Water observations by the public- experiences from the CrowdWater project

Hydrology is a data limited science, especially spatially distributed observations are lacking. Citizen science observations can complement existing monitoring networks and provide useful data. Engaging the public in data collection can also increase people’s interest and awareness about water-related topics. In this PICO, we will present the CrowdWater project, in which citizen scientists share, with the help of a smartphone app, hydrological observations on stream water levels, the presence of water in temporary streams, soil moisture conditions, plastic pollution, and general information on water quality. We will highlight the type of data that are collected, our quality control procedures, and the value of the data for hydrological model calibration. We will also discuss the motivations of the citizen scientists to join the project and to continue to contribute to the project. Although the majority of our frequent contributors are adults, we try to engage the youth in the project by giving presentations in schools and at science fairs. Therefore, we will end the PICO presentation with some examples of our outreach work and lessons learned.