*** Updated March 11, 2019 ***
Data is critical. It drives decisions. It drives science. It drives us forward. To get the robust data sets needed, researchers increasingly look to citizens for contributions. With the prevalence of tablets and mobile devices, people across the globe can act as observers collecting information for important projects that expand scientific understanding.
Resources for Your Citizen Science Project
This blog post provides quick access to resources to help you get started with creating applications for citizen science projects, analyzing data and communicating results.
ArcGIS Citizen Science Links
Apps for Citizen Engagement/Sharing Data:
ArcGIS Hub/Open Data – two way engagement to connect with citizens.
Featured ArcGIS Hub App
Zwolle Netherlands SensHagen project citizens share measurements of air quality, precipitation, evaporation, heat and wind. The site provides citizens means to signup and participate.
- created by Climate Actief Zwolle, together with other parties from its network.
Apps for Field Data Collection/Data Input:
Survey 123 for ArcGIS – easily create forms for data collection via web browser or as a native app. Form based on XLSForm specification.
- Get Started with Survey123 for ArcGIS free lessons available.
Featured Survey 123 for ArcGIS App
Arizona Water Watch (AZWW) Mobile App citizen science app to protect Arizona’s waterbodies
- Created by Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ)
- Article: Using GIS to Bring Citizens and Scientists Together by Monica Pratt, ArcUser Editor (ArcUser, Spring 2018)
- Press Release: Innovative App Helps Citizen Scientists Protect Arizona Water Quality
- Video: See how it works!
GeoForm – utilize this configurable ArcGIS Online template for a form-based data entry in a web browser.
Featured GeoForm App
Indian River Lagoon Florida Community Mapping citizen science app to better understand what motivates an individual to develop a strong sense of place or emotional attachment and where such motivations occur.
- Created by Citizen Science GIS Organization, University of Central Florida
Citizen Science Reporter– configure ArcGIS Online web application template that allows members of the public to report sightings of one or more species in a web browser on their tablet, laptop or smart phone.
Featured Citizen Science Reporter App
Invasive Japanese Knotweed Reporter in Ireland – crowdsource reporting on location of this invasive species.
- Created by Waterford City & County Council, Ireland
- Project Details from Waterford City & County Council
AppStudio for ArcGIS Quick Report – create a citizen engagement native app that allows users to capture an observation and submit it to an online service.
Wildlife Photo Survey – provide a simple to use application for volunteers or the general public to review captured images of wildlife.
Apps for Monitoring Project Data:
Crowdsource Manager – users within an organization review observations submitted through the Citizen Science Reporter or any data collection application created with ArcGIS.
Apps to Communicate, Visualize and Share Citizen Science Data:
Story Map web apps communicate & visualize results.
Featured Citizen Science Story Map App
HERON: A look back at 2017 Many Thanks to all HERON volunteers who monitored colonies, and to landowners who allowed access.
- Created by Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries Wildlife, Heron Observation Network of Maine (HERON)
Featured Sharing Data using ArcGIS
Biodiversity Information Serving Our Nation (BISON) – North American species occurrence data and maps
- Created by USGS providing an API for several data interchange formats to enable developers to write custom applications.
Additional Example Citizen Science Projects
- CyberTracker Applications synchronise data remotely from Smartphones and Mobile Devices to Esri ArcGIS Online.
- Striped Bass Cooperative Angler Logbook– New York Department of Environmental Conservation using Survey123 for ArcGIS
- Paradise Mapped: Open Reef Returns to Belize – Citizen Science GIS Organization, University of Central Florida
- Open Reef Mapping Society in Belize with Drones – Citizen Science GIS Organization, University of Central Florida
- Pedon Vault: Soils Data Collection App – by U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) using Survey123 for ArcGIS
- What’s Your Water Level? – by U.S. NOAA NCCOS to collect public observations of water levels, using Story Map & GeoForm
- Report a Bat Colony – by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife using GeoForm
- Report Observations of Dead Wildlife – by Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife using GeoForm
- South Mountain Trail System Planning & Preservation – by City of Phoenix, AZ using GeoForm
- Report a Fish Kill – by North Carolina Division of Water Resources using GeoForm
- Reef Catch Reporter – by Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County, FL using GeoForm
- Coyote Incident Reporter – by City of Huntington Beach, CA using GeoForm
- TURT (Turtles Uniting Researchers and Tourists) – iTunes Apple App link and Google Play link – by Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center using AppStudio for ArcGIS Quick Report.
- Marine Debris Citizen GIS Project Belize – Citizen Science GIS Organization, University of Central Florida using GeoForm
- El Nino Coastal Monitoring with Drones – The Nature Conservancy & DroneDeploy
- Whale mAPP – A web- and mobile-based application that uses GIS to allow anyone to monitor marine mammals anywhere in the world.
- Clean Streets, Clean Waters – Costa Rica Geoporter
- WyoBio – Wyoming Biodiversity Citizen Science Initiative
- CrowdMag – NOAA’s Crowdsourcing Earth’s Magnetic Data App
- FieldScope – National Geographic Online Mapping for Citizen Science Investigation
Additional Story Map Examples
- ArcGIS and Citizen Science (Esri story map)
- Riverfly Monitoring Hub, (Southeast Rivers Trust, London)
- Surfing for Science and Stewardardship: The Smartfin Project (Smartfin.org story map)
- Citizen Scientists – Power of the Crowd: Citizen Scientist Driving Discovery (U.S. NOAA story map)
- Oregon: Ocean Acidification: An Early Warning Geographical Hot-Spot for Monitoring Ocean pH Levels (Surfrider Foundation story map)
- “Catch the King” a king tide mapping event, November 2017 (Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency story map)
- Paradise Mapped: Open Reef Returns to Belize (Citizen Science GIS story map)
- Science and Society Meet in Hopkins Village, Belize (Citizen Science GIS story map)
- Together, Everything is Possible: Citizen Science GIS in Hopkins, Belize (Citizen Science GIS story map)
- Beauty from Above: Belize Barrier Reef Islands citizen science mapping project (Citizen Science GIS story map)
- Bio Blitz 2015: Hawaii Volcanoes National Park story map
Esri and National Audubon Society
- Video: The Internet of Things Esri FedGIS Plenary presentation (Feb. 2017)
- Video: National Audubon Society and GIS (Dec. 2016)
- National Audubon Society Reshapes Its Approach to Data (ArcNews Summer 2015)
Brand new to ArcGIS?
Start here →
- Sign up for Free 21 Day Trial of ArcGIS
- Get Started with ArcGIS Online free training course
- The ArcGIS Book – 10 big ideas about applying geography to your world
Citizen Science Articles
- Where are We with Citizen Science Mapping Apps Today? by Diana S. Sinton, Executive Director, University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) (Directions Magazine, April 18, 2018)
- The Oregan Ocean Acid Test: Citizens are helping OSU scientists monitor coastal waters by Jim Yuskavitch (Oregan State University Terra, Feb 1, 2018)
- Helping Youth Form Scientific Habits of Mind by Dixon Butler, Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (ArcNews, Fall 2017)
- Reporters, Scientists, and Citizens Team to Map Virginia’s Highest Tide by Dawn Wright (Esri Blog, Dec. 2017)
- Citizen Science GIS Program by Rachel Layko (Youth Mappers, Oct. 2017)
- Flattened Forms: Using Survey123 for ArcGIS to eliminate paper data sheet and collect roadkill information by Joseph Kinyon, GIS Manager, Sonoma Land Trust (GeoNet the Esri Community, Sept. 2017)
- For A Minnesota City, an Adopt a Park App is a Thing of Beautiful by Carla Wheeler (ArcWatch, May 2017)
- Connecting Citizen Science, GIS, Community Partnerships, and Education: A Guest Blog by Dr. Joseph Kerski, Esri (Citizen Science GIS, March 9, 2017)
- Crowdsourcing Geoscience: Transforming interest into data by Sudhir Shrestha, Esri (AGU Blogoshere October 14, 2016)
- Building the Forest Atlases with Open Data and Open Source blog by Thomas Maschler & Asa Strong, World Resources Institute (via Esri Blog, October 5, 2016)
- GIS and Citizen Science: Combining Open Source and Esri Technologies presentation by Patrick Rickles & Muki Haklay (Esri Education Conference paper session 2016)
- Sea Turtle Tracking App Created by Loma Linda Researchers (Spectrum Magazine June 2016)
- GIS Makes Citizen Science More Accessible by Dr. Lei Lani Stelle, University of Redlands (ArcNews Summer 2015)
- GIS Empowers Community Engagement (ArcNews Summer 2015)
- Citizen Geography with National Geographic FieldScope by Daniel C. Edelson, Vice President for Education, National Geographic Society (ArcNews Summer 2014)
Citizen Science Presentations and Videos
- Citizen Science with Survey123 webinar by Esri Canada Education Team (January 23, 2019)
- Click here to view the Citizens + Science = Innovative Insights webinar recording from September 23, 2015. This webinar took a close look at the value of including crowdsourced data in scientific research and the GIS technology that makes it work seamlessly. The technology highlighted included the Citizen Science Reporter, Citizen Science Manager and Story Maps. The Citizen Science Reporter and Manager are configurations of the Crowdsource Reporter and Manager applications. Responses to questions from Sept. 23, 2015 Citizen Science webinar
- Citizen Science Apps with ArcGIS by Charmel Menzel, Esri, and Christine Buckel, NOAA (Esri FedGIS Feb. 2017) Download Adobe PDF from BOX folder or contact Charmel Menzel (cmenzel@esri.com) for a copy.
Additional Citizen Science Community Resources
Citizen Science Resources for Educators
- Collecting, Mapping and Analyzing Field Data using Web GIS Tools blog, by Joseph Kerski, North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), October 2018
- Helping Youth Form Scientific Habits of Mind by Dixon Butler, Youth Learning as Citizen Environmental Scientists (ArcNews, Fall 2017)
- Citizen Science Applied in Education recorded webinar conducted for European SchoolNet. Sway presentation is available at this link: click here. (by Joseph Kerski, September 2016)
- Mapping BioBlitz Field Data in ArcGIS Online blog – a mini-course in conjunction with Colorado State University, the National Park Service, and the national BioBlitz 2016 initiative. (by Joseph Kerski)
- Esri’s U.S ConnectEd Commitment (provides a link to U.S. K12 schools to request a free account for instruction)
- Connect to Esri Education Team: email: k12schools@esri.com
Stay Connected
- @GISandScience
- Esri and the Scientific Community blog by Dawn Wright, Chief Scientist, Esri
