Abstract Detail

Public Participation in Scientific Research:Emerging Resources for Botany

Newman, Greg [1].

Cyberinfrastructure resources for citizen science projects.

Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR) projects address a wide array of scientific questions, create opportunities for more continuous and widespread data collection, fill data gaps, educate participants, inform management decisions, operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales, engage volunteers from all walks of life, and create volumes of scientific data. Most projects require significant up-front investment, collaboration, data management expertise, and information technology resources to reach their full potential. New and emerging cyberinfrastructure tools and technologies offer many resources for PPSR projects. Here, we review available cyberinfrastructure resources and discuss their applicability to botanically-oriented PPSR projects. Using examples involving invasive species, local and traditional ecological knowledge, herbaria records, and species identification, we show how these cyberinfrastructure resources can support the full spectrum of project activities, improve data quality, and contribute valuable botanical data. We conclude by suggesting future resources needed to better support the needs of existing and potentially new PPSR projects in botany.

Broader Impacts:

Related Links:
CitSci.org

1 - Colorado State University, Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Nrel/nesb A219, Fort Collins, CO, 80523-1499, USA

Keywords:
Public Participation in Scientific Research
Citizen Science
cyberinfrastructure
data management
botany.

Presentation Type: Symposium or Colloquium Presentation
Session: SY01
Location: Jasperwood/Riverside Hilton
Date: Monday, July 29th, 2013
Time: 9:00 AM
Number: SY01003
Abstract ID:214
Candidate for Awards:None