Update: There is more information about this event in our resources section.
This UKEOF workshop brought together citizen science practitioners from across the UK to discuss the role of environmental citizen science in the public sector.
Citizen science is increasingly being used as a method for engagement and data collection. However, within organisations that use environmental data as part of their core activities (e.g. for statutory monitoring, academic research, policy making), there is some uncertainty about whether citizen science can be a source of reliable and high quality data. Our workshop was intended to explore barriers to the uptake of citizen science and the actions and resources that may help overcome these (particularly those that UKEOF could address).
Thirty-nine people braved torrential rain to join us in Birmingham on 24th January 2018. During the morning, delegates considered a range of previously identified barriers to citizen science uptake, as well as existing citizen science resources and possible resource needs.
This was then followed by a presentation of case studies demonstrating the successful use of citizen science in the public sector. These included the Citizen Observatory Web (COBWEB) project, the Met Office's Weather Observations Website (WOW) and Capturing Our Coast.
During the afternoon, delegates worked in groups to consider four key issues: designing monitoring strategies, accessing citizen science expertise, working with volunteers, and the future of citizen science.