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Using Citizen Science to Complement IoT Data Collection: A Survey of Motivational and Engagement Factors in Technology-Centric Citizen Science Projects

Ali, Muhammad Uzar; Mishra, Bhupesh Kumar; Thakker, Dhavalkumar; Mazumdar, Suvodeep; Simpson, Sydney

Authors

Muhammad Uzar Ali

Bhupesh Kumar Mishra

Dhavalkumar Thakker

Suvodeep Mazumdar

Sydney Simpson



Abstract

A key aspect of the development of Smart Cities involves the efficient and effective management of resources to improve liveability. Achieving this requires large volumes of sensors strategically deployed across urban areas. In many cases, however, it is not feasible to install devices in remote and inaccessible areas, resulting in incomplete data coverage. In such situations, citizens can often play a crucial role in filling this data collection gap. A popular complimentary science to traditional sensor-based data collection is to design Citizen Science (CS) activities in collaboration with citizens and local communities. Such activities are also designed with a feedback loop where the Citizens benefit from their participation by gaining a greater sense of awareness of their local issues while also influencing how the activities can align best with their local contexts. The participation and engagement of citizens are vital and yet often a real challenge in ensuring the long-term continuity of CS projects. In this paper, we explore engagement factors, factors that help keeping engagement high, in technology-centric CS projects where technology is a key enabler to support CS activities. We outline a literature review of exploring and understanding various motivational and engagement factors that influence the participation of citizens in technology-driven CS activities. Based on this literature, we present a mobile-based flood monitoring citizen science application aimed at supporting data collection activities in a real-world CS project as part of an EU project. We discuss the results of a user evaluation of this app, and finally discuss our findings within the context of citizens’ engagement.

Citation

Ali, M. U., Mishra, B. K., Thakker, D., Mazumdar, S., & Simpson, S. (2021). Using Citizen Science to Complement IoT Data Collection: A Survey of Motivational and Engagement Factors in Technology-Centric Citizen Science Projects. IoT, 2(2), 275-309. https://doi.org/10.3390/iot2020015

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Apr 21, 2021
Online Publication Date May 4, 2021
Publication Date Jun 1, 2021
Deposit Date May 31, 2023
Publicly Available Date Jun 1, 2023
Journal IoT
Electronic ISSN 2624-831X
Publisher MDPI
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 2
Issue 2
Pages 275-309
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/iot2020015
Keywords Citizen science; Smart cities; IoT; Flood monitoring; Citizens’ engagement issues; Motivational factors
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/4302320

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Publisher Licence URL
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Copyright Statement
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).




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