Workshop 5: The policy implications of citizen science. How citizen science could support better policy formulation,

implementation and assessment

"Sharing is nice." Community consequences of self organised collections of

biodiversity data in Central and Eastern Europe: the role of citizens, professionals and

open tools

Dr. Miklós Bán,

University of Debrecen, Hungary

KEY Characteristics of sustainable biodiversity data management

● Flexible, interconnectable interfaces● Decentralized system● Open-sourced, community driven development

● Long term operation without regular charges and countinous financial background

Miklós Bán

Mocskonyi Zsófia

Sipos Katalin

Bérces Sándor

Duna-Ipoly National Park,2011 autumn

Katalin Sipos directorWWF Hungary

Gábor Boné coordinator István Kovács director

Milvus Group, Romania

prof. Zoltán Barta head of Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology, Kornél Ecsedi head of department in Informatics Directorate,Dr. Mihály Földvári lecturer, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human BiologyDr. Miklós Bán lecturer, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology

University of Debrecen

Dávid Ritter director of Informatics Directorate,Eötvös Lóránd University, Hungary

Dr. Erika Pénzesné Kónya (Dean, Faculty of Science)Szugyiczki csaba (developer)

Eszterházy Károly University, Hungary

Sándor Bérces curator, Nature Conservation department,Zsolt Baranyai head of Nature Conservation department, Zsófia Mocskonyi data supervisor, Nature Conservation department

Danube-Ipoly National Park Directorate, Hungary

Few years later...

Few years later..

Consortium partners

Duna-Ipoly Nemzeti Park Igazgatóság

Eötvös Loránd Egyetem

Eszterházy Károly Egyetem

Milvus Group, Romania

Debreceni Egyetem

WWF Magyarország

Duna-Dráva Nemzeti Park Igazgatóság

Map of 32 countries where there are data sets in OpenBioMaps databases~ 30 active databases

~ 2.5 million biodiversity related data records

Contributions

● >30 projects● >100 people in 25.000 work hours● ...

Conservational projects

● Duna-Ipoly National Park (Hungary)● Bükki National Park (Hungary)● Bükki National Park - Dél-Hevesi tájegység (Hungary)● Duna-Dráva National Park (Hungary)● Őrségi National Park (Hungary)● Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary)● Hortobágy National Park (Hungary)● Milvus Group Association (Romania)

Conservational / citizen science projects

● The Eurasian Kurgan Database● Balkan Herps● Corfu Dragonflies● ...

The Eurasian Kurgan Database

http://deak-valko.blogspot.com

● 500-700k ancient burial mounds in Eurasia

● cultural values● conservation role● citizen science● Russian translation of OBM

Research Projects

● Transdiptera (Diptera database)● Hungarian Flora Atlas (public database)● Global Plover Database (Evolutionary biology)● Sex-Ratio Evolution (Evolutionary biology, literature data)● Orthoptera (Orthoptera data)● Panurus biarmicus project (behaviour ecology research)● Debrecen DNA Bank (Eurasian Steppe Region DNA database)● .....

Citizen Projects

● Bird rings● Blackbirds● Lepke-háló● ...

Citizen Projects

● Dead animals database● ...

Citizen Projects

● Public Nestbox Database● Bird Atlas of Debrecen●

●

OpenBioMaps server network

biomaps.elte.huELTE

Budapest,Hungary

Milvus Groupopenbirdmaps.roMarosvásárhely,Romania

I n t e r n e t u s e r s

Duna-Ipoly NPdinpi.openbiomaps.orgBudapest, Hungary

P r i v a t e u s e r s

SenckenbergFrankfurt

Bükki NPobm.bnpi.huBudapest, Hungary

Flora Atlasobm.uni-sopron.hu

Soproni EgyetemSopron, Hungary

openbiomaps.orgUniversity of Debrecen

Debrecen

Key features● Creating individual database● Public and private servers● Mobile application ● Web interface● Invitations

Key features

● Simple data upload (up to tens of thousands of data daily): – with using web forms– with file upload: xls, shape, gpx, csv,

fasta, image files, ..– with mobile app

Key features

● Egyszerű adatfelvitel: – webes űrlap– fájl feltöltés: xls, shape, gpx, csv, ..– telefonos alkalmazás

Key features● Map display

Key features

● Accessing data from desktop apps or other clients:

QGIS, R,...

Key features● Save, repeat and share queries:

– Data export: CSV, SHP, ...– Permanent identifiers

for queries: DOI (DataCite)

new economical view

● open-source, distributed development:– reduced development costs

● various usage possibilities– opens new ways of development

● collaborative management & distributed operation:– reduced regular costs – opens unpredicted ways of collaborations

Thank you

DISCUSSION

Involving people● There are innumerable social domains who has different

impact on biodiversity and all of them have to been addressed in different ways.

● It is not possible with centralized tools, but much more with forming good networks.

● Therefore building networks which can connect and motivate different people is very important.

● Important to find key-people to build these networks. Key people are those who can build local networks in their social domains to spread information and involve people in action.

discussion thoughts● Answering to Biodiversity loss:

– Preservation and even more Prevention– Preservation need conservation institutes and collaborative people and collaborative economy and supporting policy.– Prevention need well informed people, motivation, and sensitiveness– Science need good quality data and fast reactions – Governments need evidence, clear explanations, short and long term evaluations and recommendations– Conservation institutes need money, power, true-hearted people and political support

● Citizens can take action and should be involved in both level:– citizens can support PRESERVATION with cooperation and awareness and also can support with actions– citizens can support PREVENTATION with their individual decisions how they live. This can be an effective support if people can understand the problems and are sensitive to

the problems. Therefore it is essential to involve people into various ways to go to nature, watch nature, follow changes and understand changes.... How it can be achieved?● Science can use people/citizens in such data collection where the task can be divided into small simple pieces and the data quality can be easily verified ● Conservation can use people/citizens in such data collection ─ || ─● Involving citizens in data collection has an other extremely important view: involved people will more sensitive, they go to the nature ... This is more

important than the collected data itself.● Therefore we need interconnect - build bridges between conservation - science and citizens!● How it can be possible???● We have created a technical tool which can help to build such like cooperation and collaborations....●

●

● Lost increasing speed, increased pressure on governments less support for conservation institutes.● This is a long story, started with scientists, moved to governmental level, and people started to act - silent spring, MSC, FSC. Conservation need people,

people need information. No conservation without people and no prevention without involving people. Biodiversa.● People can extend the possibilities of science and conservation. Like ants, simple tasks.... People can build bridges.

to get in touch with people● The strongest reason behind the

biodiversity loss is the insensitivness and ignorance of, of millions of people.

● If millions of people could change only one poppy seed, the situation would be much better.

● Is it true?