{"id":379161,"date":"2020-11-03T19:59:55","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T03:59:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&p=379161"},"modified":"2020-11-03T16:59:29","modified_gmt":"2020-11-04T00:59:29","slug":"citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment","title":{"rendered":"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment"},"author":6921,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[463771,1041,318502],"tags":[4381,472121,472131,389402,472111],"arcnews_issues":[472031],"class_list":["post-379161","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-climate-change","category-collaboration","category-environmental","tag-apps","tag-arcgis-appstudio","tag-earth-challenge","tag-earth-day","tag-geomarvel","arcnews_issues-fall-2020","arcnews_sections-your-work"],"acf":{"short_description":"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a variety of organizations support a new initiative to help clean up the planet.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Each year on April 22, people around the world celebrate Earth Day, an important tradition that began in 1970 when 20 million people gathered across the United States to protest the effects of more than a century and a half of industrial development. Earth Day began as an environmental movement to preserve the planet for future generations, and as the world continues to face significant challenges, including climate change, deforestation, and loss of species, people are thinking up new ways to make a positive impact."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":379141,"image_position":"right","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a diverse collective of organizations spearheaded by the United States Department of State, Earth Day Network, and the Wilson Center\u2014organized in support of a new initiative to help clean up the planet. The group set out to create a mobile app that the public could employ to collect billions of data points that can be used in both new and ongoing citizen science projects.\r\n\r\nEsri partner GeoMarvel, an Alexandria, Virginia-based geospatial software development company that specializes in GIS-focused cloud infrastructure, data analysis, and mobile app development, was tasked with designing the app and implementing its associated citizen science cloud. Using ArcGIS AppStudio, GeoMarvel was able to configure and scale cross-platform software and create mobile data collection widgets that it deployed directly to the app. Now, hundreds of thousands of users around the world can use it to easily collect and submit data, view global submissions, access educational materials, and take action.\r\n

Building a Mobile App Unconventionally<\/h2>\r\nDr. Anne Bowser, director of innovation at the Wilson Center, an independent research firm, enlisted GeoMarvel to design the new citizen science mobile app. According to Jon Nordling, CEO of GeoMarvel, the overall mission of the app is to collect massive amounts of citizen data to gain a better understanding of key environmental issues, such as plastics pollution, air quality, insect populations, and food supplies."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":379121,"image_position":"left","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"From the outset, the GeoMarvel team faced a unique challenge: the app concepts it received from other partners in the project lacked implementation architecture, and because the data was going to be sourced from citizen scientists all over the world, the geospatial aspect of it was paramount. Additionally, because new research questions\u2014and, thus, widgets\u2014would be continually added to the app, GeoMarvel needed to be able to scale quickly and effectively while incorporating geospatial components that citizens could use to gather accurate location data.\r\n\r\nThe conventional methods used to build mobile apps are time-consuming and involve numerous steps. As Nordling pointed out, adding a new component to an app usually entails updating specific code, adding new assets, increasing the version, building a new file, and going through an app store review process for each change made.\r\n\r\nGeoMarvel needed a solution that would streamline app development and provide an easier way to introduce new features for data collection. So the team chose AppStudio to build the new Earth Challenge 2020 (EC 2020) app.\r\n\r\n\u201cMaking citizen science into an application isn\u2019t easy\u2014not from the design, concept, or build,\u201d said Nordling. \u201cUsing [AppStudio] has been a great decision. The feedback has been extremely positive.\u201d\r\n

Making App Development Easy<\/h2>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":379111,"image_position":"right","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"AppStudio is a low-code platform that allows users to create geoenabled cross-platform native apps. According to Nordling, AppStudio allowed the GeoMarvel team to get EC 2020 to market quickly, enabling citizen scientists to begin data collection fast. In addition, being able to deploy the app via ArcGIS AppStudio Player, which allows developers to view their AppStudio apps on real devices without doing a full build and deployment cycle, made it easier to get EC 2020 on both the iOS and Android platforms.\r\n\r\n\u201cFrom a mobile application development standpoint, the underlying inner workings of AppStudio Player were the real reason that we chose AppStudio,\u201d said Nordling. \u201cAppStudio gave us the ability to create geoenabled collection widgets without having to go through repetitive technical hurdles to get there.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe GeoMarvel team initially created two widgets within the app\u2014one focusing on plastics pollution, and the other on air quality. Kevin Cheriyan, an application developer for GeoMarvel, said the online resources for AppStudio were very helpful in constructing EC 2020, especially the documentation and the ready-to-use templates in the AppStudio template gallery.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe were able to utilize [the templates] to our advantage and see how other robust applications were using recommended code,\u201d said Cheriyan. \u201cWe also had to be familiar with the documentation on Esri\u2019s ArcGIS framework sections and general AppStudio tutorials. Along with the templates, I think they really helped us take the app to the next level.\u201d\r\n

Empowering More Citizen Scientists with Targeted Functionality<\/h2>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":379101,"image_position":"left","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The way the app works is simple. Users select the research question they want to\u00a0participate in, such as \u201cWhat is the extent of plastics pollution?\u201d and submit relevant data,\u00a0like photos of plastic trash along with information about the types of plastic they found. As\u00a0users participate, they unlock different features and functionality in the app. There are also\u00a0educational materials, lesson plans, and\u00a0geoenabled\u00a0petitions that users can access to learn\u00a0about local, environmentally focused legislation.\r\n\r\nSince the initial deployment of EC 2020, the\u00a0GeoMarvel\u00a0team has used\u00a0AppStudio\u00a0to easily\u00a0add new features, functionality, and research questions. This is empowering organizations\u00a0around the world to introduce citizen science to a new generation of users.\r\n\r\nAnd when it comes time to release or upgrade a widget,\u00a0Nordling\u00a0and his team can get the\u00a0update directly to users without having to release an entirely new build to the app stores.\r\n\r\n\u201c[With]\u00a0AppStudio\u2026we\u00a0[can]\u00a0control releases through group share settings in ArcGIS\u00a0Online and say, \u2018We\u2019re ready to deploy\u00a0[the]\u00a0Air Quality\u00a0[widget]\u00a0now. Let\u2019s go ahead and\u00a0share that\u00a0[publicly]\u00a0in\u00a0AppStudio\u00a0Player,\u2019\u201d said\u00a0Nordling. Then, anyone with the EC 2020\u00a0app automatically gets the new widget.\r\n\r\nThis also helps\u00a0GeoMarvel\u00a0issue rapid fixes for bugs. \u201cWe now have an application that\u00a0allows us to dynamically create and deploy\u00a0[new widgets and updates]\u00a0to users at any\u00a0time,\u201d said Corey Norris, business operations manager for\u00a0GeoMarvel. \u201cThat\u2019s really\u00a0powerful.\u201d\r\n\r\nAdditionally,\u00a0AppStudio\u00a0gave the team the ability to quickly test new features and easily\u00a0discard them if needed.\r\n\r\n\u201cSpeed was very helpful with this,\u201d said Harman Hassan, an application developer for\u00a0GeoMarvel. \u201cWe would be able to build out different features and tools and quickly test to see whether we liked them or not. If we did like\u00a0[something], we kept it. If not, we\u00a0removed it.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":379091,"image_position":"right","orientation":"vertical","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Then the team would go back and add more on top of what was already built.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe would work all day, put out a release, and then test on Android and iOS,\u201d said Hassan.\u00a0\u201cThis\u00a0capability was my favorite part of using\u00a0AppStudio.\u201d\r\n\r\nNordling\u00a0echoes that sentiment, stating that the group loved having the ability to write\u00a0some quick code and then throw it away if warranted.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe didn\u2019t feel bad about doing that because there wasn\u2019t any technical debt that we were\u00a0[incurring],\u201d said\u00a0Nordling. \u201cAnd our turnaround for new features is better because\u00a0we can redo things without having to impact every little piece of the application. The\u00a0functionality is targeted.\u201d\r\n

Being Part of a Bigger Cause<\/h2>\r\nApp users have complimented the user experience on EC 2020, and that\u2019s an added benefit\u00a0of using\u00a0AppStudio, according to Hassan.\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen my nontechnical friends have used the app, they would be able to easily take a\u00a0photo of the sky, submit their data, see their point on the map, and click it to immediately\u00a0see their image pop up. They have an interactive map on their mobile device that\u2019s\u00a0simplified,\u201d he said. \u201cI think that helps encourage people to go out there. You\u2019re not just\u00a0collecting data, sending it off, and then not seeing anything. You\u2019re seeing data come in\u00a0from people around the world, which reinforces the fact that\u00a0you\u2019re\u00a0part of this bigger\u00a0cause.\u201d\r\n\r\nNordling\u00a0said the team has received lots of positive feedback since launching EC 2020, and\u00a0there are plans to introduce future research questions that focus on issues like water\u00a0quality. Ultimately, he said, the goal of this initiative is to collect data to understand the\u00a0planet better, so the project will likely be ongoing because there are always new problems\u00a0to solve in the world.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s not only about building the technology. It\u2019s about knowing what\u2019s coming and what\u2019s\u00a0possible for the future of this application and initiative,\u201d said\u00a0Nordling. \u201cThis is about\u00a0building an application for users to participate in an ongoing, long-term citizen science\u00a0effort. I hope it\u2019s a project we\u2019re a part of for a long time.\u201d"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nCitizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment | ArcNews | Fall 2020<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a variety of organizations support a new initiative to help clean up the planet.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment | ArcNews | Fall 2020\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a variety of organizations support a new initiative to help clean up the planet.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2020\/10\/arcnews-banner-citizenscience-wide.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment | ArcNews | Fall 2020\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a variety of organizations support a new initiative to help clean up the planet.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment\",\n\t \"name\": \"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment | ArcNews | Fall 2020\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2020-11-04T03:59:55+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a variety of organizations support a new initiative to help clean up the planet.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"ArcNews Articles\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/2ea2e24ff1bf1335829717357eaf3b3a\",\n\t \"name\": \"Lidia Davidson\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/69fae831c26e7d10c2c6cdaff1c8c9f2e148d083fe79f851e5ad201f7793fad5?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/69fae831c26e7d10c2c6cdaff1c8c9f2e148d083fe79f851e5ad201f7793fad5?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Lidia Davidson\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment | ArcNews | Fall 2020","description":"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a variety of organizations support a new initiative to help clean up the planet.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment | ArcNews | Fall 2020","og_description":"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a variety of organizations support a new initiative to help clean up the planet.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment","og_site_name":"Esri","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2020\/10\/arcnews-banner-citizenscience-wide.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment | ArcNews | Fall 2020","twitter_description":"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a variety of organizations support a new initiative to help clean up the planet.","twitter_site":"@Esri","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment","name":"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment | ArcNews | Fall 2020","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-11-04T03:59:55+00:00","description":"In honor of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, a variety of organizations support a new initiative to help clean up the planet.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/citizen-science-app-helps-mitigate-threats-to-the-environment#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"ArcNews Articles","item":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Citizen Science App Helps Mitigate Threats to the Environment"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/","name":"Esri","description":"Esri Newsroom","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/2ea2e24ff1bf1335829717357eaf3b3a","name":"Lidia Davidson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/69fae831c26e7d10c2c6cdaff1c8c9f2e148d083fe79f851e5ad201f7793fad5?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/69fae831c26e7d10c2c6cdaff1c8c9f2e148d083fe79f851e5ad201f7793fad5?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Lidia Davidson"},"url":""}]}},"sort_order":"13","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews\/379161","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/arcnews"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews\/379161\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379161"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379161"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379161"},{"taxonomy":"arcnews_issues","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/arcnews_issues?post=379161"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}