COBWEB Project Status
Dyfi Biosphere Reserve Annual Meeting,15th May, 2013
Chris HigginsProject Coordinator
http://cobwebproject.eu/
Citizen Observatory Web
• 4 year research project
• Crowdsourced environmental data to aid decision making
• Introduce quality measures and reduce uncertainty
• Combine crowdsourced data with existing sources of data
Crowdsourcing & citizen science
• Data collection conducted by amateurs• The involvement of volunteers in science
http://www.ceh.ac.uk/products/publications/documents/CitizenScienceReview.pdf
What are we going to build?
• A number of demonstrator mobile phone applications
– Exactly what, deliberately left open and subject to discussion with stakeholders
• 3 subject areas:1. Earth observation
2. Biological monitoring
3. Flooding
Design approach
• Top down– Work underway from the technical team
• Bottom up– Collecting user requirements
• How citizen science can benefit the area• What citizen science can deliver
– Local engagement by;
Benefits of COBWEB to the Dyfi Biosphere Reserve
• Brings resources into the area• Raises the profile of the Dyfi area• COBWEB - establish area as a
centre of expertise in:– Crowdsourcing and
Citizen science– Use of such data for
better environmental
governance
What would we like from you?
• Help us understand volunteer motivations
• Talk to us, help us get a measure of the level of awareness of the possibilities, the kinds of projects we might enable, etc.
http://cobwebproject.eu/ [email protected]