The new "Community Data Validation" Feature on the SPOTTERON Platform allows Citizen Scientists to be more deeply involved in the scientific process. The feature update in the ClimateWatch App by Earthwatch Australia allows users not only to submit observations but also to assess the accuracy and support the observations of others.
The data validation process asks users to review others' observations and agree or disagree with their spot. App users can also add comments to discuss the observation and share their knowledge. This streamlines the data collation process whilst ensuring submitted observations are as accurate as possible. Validated data can then be shared with other organizations to be used in science research and management.
Thanks to the new feature, the ClimateWatch Project set up a "Virtual Data Validation Blitz" with volunteers that ran from June 14th to June 17th. After a launch event on day 1, the community validation feature was tested in 2-hour sessions on days 2 and 3, focusing on Fauna and Flora species, respectively. The "Virtual Data Validation Blitz" ended with a wrap up and celebration on day 4.
The idea behind the blitz in the ClimateWatch App was to test out the community data validation feature before announcing it publicly, validate a large amount of 'incorrect' ClimateWatch observations and introduce ClimateWatch and the validation process to a group of expert volunteers.
Luke Richards, ClimateWatch
The Results of the ClimateWatch "Virtual Data Validation Blitz"
One hundred six volunteers were broken into teams of 2-3 people, who voted on 2,041 Spots to validate. 96% of participants say they will "continue to use the ClimateWatch Citizen Science App by Earthwatch Australia in their daily life." These fantastic results prove that data validation supported by the power of a digital social community is an effective tool within Citizen Science Apps, and a high percentage of users enjoy sharing their knowledge within scientific research for better data quality.
Utilize the 'Community Data Validation Feature' in your Citizen Science Project
The SPOTTERON Feature Ecosystem allows every project on the platform to use all existing features without extra development costs right from the start and benefit from what has already been created in collaboration with other running projects. If you are interested in utilizing the "Community Data Validation" Feature for your Citizen Science Project, get in contact with us!