CitSciIE, Phase 2

Topics we are dealing with

Experiment with the SensorThings API

In the first phase of the interoperability experiment we focused on the use of SOS as a standard service to distribute data coming from citizen science observations. This idea was based in the COBWEB recommendation to use the classical OGC services in the Sensor Web Enablement. The result was positive allowing for some Technology Integration Experiments (TIE) where clients were able to visualize data coming from services from other vendors and projects alongside their own data. Unfortunately, while this happened, OGC was increasingly experimenting with OpenAPI approaches and concluded that a new generation of services will implement web API based on resources instead of the old web services paradigm. Despite some fundamental conceptual differences, both approaches use the web standards as baselines and the client and server architecture, so they are not so difficult to replace on technology by the next one. Actually the OGC sensor world already produced a sensor API that has been around for 2 or 3 years that is called SensorThingsAPI. In the second phase of the interoperability experiment we would like to experiment with SensorThingsAPI clients and services and demonstrate their applicability for citizen science. If the new experiment successful, the final aim is to update of the OGC discussion paper SWE4CS into a new version explaining how to user SensorThingsAPI for citizen Science.

• Possible use case: How to translate the Lucas data in the SensorThings API data model
• Possible use case: Other COs data in SOS coould be translated to SensorThings API.
• Possible use case: Visualization of SensorThings API data

Experiment with the SensorThingsAPIExtension

The study and evolution of SensorThings API for Citizen Science is documented in an OGC Best Practice originated in the H2020 Cos4Cloud project.

Design an architecture for a Cit Sci federation

In each topic there are myriads of citizen science projects that are very dynamic in nature and require recruiting voluntaries to run their campaigns. AS an example, the "inventory of citizen science activities for environmental policies" detected 503 useful projects around biodiversity in Europe. This is ok if citizens are going to participate in one project only but this is not always the case. Expert users and dedicated volunteers will participate in several of them. The heterogeneity of platforms, use accounts and data licenses can become a stopping factor both for data acquisition and exploitation. The H2020 Landsense federation offers a federation architecture based on single sign on technologies that provides uniform login on heterogeneous platforms and full control on personal data privacy. Meanwhile, initiatives such as the Earth Challange 2020 are building an infrastructure for coordinated citizen science around the world and GEO is discussing about the best way to include in-situ data and citizen science data in the GEOSS platform. This topic wants to experiment on extending the Landsense federation to the cloud (in particular to the EOSC in the umbrella of the H2020 CO4Cloud project) where biodiversity projects and infrastructures should be integrated and in contributing to propose new elements that shoudl complement the current GEOSS Platform to include citizen science data.

Related documents:

• EuroGEOSS workshop lisbon declaration
• GEO CitSci position on the creation of a GEO Knowledge Hub

Integration of the OGC definition server in Cit Sci projects

One of the main difficulties on combining small citizen science projects into large datasets is the lack of common vocabularies and acquisition strategies. The OGC definitions server is proposed as an open linked platform that will store definitions on variables and procedures done for capturing citizen science data. By publishing their definitions, projects will be more transparent to their users, other projects will be able to adopt the same definitions and procedures and scientist gain confidence on the data because they will be able to understand it. In this topic, we will experiment of how to include the variables collected into the definition server and we will text how easy is for two projects to converge on the same definitions.

Registration for the Second Phase of the Cit Sci IE kick-off

You can join us by registering here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1UXbtgpIZlxkoufTbJwyYb7XhmbnzV7dsaZHaeXsuRMA/edit

Information about the event here: Kick-off Cit Sci November 2019

-- JoanMaso - 30 Oct 2019