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==Introduction==
===Introduction===
Citizen Science in New Zealand has been developing in leaps and bounds with the connectivity and publishing capacity of the internet.
Broadly defined, '''citizen science''' describes scientific investigations in which volunteers participate in scientific studies designed to answer real-world questions <ref>Dickinson, J. L., & Bonney, R. (2012). ''Citizen science: public participation in environmental research'' (Vol. 1). Ithaca: Comstock Pub. Associates.</ref>.  In New Zealand, citizen science is a relatively new term, so no one specific definition has yet been developed. However, there have been many studies in related fields, some of which pre-date the term ‘citizen science’.  As a result there are several related terms that connect with the idea of ‘citizen’ or ‘community’ science.  


==Inventory==
===Terminology ... what's in a name!===
[https://www.landcare.org.nz/file/citizen-science-inventory-updated-may-2018-lr/open Citizen Science Inventory]: Programmes, Projects, Resources and Learning Opportunities in New Zealand. A report prepared by Monica Peters for NZ Landcare Trust, July 2016. Updated May 2018
The term '''citizen science''' was first used to describe volunteer collection of rainwater samples in a project to raise awareness of acid-rain in North America <ref>Kerson, R. (1989). Lab for the environment. ''MIT Technology Review, 92''(1), 11-12. </ref>. Another early study used the term to refer to the existence of scientific expertise among the general public who are often known as ‘lay people’ yet may become involved in science discourse and policy-making processes <ref>Irwin, A. (1995). ''Citizen science: a study of people, expertise, and sustainable development'' (1 ed.). New York;London;: Routledge.</ref>. The definition may also be expanded to describe public involvement in science communication projects <ref>Bonney, R., Ballard, H., Jordan, R., McCallie, E., Phillips, T., Shirk, J., & Wilderman, C. (2009). ''Public participation in scientific research: defining the field and assessing its potential for informal science education.'' Washington, D.C.: Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE). </ref>. To this end, terminology and definitions still vary across countries and has sparked heated debate in some cases!
 
Recent studies have defined citizen science in a variety of ways to emphasis public participation in scientific research <ref>Shirk, J. L., Ballard, H. L., Wilderman, C. C., Phillips, T., Wiggins, A., Jordan, R., . . . Bonney, R. (2012). Public Participation in Scientific Research: a Framework for Deliberate Design. ''Ecology and Society, 17''(2), 29. doi:10.5751/ES-04705-170229</ref>, aspects of volunteerism <ref>Roy, H. E., Pocock, M. J. O., Preston, C. D., Roy, D., Savage, J., Tweddle, J. C., & Robinson, L. D. (2012). ''Understanding Citizen Science and Environmental Monitoring''. Report prepared for UK-EOF. NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Natural History Museum. 179pp.</ref> , and the generation of community-based knowledge (e.g. local knowledge and traditional knowledge). The term is often used to describe involve public participation in projects designed and run by scientists. In contrast, the terms ‘community science’ <ref>Wandersman, A. (2003). Community Science: Bridging the Gap between Science and Practice with Community-Centered Models. ''American Journal of Community Psychology, 31''(3-4), 227-242. doi:10.1023/A:1023954503247</ref>,  ‘civic science’ <ref>Lee, K. N. (1994). ''Compass and Gyroscope: Integrating Science And Politics For The Environment.'' Island Press. 255pp.   </ref>, and ‘community-based participatory research’ <ref name=":0">Wilderman, C. C. (2007). ''Models of community science: Design lessons from the field''. Citizen Science Toolkit Conference, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. 16pp. </ref>, have a focus on orienting research projects around community issues and work to minimize the divide between professional scientists and local volunteers. These projects begin with community-defined questions, and involve the participation and input of community members throughout the entire process of data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results <ref>Fernandez-Gimenez, M. E., Ballard, H. L., & Sturtevant, V. E. (2008). Adaptive Management and Social Learning in Collaborative and Community-Based Monitoring: a Study of Five Community-Based Forestry Organizations in the western USA. ''Ecology and Society, 13''(2), 4. doi:10.5751/ES-02400-130204</ref> . These approaches allow for the best incorporation of local knowledge, as members of the community refine a research question and design the sampling with an understanding of the area’s history <ref name=":0" />. Examples of these projects in New Zealand include many local projects supported by the Curious Minds initiative which funded participatory projects that were co-created by scientists, NGOs, and local communities <ref>Metcalf, V. J., & Style, R. L. (2019). Cultural Considerations in Citizen Health Science and the Case for Community-Based Approaches. ''The American Journal of Bioethics, 19''(8), 40-43. doi:10.1080/15265161.2019.1619874</ref>.
 
Despite the above distinctions, '''community science''' or '''civic science''' is regarded variously as a form of, or synonym for, citizen science <ref>Ahern, J., Cilliers, S., & Niemelä, J. (2014). The concept of ecosystem services in adaptive urban planning and design: A framework for supporting innovation. ''Landscape and Urban Planning, 125'', 254-259. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.020</ref><ref>Bates, A. J., Sadler, J. P., Everett, G., Grundy, D., Lowe, N., Davis, G., . . . Young, H. (2013). Assessing the value of the Garden Moth Scheme citizen science dataset: how does light trap type affect catch? ''Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 146''(3), 386-397. doi:10.1111/eea.12038</ref><ref>Haklay, M. (2013). ''Citizen science and volunteered geographic information (VGI): Overview and typology of participation''. In: Sui D, Elwood S, Goodchild M eds. Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. p105-122. </ref>. In some cases, community science has gained favour given the political nature of the term citizen: an inhabitant of a town or city, and a ‘native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a government and is entitled to protection from it’ <ref>Merriam-Webster. (2005). ''The Merriam-Webster Dictionary.'' Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, Merriam-Webster Inc. 701pp.</ref>. Technically, not all citizen science project participants may be citizens of the country in which the project takes place.
 
In New Zealand, the term ‘citizen science’ has only recently entered the vocabulary in the environmental management, community conservation and science sectors <ref>Brumby, A., Hartley, S., & Salmon, R. (2015). ''Evaluation of the Great Kereru Count 2014 and recommendations for future citizen science projects''. Report prepared for The Great Kererū Count, Victoria University of Wellington. 62pp. </ref><ref>Spurr, E. B. (2012). New Zealand Garden Bird Survey – analysis of the first four years. ''New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 36''(3), 287-299. </ref>.
[[Category:CitSci Wiki]]
[[Category:CitSci Wiki]]

Revision as of 09:26, 21 August 2020

Introduction

Broadly defined, citizen science describes scientific investigations in which volunteers participate in scientific studies designed to answer real-world questions [1].  In New Zealand, citizen science is a relatively new term, so no one specific definition has yet been developed. However, there have been many studies in related fields, some of which pre-date the term ‘citizen science’.  As a result there are several related terms that connect with the idea of ‘citizen’ or ‘community’ science.

Terminology ... what's in a name!

The term citizen science was first used to describe volunteer collection of rainwater samples in a project to raise awareness of acid-rain in North America [2]. Another early study used the term to refer to the existence of scientific expertise among the general public who are often known as ‘lay people’ yet may become involved in science discourse and policy-making processes [3]. The definition may also be expanded to describe public involvement in science communication projects [4]. To this end, terminology and definitions still vary across countries and has sparked heated debate in some cases!

Recent studies have defined citizen science in a variety of ways to emphasis public participation in scientific research [5], aspects of volunteerism [6] , and the generation of community-based knowledge (e.g. local knowledge and traditional knowledge). The term is often used to describe involve public participation in projects designed and run by scientists. In contrast, the terms ‘community science’ [7],  ‘civic science’ [8], and ‘community-based participatory research’ [9], have a focus on orienting research projects around community issues and work to minimize the divide between professional scientists and local volunteers. These projects begin with community-defined questions, and involve the participation and input of community members throughout the entire process of data collection, analysis, and dissemination of results [10] . These approaches allow for the best incorporation of local knowledge, as members of the community refine a research question and design the sampling with an understanding of the area’s history [9]. Examples of these projects in New Zealand include many local projects supported by the Curious Minds initiative which funded participatory projects that were co-created by scientists, NGOs, and local communities [11].

Despite the above distinctions, community science or civic science is regarded variously as a form of, or synonym for, citizen science [12][13][14]. In some cases, community science has gained favour given the political nature of the term citizen: an inhabitant of a town or city, and a ‘native or naturalized person who owes allegiance to a government and is entitled to protection from it’ [15]. Technically, not all citizen science project participants may be citizens of the country in which the project takes place.

In New Zealand, the term ‘citizen science’ has only recently entered the vocabulary in the environmental management, community conservation and science sectors [16][17].

  1. ↑ Dickinson, J. L., & Bonney, R. (2012). Citizen science: public participation in environmental research (Vol. 1). Ithaca: Comstock Pub. Associates.
  2. ↑ Kerson, R. (1989). Lab for the environment. MIT Technology Review, 92(1), 11-12.
  3. ↑ Irwin, A. (1995). Citizen science: a study of people, expertise, and sustainable development (1 ed.). New York;London;: Routledge.
  4. ↑ Bonney, R., Ballard, H., Jordan, R., McCallie, E., Phillips, T., Shirk, J., & Wilderman, C. (2009). Public participation in scientific research: defining the field and assessing its potential for informal science education. Washington, D.C.: Center for Advancement of Informal Science Education (CAISE).
  5. ↑ Shirk, J. L., Ballard, H. L., Wilderman, C. C., Phillips, T., Wiggins, A., Jordan, R., . . . Bonney, R. (2012). Public Participation in Scientific Research: a Framework for Deliberate Design. Ecology and Society, 17(2), 29. doi:10.5751/ES-04705-170229
  6. ↑ Roy, H. E., Pocock, M. J. O., Preston, C. D., Roy, D., Savage, J., Tweddle, J. C., & Robinson, L. D. (2012). Understanding Citizen Science and Environmental Monitoring. Report prepared for UK-EOF. NERC Centre for Ecology & Hydrology and Natural History Museum. 179pp.
  7. ↑ Wandersman, A. (2003). Community Science: Bridging the Gap between Science and Practice with Community-Centered Models. American Journal of Community Psychology, 31(3-4), 227-242. doi:10.1023/A:1023954503247
  8. ↑ Lee, K. N. (1994). Compass and Gyroscope: Integrating Science And Politics For The Environment. Island Press. 255pp.   
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Wilderman, C. C. (2007). Models of community science: Design lessons from the field. Citizen Science Toolkit Conference, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, New York. 16pp.
  10. ↑ Fernandez-Gimenez, M. E., Ballard, H. L., & Sturtevant, V. E. (2008). Adaptive Management and Social Learning in Collaborative and Community-Based Monitoring: a Study of Five Community-Based Forestry Organizations in the western USA. Ecology and Society, 13(2), 4. doi:10.5751/ES-02400-130204
  11. ↑ Metcalf, V. J., & Style, R. L. (2019). Cultural Considerations in Citizen Health Science and the Case for Community-Based Approaches. The American Journal of Bioethics, 19(8), 40-43. doi:10.1080/15265161.2019.1619874
  12. ↑ Ahern, J., Cilliers, S., & Niemelä, J. (2014). The concept of ecosystem services in adaptive urban planning and design: A framework for supporting innovation. Landscape and Urban Planning, 125, 254-259. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.01.020
  13. ↑ Bates, A. J., Sadler, J. P., Everett, G., Grundy, D., Lowe, N., Davis, G., . . . Young, H. (2013). Assessing the value of the Garden Moth Scheme citizen science dataset: how does light trap type affect catch? Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 146(3), 386-397. doi:10.1111/eea.12038
  14. ↑ Haklay, M. (2013). Citizen science and volunteered geographic information (VGI): Overview and typology of participation. In: Sui D, Elwood S, Goodchild M eds. Crowdsourcing Geographic Knowledge. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer. p105-122.
  15. ↑ Merriam-Webster. (2005). The Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Springfield, Massachusetts, USA, Merriam-Webster Inc. 701pp.
  16. ↑ Brumby, A., Hartley, S., & Salmon, R. (2015). Evaluation of the Great Kereru Count 2014 and recommendations for future citizen science projects. Report prepared for The Great Kererū Count, Victoria University of Wellington. 62pp.
  17. ↑ Spurr, E. B. (2012). New Zealand Garden Bird Survey – analysis of the first four years. New Zealand Journal of Ecology, 36(3), 287-299.
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