Citizen Observatories

Alan Grainger (2017) defined Citizen Observatories as any use of Earth observation technology in which citizens collect data and are empowered by the information generated from these data to participate in environmental management. Since then the concept of Citizen Observatories has evolved beyond that.

While there is no one official definition, the common characteristics of Citizen Observatories are:

  • citizen participation in environmental monitoring and governance,
  • typically at the community level or in a specific location, even if linked to a national or global environmental concern,
  • in which citizens use modern mobile and web technologies and/or sensors to collect and share data,
  • which enhance Earth observation systems and official data sources by filling in gaps and adding detail,
  • supporting the flow of data and information between citizens, scientists and decision-makers,
  • with a focus on influencing decision-making, policy change and/or environmental governance outcomes.
Image: Illustration of Citizen Observatories by the UNESCO-IHE Ground Truth 2.0 project
Image: Illustration of Citizen Observatories by the UNESCO-IHE Ground Truth 2.0 project

 

Sources

Grainger A. "Citizen Observatories and the New Earth Observation Science."" Remote Sensing, 9(2), (2017):153. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs9020153

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9th International Conference on Remote Sensing and Geoinformation of Environment (RSCy2023)