A Framework to Analyze Citizen Science Data for Volunteers, Managers, and Scientists
The continuity of long-term environmental datasets provided by citizen science groups has the potential to address the specific concerns of multiple audiences. We designed an analysis framework based on a 16-year dataset across 40 sites in Puget Sound, WA, USA, which citizen scientists collected by...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Ubiquity Press
2017-12-01
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| Series: | Citizen Science: Theory and Practice |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/articles/100 |
| _version_ | 1818213432242995200 |
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| author | Jason Toft Leska Fore Todd Hass Barbara Bennett Linda Brubaker David Brubaker Casimir Rice Island County Beach Watchers |
| author_facet | Jason Toft Leska Fore Todd Hass Barbara Bennett Linda Brubaker David Brubaker Casimir Rice Island County Beach Watchers |
| author_sort | Jason Toft |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The continuity of long-term environmental datasets provided by citizen science groups has the potential to address the specific concerns of multiple audiences. We designed an analysis framework based on a 16-year dataset across 40 sites in Puget Sound, WA, USA, which citizen scientists collected by visiting beaches annually and using prescribed protocols to record biodiversity, substrate, and slope. The framework was developed collaboratively by local citizens, agency managers, and academic scientists, incorporating objectives emphasized by each group while addressing overlapping appeal: (1) 'volunteers' highlighted a natural history focus to analyze patterns of biotic and abiotic attributes; (2) 'managers' highlighted a trend analysis to document changes through time; and (3) 'academic scientists' highlighted an impact focus to analyze effects of habitat types and disturbances on biodiversity. By using this framework, we showed that volunteer objectives that describe natural history could categorize beaches according to fauna and flora assemblages and sediment composition. Management objectives that describe trends in eelgrass were stable, with site-specific variability. Science objectives that measure impacts found that dynamic beaches with active sediment movement had higher taxa richness. We conclude that the analysis had broad appeal across users, and we link how natural history, trend, and impact studies can be developed along spatial and temporal components to address multiple objectives and conservation goals. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T06:04:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-83b2f74a8ec74c18963fd017a74a477c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2057-4991 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T06:04:12Z |
| publishDate | 2017-12-01 |
| publisher | Ubiquity Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Citizen Science: Theory and Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-83b2f74a8ec74c18963fd017a74a477c2022-12-22T00:35:18ZengUbiquity PressCitizen Science: Theory and Practice2057-49912017-12-012110.5334/cstp.10024A Framework to Analyze Citizen Science Data for Volunteers, Managers, and ScientistsJason Toft0Leska Fore1Todd Hass2Barbara Bennett3Linda Brubaker4David Brubaker5Casimir Rice6Island County Beach Watchers7University of WashingtonPuget Sound PartnershipPuget Sound PartnershipIsland County Beach WatchersIsland County Beach WatchersIsland County Beach WatchersNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationIsland County Beach WatchersThe continuity of long-term environmental datasets provided by citizen science groups has the potential to address the specific concerns of multiple audiences. We designed an analysis framework based on a 16-year dataset across 40 sites in Puget Sound, WA, USA, which citizen scientists collected by visiting beaches annually and using prescribed protocols to record biodiversity, substrate, and slope. The framework was developed collaboratively by local citizens, agency managers, and academic scientists, incorporating objectives emphasized by each group while addressing overlapping appeal: (1) 'volunteers' highlighted a natural history focus to analyze patterns of biotic and abiotic attributes; (2) 'managers' highlighted a trend analysis to document changes through time; and (3) 'academic scientists' highlighted an impact focus to analyze effects of habitat types and disturbances on biodiversity. By using this framework, we showed that volunteer objectives that describe natural history could categorize beaches according to fauna and flora assemblages and sediment composition. Management objectives that describe trends in eelgrass were stable, with site-specific variability. Science objectives that measure impacts found that dynamic beaches with active sediment movement had higher taxa richness. We conclude that the analysis had broad appeal across users, and we link how natural history, trend, and impact studies can be developed along spatial and temporal components to address multiple objectives and conservation goals.https://theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/articles/100Citizen sciencebiodiversityintertidalshorelinemanagementconservation |
| spellingShingle | Jason Toft Leska Fore Todd Hass Barbara Bennett Linda Brubaker David Brubaker Casimir Rice Island County Beach Watchers A Framework to Analyze Citizen Science Data for Volunteers, Managers, and Scientists Citizen Science: Theory and Practice Citizen science biodiversity intertidal shoreline management conservation |
| title | A Framework to Analyze Citizen Science Data for Volunteers, Managers, and Scientists |
| title_full | A Framework to Analyze Citizen Science Data for Volunteers, Managers, and Scientists |
| title_fullStr | A Framework to Analyze Citizen Science Data for Volunteers, Managers, and Scientists |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Framework to Analyze Citizen Science Data for Volunteers, Managers, and Scientists |
| title_short | A Framework to Analyze Citizen Science Data for Volunteers, Managers, and Scientists |
| title_sort | framework to analyze citizen science data for volunteers managers and scientists |
| topic | Citizen science biodiversity intertidal shoreline management conservation |
| url | https://theoryandpractice.citizenscienceassociation.org/articles/100 |
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