An analysis of pollution Citizen Science projects from the perspective of Data Science and Open Science

Dumitru Roman*, Neal Reeves, Esteban Gonzalez, Irene Celino, Shady Abd El Kader, Philip Turk, Ahmet Soylu, Oscar Corcho, Raquel Cedazo, Gloria Re Calegari, Damiano Scandolari, Elena Simperl

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Purpose: Citizen Science – public participation in scientific projects – is becoming a global practice engaging volunteer participants, often non-scientists, with scientific research. Citizen Science is facing major challenges, such as quality and consistency, to reap open the full potential of its outputs and outcomes, including data, software and results. In this context, the principles put forth by Data Science and Open Science domains are essential for alleviating these challenges, which have been addressed at length in these domains. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent to which Citizen Science initiatives capitalise on Data Science and Open Science principles. Design/methodology/approach: The authors analysed 48 Citizen Science projects related to pollution and its effects. They compared each project against a set of Data Science and Open Science indicators, exploring how each project defines, collects, analyses and exploits data to present results and contribute to knowledge. Findings: The results indicate several shortcomings with respect to commonly accepted Data Science principles, including lack of a clear definition of research problems and limited description of data management and analysis processes, and Open Science principles, including lack of the necessary contextual information for reusing project outcomes. Originality/value: In the light of this analysis, the authors provide a set of guidelines and recommendations for better adoption of Data Science and Open Science principles in Citizen Science projects, and introduce a software tool to support this adoption, with a focus on preparation of data management plans in Citizen Science projects.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)622-642
Number of pages21
JournalData Technologies and Applications
Volume55
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 11 Oct 2021

Keywords

  • Citizen Science
  • Data management plan
  • Data science
  • Open science
  • Pollution projects
  • Software

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