Citizen Science in Finland
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Why to participate?
What to do with the data?
Hanna Koivula
2013-03-22
Hanna Koivula/ IT-team
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
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Finnish Museum of Natural History
LUOMUS
LUOMUS is an independent
research institution functioning
under the University of Helsinki.
It is also one of the three central
national museums in Finland and
responsible for the national
collections in its field.
The collections serve research in the
fields of biology and geology as well
as educational purposes.
Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi / Tieteenala
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
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Finnish Museum of Natural History
LUOMUS
Research units:
Exhibitions:
 Botany and mycology
Natural history museum
 Zoology
Botaical garden in Kaisaniemi
 Geology
Botaical garden Kumpulan
 Laboratory of Chronology
Mineral cabinet
www.luomus.fi
What kind of research?
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Taxonomy and systematics
Genetics
Biodiversity
Natural history and evolution
Biogeography
All research is based on
collections and observations
i.e. Primary & Ocurrence Data
Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi / Tieteenala
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
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What is citizen science?
Long traditions in Observing and Collecting
Observing birds (migration)
Observing fenology and weather (for farming
purposes)
Hunting
Collecting butterflies, other insects, plants, bird
eggs and/or nests
Earliest historical information about monitoring the
timing of bird migration date back to 1749
Modern ways of doing citizen science:
Photography
Observing with standardized methods (organized
by NGO:s)
Twitching i.e. Collecting ”points”
Collecting butterflies or other insects
Collecting samples
Sharing lists and information or even competing
between enthusiasts
Hanna Koivula / ICT-team
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
5
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Data and its uses – What kinds of questions
can citizen science answer?
Inference
Use existing data
Analyze citizen
science data
Generate
hypothesis
Detect patterns and trends with:
Data mining
Statistical tests and models
Interpolated map surfaces
Graphs/charts
Hanna Koivula / ICT-team
Formulate
predictions
Statistical
analyses and
results
Ecologists ask participants to:
Conduct targeted monitoring
Conduct experiments
Send in samples for analysis
Place sensors and upload data
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
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Why to participate?
Improving ones own expertise
Adding data/knowledge to the common “pool”
Environmental protection (Volunteer surveys of
target areas or species)
As a hobby or even for competition
Immediate feedback => seeing observations in a
report, list or on the map
Intresting research and results
Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi / Tieteenala
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
7
Citizen science projects
have offered valuable data to
research focusing on:
 Changes in species richness and community composition
 Phenology
 Timing and other aspects of Migration
 Global Climate-Change Effects on Species Populations
 Landscape Ecology: Habitat Loss and Fragmentation
 Interspecific competition and the ecology of invasive species
 Ecology of infectious disease
By publishing (even collection) data over the Internet,
it becomes possible to find and correct erors and thus
improve the data quality (with crouwd soursing)
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Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi / Tieteenala
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
Biases and their fixes
in citizen sciense data
Biases in the quality of identification
NGO:s and Museum capaigns for improving identifiaction skills
By publishing field guides and identication keys
Species pages (in the Internet)
Biases in geographical distribution of observing effort
Targeting certain areas or species with campaigns
weighting in the calculations, when presenting data
Biases due to varying skills in standardised observing methods
Educating enthusiasts to methodology
For example: Bird observations with line- and point monitoring schemes
Bias due to better equipment
The amount and quality of data has improved during last decades due to better
equipment
Binoculars, monoculars, digital cameras, smart phones, recorders and attached
GPS features open a wide range of new possibilities
Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi / Tieteenala
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
9
Citizen Science Projects in Finland
1. Finnish Breeding Bird Atlas 2006-2010
2. Finnish Winter Bird Census 2005->
3. Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles 2006->
4. Bird ringing, nestcards, birds of pray studies
5. Line- and point monitoring schemes
6. HAVINA- invasive species portal
7. National Butterfly Recording Scheme
8. Dead animals reporting system
9. Dragonfly Society peer-reviewd obs.
10. Oak Leaf-miners / Helsinki University
11. Spring Watch / Luonto-Liitto
12. Environmental assessment of Mikkeli area /
Mikkelin seudun ympäristöpalvelut
13. Otter distribution Assessment / Uudenmaan
ympäristökeskus
14. Distribution assessment of wild thyme/
Finnish Environmental Services
15. Alien plants distribution / Finnish
Environmental Services
More research projects are added yearly!
Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi / Tieteenala
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
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Data sources
Talvilintulaskenta
Virtala
NAFI
Fieldjournal.org
Hatikka.fi
Kastikka
Artportalen.se
Artsobservasjoner.no
Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi / Tieteenala
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
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Henkilön nimi / Esityksen nimi / Tieteenala
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
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Nesting sites of the brambling, Firingilla montifringilla
Hanna Koivula / ICT-team
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
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Viola biflora, Twoflower Violet, Arctic Wood Violet, Arctic Yellow Violet
Hanna Koivula / ICT-team
www.luomus.fi
22.3.2013
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