A Model for Citizen Scientist Contribution in an Image Tagging Task

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Laut ◽  
Francesco Cappa ◽  
Oded Nov ◽  
Maurizio Porfiri
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Image Tagging ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Citizen Scientist ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Loop Condition ◽  
Experimental Trials

Citizen science projects are becoming increasingly popular, yet they typically rely on only a small portion of users for the majority of contribution. In this paper, we propose a model for citizen scientist contribution in an online image tagging task. The model describes participant contribution in response to the performance of a virtual peer, the behavior of which can be controlled by the experimenter. Experimental trials where the virtual peer behaves independent of the participant are used to calibrate the model. The model’s ability to predict participant performance is then verified in a closed-loop condition, where the behavior of the virtual peer is explicitly dependant on the performance of the participant. We foresee this model being a useful tool in the design of web-based citizen science projects, where the behavior of a virtual peer can be used to modulate the performance of contributors in an effort to increase overall levels of contribution.

scholarly journals CCLTracker Framework: Monitoring user learning and activity in web based citizen science projects

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Luis Fernandez-Marquez ◽  
Ioannis Charalampidis ◽  
Oula Abu-Amsha ◽  
Francois Grey ◽  
Daniel K. Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Learning Outcomes ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
User Interfaces ◽  
Web Applications ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
On Line ◽  
User Learning

Analytics tools have been widely used over the last years for the development of web-based application and services. Analytics data allows improving user interfaces through planning, executing, and evaluating actions intended to increase user engagement. Measuring and improving user engagement in citizen science projects is not different from other web applications such as on-line shopping, newspapers, or sites for recommending music or movies. However, citizen science projects also aim to produce learning outcomes on the participants. Current analytics tools do not present sufficient information regarding user behaviour with the application, thus making measuring engagement and learning outcomes difficult. This paper presents the CCLTracker analytics framework that is intended to overcome current limitations in analytics tools, by providing an API for monitoring user activities such as time spent watching a video, time to complete a task, or how far down a page is scrolled. CCLTracker has been integrated in 3 different citizen science projects which have proved its value for measuring user engagement and learning.

scholarly journals Citizens, Scientists, and Enablers: A Tripartite Model for Citizen Science Projects

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 309
Author(s):  
Rhian A. Salmon ◽  
Samuel Rammell ◽  
Myfanwy T. Emeny ◽  
Stephen Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Case Studies ◽  
Nature Of Science ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Tripartite Model ◽  
Science Project ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Emerging Issues ◽  
Citizen Science Project

In this paper, we focus on different roles in citizen science projects, and their respective relationships. We propose a tripartite model that recognises not only citizens and scientists, but also an important third role, which we call the ‘enabler’. In doing so, we acknowledge that additional expertise and skillsets are often present in citizen science projects, but are frequently overlooked in associated literature. We interrogate this model by applying it to three case studies and explore how the success and sustainability of a citizen science project requires all roles to be acknowledged and interacting appropriately. In this era of ‘wicked problems’, the nature of science and science communication has become more complex. In order to address critical emerging issues, a greater number of stakeholders are engaging in multi-party partnerships and research is becoming increasingly interdisciplinary. Within this context, explicitly acknowledging the role and motivations of everyone involved can provide a framework for enhanced project transparency, delivery, evaluation and impact. By adapting our understanding of citizen science to better recognise the complexity of the organisational systems within which they operate, we propose an opportunity to strengthen the collaborative delivery of both valuable scientific research and public engagement.

scholarly journals Isotropic Sequence Order Learning

2003 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 831-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernd Porr ◽  
Florentin Wörgötter
Keyword(s):  
Weight Change ◽  
Closed Loop ◽  
Learning Algorithm ◽  
Linear Structure ◽  
Open Loop ◽  
Learning System ◽  
Behavioral Paradigm ◽  
Motor Loop ◽  
Loop Condition ◽  
Spike Time Dependent Plasticity

In this article, we present an isotropic unsupervised algorithm for temporal sequence learning. No special reward signal is used such that all inputs are completely isotropic. All input signals are bandpass filtered before converging onto a linear output neuron. All synaptic weights change according to the correlation of bandpass-filtered inputs with the derivative of the output. We investigate the algorithm in an open- and a closed-loop condition, the latter being defined by embedding the learning system into a behavioral feedback loop. In the open-loop condition, we find that the linear structure of the algorithm allows analytically calculating the shape of the weight change, which is strictly heterosynaptic and follows the shape of the weight change curves found in spike-time-dependent plasticity. Furthermore, we show that synaptic weights stabilize automatically when no more temporal differences exist between the inputs without additional normalizing measures. In the second part of this study, the algorithm is is placed in an environment that leads to closed sensor-motor loop. To this end, a robot is programmed with a prewired retraction reflex reaction in response to collisions. Through isotropic sequence order (ISO) learning, the robot achieves collision avoidance by learning the correlation between his early range-finder signals and the later occurring collision signal. Synaptic weights stabilize at the end of learning as theoretically predicted. Finally, we discuss the relation of ISO learning with other drive reinforcement models and with the commonly used temporal difference learning algorithm. This study is followed up by a mathematical analysis of the closed-loop situation in the companion article in this issue, “ISO Learning Approximates a Solution to the Inverse-Controller Problem in an Unsupervised Behavioral Paradigm” (pp. 865–884).

Citizens of the future

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-144
Author(s):  
Colin Milburn ◽  
Melissa Wills
Keyword(s):  
Video Games ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Scientific Research ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
Responsible Innovation ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Technical Innovations ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
Utopian Thought

Over the last decade, a variety of ‘citizen science’ projects have turned to video games and other tools of gamification to enrol participants and to encourage public engagement with scientific research questions. This article examines the significance of sf in the field of citizen science, focusing on projects such as Eyewire, Be a Martian!, Sea Hero Quest, Play to Cure: Genes in Space, Forgotten Island and the ‘Project Discovery’ experiments in EVE Online. The sf stories that frame these projects often allegorise the neoliberal assumptions and immaterial labour practices of citizen science, even while seeming to hide or disguise them. At the same time, the fictional frames enable players to imagine social and technical innovations that, while not necessarily achievable in the present, nevertheless point to a future of democratic science, social progress and responsible innovation - blips of utopian thought from the zones of crowdsourced labour.

scholarly journals The role of citizen science in addressing grand challenges in food and agriculture research

2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1891) ◽  
pp. 20181977 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. F. Ryan ◽  
N. L. Adamson ◽  
A. Aktipis ◽  
L. K. Andersen ◽  
R. Austin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Communities ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
The United States ◽  
Food Science ◽  
Grand Challenges ◽  
Food Research ◽  
Food And Agriculture ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Agriculture And Food

The power of citizen science to contribute to both science and society is gaining increased recognition, particularly in physics and biology. Although there is a long history of public engagement in agriculture and food science, the term ‘citizen science’ has rarely been applied to these efforts. Similarly, in the emerging field of citizen science, most new citizen science projects do not focus on food or agriculture. Here, we convened thought leaders from a broad range of fields related to citizen science, agriculture, and food science to highlight key opportunities for bridging these overlapping yet disconnected communities/fields and identify ways to leverage their respective strengths. Specifically, we show that (i) citizen science projects are addressing many grand challenges facing our food systems, as outlined by the United States National Institute of Food and Agriculture, as well as broader Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations Development Programme, (ii) there exist emerging opportunities and unique challenges for citizen science in agriculture/food research, and (iii) the greatest opportunities for the development of citizen science projects in agriculture and food science will be gained by using the existing infrastructure and tools of Extension programmes and through the engagement of urban communities. Further, we argue there is no better time to foster greater collaboration between these fields given the trend of shrinking Extension programmes, the increasing need to apply innovative solutions to address rising demands on agricultural systems, and the exponential growth of the field of citizen science.

scholarly journals Affordances and tensions in recording bird observations: how coordinators and volunteers perceive and experience citizen science in birding

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (02) ◽  
pp. A10
Author(s):  
Helen Verploegen ◽  
Wessel Ganzevoort ◽  
Riyan van den Born
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Data Sharing ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Future Design ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
The Future

Digital citizen science projects differ greatly in their goals and design. Tensions arise when coordinators' design choices and conceptions of citizen science conflict with users' motivations and expectations. In this paper, we use a combination of qualitative methods to gain new insights into the ways citizen science is understood and implemented digitally. This includes a study into the affordances of two citizen science portals for bird observations, and qualitative interviews with users and coordinators of the portals. This reveals tensions related to data sharing, community hierarchies, and communicated expectations. Awareness of these tensions can benefit the future design of online citizen science projects.

scholarly journals Citizen Science, Communication, and Expertise: An Examination of the Port Townsend Marine Science Center's Plastics Project

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Wehner
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Puget Sound ◽  
Marine Debris ◽  
Communication Media ◽  
Marine Science ◽  
Project Staff ◽  
Educational Benefits ◽  
Science Projects

Citizen science projects have the opportunity to educate participants about environmental issues being studied first-hand and often in the field. The Port Townsend Marine Science Center’s Plastics Project utilized volunteers to collect and sort through samples of sand on beaches to estimate the abundance of plastic marine debris on beaches throughout the Puget Sound of Washington State. Volunteers were surveyed to determine if educational benefits were evident, if participants were educating others and with what frequency, what communication media were used and preferred, and who participants identified as experts. All participants reported being better educated about plastic marine and most reported changes in their consumer behavior. Participants who educated others on a regular basis also attended environmental and plastic marine debris-focused events, and interacted with experts regularly. No other demographic variables examined were able to distinguish more active educators from less active. Participants used and preferred email and in-person communication media while social media and postal mail were among the least utilized. Participants identified a wide array of experts, including university scientists and Plastics Project staff. Citizen science projects may be beneficial at inducing consumer behavior changes and educating participants, and should take care to explore lectures and other in-person communication approaches to increase opportunities for learning. Participants’ wide perception of expertise should be taken advantage of to increase opportunities for participant-expert interaction and address participant questions and concerns.

scholarly journals Citizen Science in Human Medicine and the Use of Software-Systems: A Rapid Scoping Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jannik Schaaf ◽  
Michaela Neff ◽  
Joerg Scheidt ◽  
Michael Steglich ◽  
Holger Storf
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Science ◽  
Rare Diseases ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Genetic Research ◽  
Research Process ◽  
Human Medicine ◽  
Software Systems ◽  
Ministry Of Education ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Science Projects

Citizen science allows involving interested citizen in the entire research process in science. In the past, various citizen science projects have been performed in different research fields, especially in human medicine. We conducted a rapid scoping review to determine which citizen projects in human medicine already used software-based systems to engage citizens in the research process. Furthermore, we analysed which of the software-systems are publicly available, especially in the field of rare diseases, how citizens can participate using those tools and whether the usability was rated by the participants. To get insights for our project “SelEe (Seltene Erkrankungen bürgerwissenschaftlich erforschen)”, which is a citizen science project in rare diseases funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), we aimed to identify projects in this research area. We searched PubMed for articles between 2011 and 2021 and performed a title- and abstract screening, as well as a full-text screening. Finally, 12 studies were identified in different research areas like public health, genetic research and infectious diseases. We could not identify any study directly associated with rare diseases. None of the studies investigated usability of those systems. Furthermore, five publicly available citizen science software-systems were identified. Three of them are general systems that allow creating, operating, managing citizen science projects and including citizens in the research process. In further investigations, we will check and compare these systems, if they are appropriate for use in our SelEe-project.

scholarly journals Exploring citizen science in post-socialist space: Uncovering its hidden character in the Czech Republic

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 241-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbora Duží ◽  
Robert Osman ◽  
Jiří Lehejček ◽  
Eva Nováková ◽  
Pavel Taraba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Representation ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
High Level ◽  
Search Approach ◽  
Insight Into

Abstract Citizen science is a relatively new phenomenon in the Czech Republic and currently a general overview of existing citizen science projects is not available. This presents the challenge to uncover the ‘hidden’ citizen science landscapes. The main objective of this paper is to explore the (public) representation of citizen science (CS) projects and to describe their heterogeneity. The study aims to answer the question of what type of projects in the Czech Republic meet the definition of citizen science. Based on a specific methodological data-base search approach, we compiled a set of CS projects (N = 73). During the classification process, two general citizen science categories were identified. The first group (N = 46) consists of “pure” CS projects with a prevalence towards the natural sciences, principally ornithology, and thus corresponding to general European trends. Citizens usually participate in such research in the form of data collection and basic interpretation, and a high level of cooperation between academia and NGOs was detected. The second group of “potential” CS projects (N = 27) entails various forms of public participation in general, frequently coordinated by NGOs. Based on these results, we discuss the position of citizen science in the Czech Republic, including socially-oriented citizen science. Further research is strongly encouraged to achieve a more in-depth insight into this social phenomenon.

Promoting scientific literacy in Evolution through citizen science

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Brandt ◽  
Quentin John Groom ◽  
Alexandra Magro ◽  
Dule Misevic ◽  
Claire Louisa Narraway ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Citizen Science ◽  
Scientific Literacy ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Learning Goals ◽  
Science Projects ◽  
Global Challenges ◽  
Essential Prerequisite

Evolutionary understanding is central to biology as a whole. It is also an essential prerequisite to understanding issues in everyday life, such as advances in medicine and global challenges like climate change. Yet, evolution is generally poorly understood by civil society and many misconceptions exist. Citizen science, which has been increasing in popularity as a means to gather new data and promote scientific literacy, is one strategy through which people can learn about evolution. Despite the potential for citizen science to promote evolution learning opportunities, very few citizen science projects exist to improve scientific literacy in evolution. In this paper, we make the case for incorporating evolution education into citizen science, define key learning goals in the context of evolution, and suggest opportunities for designing and evaluating citizen science projects in order to promote scientific literacy in evolution.

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