Crowdsourcing and Urban Environmental Research
The Final iResponse Workshop 'Crowdsourcing and Urban Environmental Research' took place 4th September 2018 in Oslo.
4th of September 2018 we had a full day with sharing and discussions on the topic of crowdsourcing and urban environmental research. The iResponse consortium members as well as invited guest speakers presented on the topic.
Crowdsourcing as a method for data collection
Data is a crucial part of any environmental research field. In cities, it is needed for environmental modelling, understanding the various environmental processes and as basis for decision-making.
Crowdsourcing as a method for data collection offers the opportunity to address some of the challenges associated with data availability. Crowdsourcing can also be applied in various ways, at different phases of the research study, for different purposes or as part of a collaborative creative process.
Even though crowdsourcing offers an opportunity for data acquisition, it also presents challenges, such as data quality and representativeness. Crowdsourcing methods may bring social concerns, that should be addressed during the different phases of the activity.
They day in short
After 3 years of the iResponse-project, we reached the end of our path -or the beginning of a new path- and now it was again time to share what we have learned. Both project members and invited speakers shared their experiences, with questions and discussions along the way.
Project leader Susana Lopez-Aparicio (NILU) opened the workshop and introduced the iResponse project.
The opening keynote was by Luca Marial Aiello from Nokia Bell Labs (UK), a team member of Good City Life. He presented on using crowdsourcing to sense the city and the urban environment.
The second keynote was by project partner Maarit Kahila, co-founder of Maptionnaire and also with the Aalto University (Finland). She gave a talk on public participation as key in urban planning processes.
Then followed two presentations from the case studies of the iResponse project. Line Barkved (NIVA) shared from the work on connecting urban stormwater management and crowdsourcing. Susana Lopez-Aparicio (NILU) presented on Data Collection Methods for a Better Understanding of Atmospheric Emissions.
An last before lunch, and the first of a set of short talks on bringing crowdsourced data into practice; Ingvil Aarholt Hegna (Doga) shared from the latest developments on the national initiative Folketråkk.
The third keynote of the day was by Catharina Nes with the Norwegian Protection Agency on Privacy and trust in Crowdsourcing.
Project partner Harald Throne-Holst (OsloMet) presented on doing crowdsourcing in an socially responsible way.
Then we enjoyed more practical use of crowdsource data with Tina Hofland Engen and Åsa Berge Vistad (City of Oslo) presented Trafikkagentene and Nils Valland (Artsdatabanken) Artsdatabanken and their Species Observations System.
Finally, project partners Semalawit Fossum (IFI-UiO) and Line Barkved (NIVA) shared lessons learned and recommendations for crowdsourcing in urban environmental research, on behalf of the iResponse consortium.
Project leader Susana Lopez-Aparicio closed the workshop and we enjoyed some cake.
(All presentations can be found here)