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Citizen Science, also known as participatory or community science, refers to public participation and collaboration in scientific research. Volunteers gather and share data in efforts typically led by scientists or researchers. The aim is to crowd-source data collection and analysis while also encouraging the development of scientific understanding and awareness.
A nice encapsulation of citizen science (including two case studies) can be found in Chapter 5 of Eileen Harrington's Academic Libraries and Public Engagement with Science and Technology
- Projects from the U.S. Federal Government and NGOs to accelerate science, technology, and innovation
- About | Projects | Toolkit
Citizen Science Portal (Government of Canada)
- Catalogue of initiatives available in local communities
- Email address available for scientists to add their projects
- Portal to thousands of projects searchable by location, topic, sustainable development goal, etc.
- About | Project Finder | Event Finder
- Topics include biology, climate, history, medicine, nature, space, and more!
- About | Projects | Project Builder
- Plant data collection and sharing (U.S. focus)
- About | Projects | Data | BudBurst App
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Bird observations from backyards, city streets, or remote forests
- Scientists analyze data to understand how birds are affected by environmental changes
- About | Projects
- Collect data on birds including photos, audio recordings, and geo-location
- About | Explore data | eBird Mobile
- Monitor ticks in Canada by submitting photographs for identification and tick monitoring
- Scroll down to find the app, and learn more
- Data | Map
- Observing biodiversity
- Opportunity to start your own project
- About | Projects | Video Tutorials
The Microsetta Initiative (TMI)
- Collecting and understanding human microbiome data
- Project Overview | Get Involved | FAQ
World Environment Situation Room: Citizen Science Portal
- A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
- Explore opportunities to inform and be informed of environmental change
- More information
- Raising awareness of light pollution and the night sky
- About | Submit your observations
NASA Science - Citizen Science
- Topics include Universe, Solar System, Sun, Earth, Space Experiments
- NASA Solve: help find solutions to NASA's mission
- Portal to projects, training, and other resources
- About
- Collect local stories and photos related to climate change to inform cities, engineers, educators, researchers, and other groups
- About | Projects | Propose a Project
Massively Multiplayer Online Science (MMOS)
- Integrating scientific research with multiplayer online video games
- Wired article on MMOS and their first project working with the Human Protein Atlas
- YouTube video on Borderlands 3 and Borderlands Science
