Introduction to COBWEB

Plas Machynlleth,20th May, 2014

Chris Higgins,Project Coordinator,

EDINA, University of Edinburghchris.higgins@ed.ac.uk

Citizen Observatory Web

• 4 year research project

• Crowdsourced environmental data to aid decision making

• Introduce quality measures and reduce uncertainty

• Combine crowdsourced data with existing sources of data

Project Partners

COBWEB Biosphere Reserves

• Germany: Wadden See and Hallig Islands• Greece: Mount Olympus & Gorge of Samaria• Left open possibility of expansion to further BRs

later in project

UK (Wales): Biosffer Dyfi– Development work

concentrated here

What are we going to build?

A number of demonstrator mobile phone applications

– Stakeholder discussion to provide detail

3 pilot case study areas:1. Validating earth

observation products2. Biological monitoring3. Flooding

Case Studies

1. Community Woodlands2. Pollinators3. FP7 BIO_SOS4. Validation of EO Products (Gwylio)5. Education6. Ecotourism7. Smart Citizen8. Flooding

Where we are at the moment

• Month 19 of 48• Milestone 3 (First Welsh Demonstrator) Nov

2014, coming over horizon• By 2015: ready for field testing with citizens• Some tentative steps already taken:

– Dyfi Woodlands– Outward Bound Aberdyfi– Ysgol Bro Dyfi/RSPB– Talybont Floodees– Abersystwyth University MSc group

Some objectives

• Increase in local awareness of the project• More individuals/organisations willing to

work with us in various ways – or at least thinking about it

• Provide information to enable attendees to begin formulating a response to a Call for Proposal

• Better understanding of how the citizen engagement aspects of the project might progress

Launch for proposals

• More of a pre-launch, town meeting• Brief key organisations/individuals• Feedback to help us run the Call for

Proposals more effectively• Actual CfP will be go up on the COBWEB

website on 16th June• A number of small contracts (of the order

£500 – £10000)

Two main components to engagement

1. Co-design: test prototype apps and provide feedback as we develop them

• Underway already, to an extent

2. Get people (volunteers) out and about with COBWEB software in

• Citizens in field from Jan 2015 onwards

Not mutually exclusive. Proposals could include both

Co-Design Objectives

• Engage in dialogue with members of the COBWEB consortium to assist in the design of applications

• Engage in dialogue with members of the COBWEB consortium to assist in identifying further user requirements

“Citizen in the field” Objectives

• Adapt the generic COBWEB capability to address specific needs within your area of expertise

• Arrange and manage groups of volunteers in field testing COBWEB application(s) in the Dyfi Biosphere area

Process

• Mon 16th June: CfP issued• Mon 21st July: deadline for proposals

– May contact some applicants individually for refinement

• Mon 4th Aug: decision, contact applicants• Mid Sept: kickoff meeting with all successful

applicants– Looking for cooperation opportunities– Discuss technical support– Schedule

Open questions

• Further rounds?• Terms and conditions will be published with

the CfP• Will require some kind of report