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Technion – Israel Institute of Technology What makes Citizen Science projects successful, and what can we learn from them for future projects? Literature review of Citizen Science projects Yaela Naomi Golumbic Academic advisor: Boris Koichu Technion Citizen Science Project (TCSP) 2015 Table of Content Executive summary ................................................................................................................. 2 Definitions ................................................................................................................................ 9 Classifications of Citizen Science projects .......................................................................... 12 Principals for choosing and assessing cases ...................................................................... 15 Case studies ............................................................................................................................ 17 CoCoRaHS- Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network ......................... 17 eBird .................................................................................................................................... 22 Foldit ................................................................................................................................... 27 Galaxy Zoo .......................................................................................................................... 31 OPAL- The Open Air Laboratories .................................................................................... 34 PatientsLikeMe .................................................................................................................. 40 What makes projects successful? ........................................................................................... 45 Appendix ................................................................................................................................. 48 References ............................................................................................................................... 53 1 Executive summary This report provides a systematic review and meta-analysis for Citizen Science projects, submitted to the Technion Citizen Science Project (TCSP). The aim of this report is to better understand what makes Citizen Science projects successful, and to highlight what can be learned and implemented in future practice, from existing successful projects. For this report, we defined principals for choosing projects for case study assessment, according to the definitions of the TCSP, which include scientific excellence, innovation and citizen scientists' participation. In the attempt to choose well known and acknowledged Citizen Science projects, indicating successful management and project planning, we reviewed six established Citizen Science reviews (Bonney et al. 2009, European commission report 2013, Silvertown 2009, Dickinson 2010, Wiggins and Crowston 2011, Franzonia and Sauermann 2014), listing Citizen Science projects. A total of 139 projects were collectively mentioned in these reviews (see Appendix A). After filtering the list of projects by being cited in at least three of the six reviews, having over five unique scientific publications and matching similar topics, six final project were chosen for further assessment: CoCoRaHS, eBird, Fold It, Galaxy Zoo, OPAL and Patients-like-me. The chosen projects were reviewed and analyzed in order to shape the understanding of successful Citizen Science projects that have the capability to serve as models for future project planning. A summary of the projects main features, and the main element the can be learned from each project is hereby presented. CoCoRaHS Summary CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network) is a community-based network of volunteers working together to measure and map precipitation (rain, hail and snow) across North America. CoCoRaHS originated at the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University (CSU) in the spring of 1998 and is now the largest provider of daily precipitation observations in the United States and most of North America. CoCoRaHS primary goal is to provide accurate high-quality precipitation data for natural resource, education and research applications. Data collection is done by participants throughout North America who record daily precipitation observation using a standard rain gauge. Volunteers can also submit reports of intense rain or hail (estimate of the total rainfall over a limited time and flooding indications), or quick reports that includes starting time, approximate hailstone size and texture and any evidence of damage. Data is submitted using an online form or by phone. Accessibility- The network has an active website, blog, Facebook page and twitter feed with reports about project progress, developments and recent findings. All meteorological information is available online and is presented as a daily precipitation map or as summarized in tables, bar charts, and graphs. Among the many end users of CoCoRaHS data, are the National Weather Service, meteorologists, hydrologists, emergency managers and more. 2 What can TCSP learn from CoCoRaHS? CoCoRaHS defines itself as a community-based network. As such, all information collected by volunteers is clearly presented in the website and is disseminated for the use of many organizations and private users free of charge. Since the task of measuring precipitation includes several different activities, CoCoRaHS organizes face-to-face work-shops and training session that help participants learn how to install and use equipment and how to accurately read measurements. Training information is also available on the CoCoRaHS home page with specialized slides, videos and manuals. eBird summary eBird is an online tool for collecting and distributing basic information on bird abundance and distribution in diverse spatial and temporal measures. It was launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society, and provides a simple and intuitive web-based interface for submitting and viewing bird observations. eBird is to date, one of the largest biodiversity data resources, with over one-million bird observations reported every month from tens of thousands of participants, and with more than 100,000 people entering data every year. eBird’s goal is to is to maximize the use and accessibility of the many bird observations made each year by recreational and professional bird watchers. Data collection is done by participants from a broad range of professional backgrounds, including both amateur and expert bird observers. All data is submitted using an online checklist program, participants simply enter when, where, and how they went birding, then fills out a checklist of all the birds seen and heard during that time. Data are validated with an automated data quality filters, developed by regional bird experts, before they enter the database, local experts review unusual records that are flagged by the filters. Data are then classified and grouped according to species, location and time of observation. Accessibility- The project has an active website, Facebook page and twitter feed with recent report about project progress, developments and interesting findings and photos. All birding information is available on the project website and application and can be accessed in English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Chinese. Data can be presented as tables, bar charts, line graphs or presented on a map and are also available for download fur further use and analysis. What can TCSP learn from eBird? eBird started out from the assumption, that there is an unconsolidated amateur birdwatcher community, and focused their work on providing services that would appeal to this community and consolidate it. The tool built by eBird enables both the formulation of a birding community and contributes to in-depth scientific research and knowledge construction. Taking this approach of what the public wants and needs, is the main source 3 for eBirds' success, according to eBird initiators, and resulted in extensive growth of eBird project, in terms of the number of participants and the amount of data submitted. An additional feature that is important for a project of this magnitude is the assistance of volunteers who serve as reviewers of the submitted data and support the data quality verification. The project initiators and directors cannot review all the amounts of data that flows through the system every day and hence the assistance of these volunteers is essential. Foldit Summary Foldit is a multiplayer online game in which players compete and collaborate to find well folded protein structures. Puzzles that are presented to players are computational unsolvable, highlighting the players' contribution to science. The game was initially launched in May 2008 by a group of scientists from the University of Washington, and by September of that year it had engaged 50,000 users. One year after launch there were about 200,000 active Foldit players and activity remains steady with about 2,000 active players who play more than once a week. Foldits' primary goal is to produce accurate protein structure models through gameplay. Data collection is done by recording gameplay data from participants. Data collected includes biochemical structures, scores, algorithms, tool and algorithm usage, progress, and time played. Structures built and modified by players are reviewed

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