitsa & Nikolia Iliopoulou & Emmanouil Petrakis, 2021. "Citizen Science, Plant Species, and Communities’ Diversity and Conservation on a Mediterranean Biosphere Reserve," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-11, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:7:p:4078-:d:782836. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.