Extreme Citizen Science (ExCiteS)

Summary

ExCiteS is an interdisciplinary research group at University College London that aims to develop and contribute to the guiding theories and methodologies that enable any community to initiate a citizen science project, helping them address the issues that matter to them..

Promoting organizations

Department of Geography at University College London.

Objectives

The approach of this research group is based on the understanding that limited disciplinary knowledge is not sufficient for extreme citizen science projects to succeed. Community participation is essential, as is the ability to overcome numerous technical and human-technology interaction challenges, provide practical solutions, and understand the broader questions surrounding citizen science.

The objectives of ExCiteS are:

To develop extreme citizen science tools and methodologies for use by communities, regardless of their level of literacy.
To empower local groups and support action.
To increase scientific impact by engaging in data collection and analysis as well as in the formulation of research questions.
To improve local environments and share knowledge globally using adaptable scientific tools and methods.

* The term extreme refers both to the depth of scientific engagement and to the previously excluded contexts in which these tools can be used.

Beneficiaries and stakeholders

First and foremost, society as a whole stands to benefit from the shared knowledge, and more specifically, the communities on which each project is based. Secondly, the scientific community benefits by gaining access to the results of data collection and analysis, as well as to the knowledge that has been shared.

Results

ExCiteS has developed a range of technologies that support the research group’s mission and has defined various projects that follow protocols tailored to specific geographical, cultural, political, educational, and socioeconomic contexts.

Moreover, by empowering communities, the initiative fosters co-creation and inclusion, rather than simply seeking contribution.

Challenges

One of the main challenges of this project is to develop approaches to visualization, analysis, and editing that are understandable to users with little or no literacy. In other words, making science accessible to people who may not have a high level of education—and who may even be illiterate.

In addition, the project requires active community participation and the ability to provide practical solutions, along with a deep understanding of the questions surrounding citizen science.

Evidence of success

The research staff at ExCiteS has developed custom technologies to address challenges related to the collection, sharing, and visualization of geographic information with a variety of communities.

Sapelli: an open-source mobile data collection platform designed specifically for users with little or no prior experience with ICTs. This platform plays a central role in ExCiteS’s mission to develop theories, tools, and methodologies that allow any community, anywhere, to participate in citizen science.
GeoKey: a participatory mapping platform that provides communities with a web-based infrastructure to collect, share, and discuss local knowledge.
Community Maps: a participatory mapping platform that includes an interface to edit existing GeoKey data, add new contributions, and share relevant information within and between communities.

These platforms are not only interconnected through GeoKey but can also integrate with other web and mobile applications.

ExCiteS stands out as an interdisciplinary research group, meaning that its best practices and methodologies can be applied across different communities.

The group has succeeded in developing methodologies and tools that, when combined with local knowledge, have enabled more effective community participation in decision-making processes related to pressing challenges.

Some of its projects span various fields:

Extreme Citizen Science: analysis and Visualisation (2016–2022): This research contributes to the fields of geography, geographic information science, anthropology, development, agronomy, and conservation.
ActEarly (2019–2024): aims to improve children’s life chances by focusing on enhancing the environments that affect their health.
EU-citizen.science (2019–2021): a platform for knowledge exchange among participants, practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the citizen science community across Europe.
NC4EE (2019–2022): evaluates the impacts of environmental science from a community perspective, with the goal of informing the UK’s research agenda.
TIME4CS (2021–2023): in collaboration with UCL Library Services, this project supports the implementation of sustainable institutional change in research-performing organizations to promote public engagement and citizen science.
HEIDI (2021–2023): an Erasmus+ project aimed at repositioning universities as co-creators of knowledge for social change. It focuses on building skills among university staff and students and creating frameworks for civic engagement between universities and civil society or volunteer organizations.
ECSAgri: explores the effectiveness of using Sapelli and Community Maps to support sustainable agriculture in Nigeria.