A Citizen Science Web Portal for Interdisciplinary Research on Climate Change (BAYSICS): Development and Evaluation

Citizen science can be used to collect vast and timely data, while promoting active learning on selected topics. The Bavarian Citizen Science Portal for Climate Research and Science Communication (BAYSICS) is a scientific project which started in 2018 with 10 partner institutions in Bavaria. It aims to achieve (1) citizens’ participation in climate change research through innovative digital forms, (2) transfer of knowledge on the complexity of climate change and its local consequences, and (3) joint scientific and environmental education goals. 

Within the BAYSICS project, a web portal has been developed that builds the interface between researchers and citizens. In the initial phase, the interests from the different research disciplines participating in the project were identified. Currently, the IT structure for the web portal is developed based on the needs of the project. Free tools such as PostgreSQL, Django, Gunicorn and Nginx are used. The researchers involved have the opportunity to integrate research topic specific questions and data collection guidelines for citizens. 

On the web portal, users are able to choose a topic from four different areas (phenology, pollen, tree, and animals) and submit their observations in multiple data types (pictures, geolocations, and texts). The observation data is visualized on a map of the web portal. The data collected within the project is freely available for download on the web portal, while protecting user’s privacy. Application Programming Interface (API) is developed to enable interaction with other software products and services.

A first test phase within the project members start at the beginning of 2020. Afterwards, a second test phase is planned involving potential users (e.g. school students and teachers). The outcomes from the test phases will be used for evaluation.