Weak influence of natural vegetation in urban green spaces compared to agricultural ecosystems on House Martin populations:Insights from nationwide citizen science data in the Czech Republic

The House Martin(Delichon urbicum)is a common farmland bird species in the European landscape,yet its population numbers are currently in decline.However,it is not yet sufficiently explained why this long-term decline occurs.To fill this gap in our knowledge,we investigated how land cover composition affects the abundance of House Martins on the landscape scale by using nationwide citizen science data.Utilizing a generalised linear mixed-effect model(GLMM),we evaluated 12,094 records from the Czech Republic spanning 2009-2017.Our analysis underscores the significance of land cover type in shaping House Martin abundance.More specifically,our results indicate that within agricultural land covers“naturally managed arable lands”exhibited significant positive effect,while forests,orchards,and vineyards were deemed less favourable for House Martin populations.Within urban land covers,we found a clear distinction in the impact on House Martin populations,with a positive effect observed in urban infrastructure,development areas,and post-industrial sites(i.e.,UrbanAreas),while an indifferent impact was noted within urban green spaces and landscaped areas(i.e.,GreenUrban).Notably,our findings suggest that the simple spatial,age,and species structure typical of forests in Europe,and similarly,the uniform structure of parks and gardens,may be responsible for the decline in the abundance of the House Martin.We advocate for the preservation or enhancement of urban greenery,expansion of natural vegetation in rural areas and adoption of ecological management practices in orchards and vineyards to mitigate further declines in House Martin populations.

Data reliability of the emerging citizen science in the Greater Bay Area of China

The potential of citizen science projects in research has been increasingly acknowledged,but the substantial engagement of these projects is restricted by the quality of citizen science data.Based on the largest emerging citizen science project in the country-Birdreport Online Database(BOD),we examined the biases of birdwatching data from the Greater Bay Area of China.The results show that the sampling effort is disparate among land cover types due to contributors’ preference towards urban and suburban areas,indicating the environment suitable for species existence could be underrepresented in the BOD data.We tested the contributors’ skill of species identification via a questionnaire targeting the citizen birders in the Greater Bay Area.The questionnaire show that most citizen birdwatchers could correctly identify the common species widely distributed in Southern China and the less common species with conspicuous morphological characteristics,while failed to identify the species from Alaudidae;Caprimulgidae,Emberizidae,Phylloscopidae,Scolopacidae and Scotocercidae.With a study example,we demonstrate that spatially clustered bird watching visits can cause underestimation of species richness in insufficiently sampled areas;and the result of species richness mapping is sensitive to the contributors’ skill of identifying bird species.Our results address how avian research can be influenced by the reliability of citizen science data in a region of generally high accessibility,and highlight the necessity of pre-analysis scrutiny on data reliability regarding to research aims at all spatial and temporal scales.To improve the data quality,we suggest to equip the data collection frame of BOD with a flexible filter for bird abundance,and questionnaires that collect information related to contributors’ bird identification skill.Statistic modelling approaches are encouraged to apply for correcting the bias of sampling effort.

The role of botanical gardens in scientific research, conservation, and citizen science

Plant diversity is currently being lost at an unprecedented rate, resulting in an associated decrease in ecosystem services. About a third of the world＇s vascular plant species face the threat of extinction due to a variety of devastating activities, including, over-harvesting and over exploitation, destructive agricul- tural and forestry practices, urbanization, environmental pollution, land-use changes, exotic invasive species, global climate change, and more. We therefore need to increase our efforts to develop integrative conservation approaches for plant species conservation. Botanical gardens devote their resources to the study and conservation of plants, as well as making the world＇s plant species diversity known to the public. These gardens also play a central role in meeting human needs and providing well-being. In this minireview, a framework for the integrated missions of botanical gardens, including scientific research, inJex situ conservation, plant resource utilization, and citizen science are cataloged. By reviewing the history of the development of Kunming Botanical Garden, we illustrate successful species conservation approaches （among others, projects involving Camellia, Rhododendron, Magnolia, Begonia, Alliurn, Ne- penthes, medicinal plants, ornamental plants, and Plant Species with Extreme Small Populations）, as well as citizen science, and scientific research at Kunming Botanical Garden over the past 80 years. We emphasize that Kunming Botanical Garden focuses largely on the ex situ conservation of plants from Southwest China, especially those endangered, endemic, and economically important plant species native to the Yunnan Plateau and the southern Hengduan Mountains. We also discuss the future chal- lenges and responsibilities of botanical gardens in a changing world, including： the negative effects of outbreeding and/or inbreeding depression; promoting awareness, study, and conservation of plant species diversity; accelerating global access to information about plant diversity; increasing capacity building and training activities. We hope this minireview can promote understanding of the role of botanical gardens.

Contribution of citizen science towards cryptic species census： “many eyes” define wintering range of the Scaly-sided Merganser in China's Mainland

Background: Citizen science has tremendous potential in advancing scientific knowledge and improving natural resource management.To detect the wintering distribution of the endangered species Scaly-sided Merganser(Mergus squamatus), national wintering surveys were organized by China Birdwatching Association.Methods: The surveys of M.squamatus were conducted in three successive winters from 2014 to 2016.A total of 2019 people from 102 organizations participated in the surveys.With three groups of 13 environmental variables, species distribution model for its wintering distribution of each year was developed using random forest.Schoener's D index was used to compare the distribution of M.squamatus in 3 years.Results: Totally, 441, 634 and 1138 individuals of M.squamatus were recorded in 2014, 2015 and 2016 respectively.Two main sites in Dabie Mountain and East Qinling mountains were verified and the wintering range of M.squamatus was defined.The wintering range was found to be highly identical for the 3 years.Conclusions: The highly overlapped distribution range among years suggested that the wintering range of M.squamatus was relatively stable.Well organized and coordinated citizen science can be used to define distribution range and improve species conservation.

Assessing citizen science opportunities in forest monitoring using probabilistic topic modelling

Background： With mounting global environmental, social and economic pressures the resilience and stability of forests and thus the provisioning of vital ecosystem services is increasingly threatened. Intensified monitoring can help to detect ecological threats and changes earlier, but monitoring resources are limited. Participatory forest monitoring with the help of ＂citizen scientists＂ can provide additional resources for forest monitoring and at the same time help to communicate with stakeholders and the general public. Examples for citizen science projects in the forestry domain can be found but a solid, applicable larger framework to utilise public participation in the area of forest monitoring seems to be lacking. We propose that a better understanding of shared and related topics in citizen science and forest monitoring might be a first step towards such a framework. Methods： We conduct a systematic meta-analysis of 1015 publication abstracts addressing ＂forest monitoring＂ and ＂citizen science＂ in order to explore the combined topical landscape of these subjects. We employ ＇topic modelling an unsupervised probabilistic machine learning method, to identify latent shared topics in the analysed publications. Results： We find that large shared topics exist, but that these are primarily topics that would be expected in scientific publications in general. Common domain-specific topics are under-represented and indicate a topical separation of the two document sets on ＂forest monitoring＂ and ＂citizen science＂ and thus the represented domains. While topic modelling as a method proves to be a scalable and useful analytical tool, we propose that our approach could deliver even more useful data if a larger document set and full-text publications would be available for analysis. Conclusions： We propose that these results, together with the observation of non-shared but related topics, point at under-utilised opportunities for public participation in forest monitoring. Citizen science could be applied as a versatile tool in forest ecosystems monitoring, complementing traditional forest monitoring programmes, assisting early threat recognition and helping to connect forest management with the general public. We conclude that our presented approach should be pursued further as it may aid the understanding and setup of citizen science efforts in the forest monitoring domain.

Colour-ring wear and loss effects in citizen science mark-resighting studies

Background: Ring wear and loss may have important consequences for mark-recapture studies that aim to estimate survival trends. Our study quantifies the rates of wear and loss from a long-running colour-ringing project of the Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) in the Netherlands. Methods: Our analysis included 8909 colour-ringed oystercatchers with 118,071 resightings, predominantly ringed and observed by citizen scientists. We quantified how ring wear and loss may vary with ring colour and age, and how this may impact resighting probabilities. We then determined how ring loss may impact survival estimates and resighting probabilities of mark-recapture models by simulating four scenarios of how citizen scientists may resight and report birds with lost colour rings. Results: Annual rates of colour ring loss averaged 2.5% compared with 1% for ring wear, but lost rings also had a higher reporting probability (31.2%) than worn rings (10.3%). Lost rings may not directly impact survival estimates since 50% of oystercatchers with lost rings could still be uniquely identified. Ring wear and loss rapidly increased between 10 and 15 years after ringing. Rates of ring loss were comparable amongst ring colours, but the wear rate appeared higher for red and white rings compared to other colours. Rates of ring wear and loss varied significantly amongst different regions in our study, which were characterised as having different habitat features. Differential rates of ring wear may have important implications for studies conducted over large geographical scales or of multiple species. Conclusions: Based on simulations of ring loss in our population, estimates of apparent survival may be 0.3–1.2% lower whilst the impact of ring wear was deemed even lower. We developed a table of recommendations containing advice for ring fitting, data collection, study design, and mark-recapture analyses, so that future colour-ringing studies can benefit from our experiences in collecting and analysing data of ring wear and loss through citizen science.

Using citizen science data to improve regional bird species list:A case study in Shaanxi,China

An accurate and updated regional bird species checklist is the foundation for biodiversity research and conservation.However,with ongoing climate and landscape changes,tracking the distributions of bird species is challenging,and expert-curated species lists are often limited regarding survey area and timeliness.Birdwatching in China is becoming increasingly popular,and observations recorded by citizen birders are quickly increasing as well.Assessing the value of these data for improving regional species lists and studying bird distribution needs a detailed and quantitative comparison of citizen science data and expert-curated data.We collected observation reports from the China Bird Report Center,the largest online open platform for sharing bird sightings in China.We focused on reports from 2016 to 2019 in Shaanxi Province.For expert-curated species lists,we used three sources:the latest bird field guide published by local ornithologists,the province list from Avibase,and a list generated from overlaying distribution range from BirdLife International with the outline of Shaanxi Province.In addition,we also compared the bird sighting coordinates with the species distribution maps from BirdLife International.Surprisingly,species checklists from different sources have considerable discrepancies,even among lists based on expert knowledge.Including birdwatching data,there are 616 bird species in total,but less than half of the species(294)appear in all checklists,and 17.2%of species are unique to one list.One hundred sixty-three species lack birdwatching records,but birdwatching identified 39 species new to the province.One hundred thirty-six bird species have sighting locations outside the distribution ranges from BirdLife International,suggesting that updates might be needed.The data also showed a clear trend of bird species shifting to higher latitudes than their traditional distributions.While being inadequate for generating a regional species checklist on its own,birdwatching data in China can be a valuable source for complementing expert knowledge.In particular,the coordinate information of bird sighting can help track species distribution shifts.On the other hand,comparing expert-curated lists to birdwatching data can generate a species list for targeted birdwatching and monitoring,which will improve the quality of the birdwatching data in the future.

EU-Citizen.Science:A Platform for Mainstreaming Citizen Science and Open Science in Europe

Citizen Science(CS)is a prominent field of application for Open Science(OS),and the two have strong synergies,such as:advocating for the data and metadata generated through science to be made publicly available[1];supporting more equitable collaboration between different types of scientists and citizens;and facilitating knowledge transfer to a wider range of audiences[2].While primarily targeted at CS,the EU-Citizen.Science platform can also support OS.One of its key functions is to act as a knowledge hub to aggregate,disseminate and promote experience and know-how;for example,by profiling CS projects and collecting tools,resources and training materials relevant to both fields.To do this,the platform has developed an information architecture that incorporates the public participation in scientific research(PPSR)-Common Conceptual Model.This model consists of the Project Metadata Model,the Dataset Metadata Model and the Observation Data Model,which were specifically developed for CS initiatives.By implementing these,the platform will strengthen the interoperating arrangements that exist between other,similar platforms(e.g.,BioCollect and SciStarter)to ensure that CS and OS continue to grow globally in terms of participants,impact and fields of application.

Completeness of citizen science biodiversity data from a volunteered geographic information perspective

Observations of living organisms by citizen scientists that are reported to online portals are a valuable source of information.They are also a special kind of volunteered geographic information(VGI).VGI data have issues of completeness,which arise from biases caused by the opportunistic nature of the data collection process.We examined the completeness of bird species represented in citizen science observation data from eBird and iNaturalist in US National Parks(NPs).We used approaches for completeness estimation which were developed for data from OpenStreetMap,a crowdsourced map of the world.First,we used an extrinsic approach,comparing species lists from citizen science data with National Park Service lists.Second,we examined two intrinsic approaches using total observation numbers in NPs and the development of the number of new species being added to the data-set over time.Results from the extrinsic approach provided appropriate completeness estimations to evaluate the intrinsic approaches.We found that total observation numbers are a good estimator of species completeness of citizen science data from US NPs.There is also a close relationship between species completeness and the ratio of new species added to observation data vs.observation numbers in a given year.

The value of community science data to analyze long-term avian trends in understudied regions:The state of birds in Türkiye

Recent studies have revealed concerning declines in bird populations in Europe and other parts of the world.In understudied but biodiverse regions,especially those that are located along key migratory flyways,there is an unmet need to evaluate the status of resident and migratory birdlife for avian conservation ecology.This is especially urgent at a time when recent regional studies have highlighted the scale of the decline of the European and Palearctic avifauna.Rapidly growing community science datasets may help bridge the gaps in our understanding of long-term regional avifaunal trends.In this study,we used eBird data submitted by observers in Türkiye to undertake the first long-term assessment of the state of the country’s birds from 2001 to 2022.We evaluated population trends based on presence-absence data of species to determine if any birds have significantly increased or decreased in the country so far this century.We provide a list of trends for 418 bird species that had large enough sample sizes of eBird observations from Türkiye,and highlight which species have significantly declined or increased.We found that 63 species have significantly declined in detection while 120 have significantly increased during the study period.Our findings provide a baseline for the future monitoring of Türkiye’s birds and help contextualize population changes of birds in Türkiye against those occurring at the continental(Palearctic)scale.Additionally,we include movement classifications for all of the bird species in this study.We also provide a framework to effectively use eBird data to assess long-term avifaunal changes at the country-level in other understudied regions.Finally,we highlight ways in which eBirders in Türkiye and elsewhere can strengthen the quality and value of community ornithology data for population assessments and avian conservation ecology.

Impact of agricultural landscape structure on the patterns of bird species diversity at a regional scale

The loss of bird species diversity is a crucial problem in the European agricultural landscape.Change in the area coverage of major land cover types has been mentioned as one of the main factors responsible for bird biodiversity impoverishment.In this study,we focused on the impact of landscape matrix characteristics on bird species richness and on Faith’s phylogenetic diversity index on a spatial scale of 1000-m radius around the measured occurrence points.We investigated how land cover composition affects bird diversity on the landscape scale using nationwide citizen science data.In total,168,739 records of bird occurrence in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic during growing season from 2009 to 2019 were evaluated.We found that the presence of water bodies and wetlands significantly corresponded to the areas of highest bird species richness.We also revealed that the presence of forests(~60%of the forest in the Czech Republic is occupied by commercial forests),urban areas and arable land were negatively associated with bird species richness and phylogenetic diversity.Forests(both coniferous and deciduous)and urban habitats were found to have a tendency to host a clustered phylogenetic community structure in comparison with wetland and arable land.A strong negative association between forest proportion and bird diversity led us to conclude that the expansion of the forest(with simple species composition,horizontal and vertical structure)could be one of the critical drivers of the decline of bird species diversity in the European agricultural landscape.On the other hand,our results also pointed out that small woody features(i.e.,woodlots)and scattered woodland shrub vegetation were one of the main landscape characteristics supporting a bird diversity in rural landscape.This is in concordance with other studies which mention these landscape structures as important elements for nesting and foraging of farmland birds.We thus recommend to maintain and restore scattered trees or woodlots with complex structure in agricultural landscape.

Global population estimate and conservation gap analysis for the Nordmann's Greenshank(Tringa guttifer)

Nordmann's Greenshank(Tringa guttifer)is a globally endangered species that has received little research attention.It is threatened by rapid habitat loss,an incomplete network of protected sites,and lack of long-term data on population dynamics.Citizen science data can be combined with survey data to support population estimation and conservation gap analysis.From 2020 to 2021,Nordmann's Greenshank was surveyed in Tiaozini,Xiaoyangkou,and Dongling on the southern coast of Jiangsu Province,China,and the global population of the species was re-evaluated using the data obtained.We integrated citizen science data from eBird and the China Bird Report from 2000 to 2020 with the survey results to identify important habitats harboring over 1%of its total population,and compared this data with existing protected areas to identify gaps in its global conservation.Our survey found that Tiaozini supported at least 1194 individuals.Consequently,its global population was reestimated to be 1500-2000.Moreover,45 important habitats were identified based on citizen data and survey results.Although 44.4%and 50.0%of the priority sites in the world and China,respectively,are located outside protected areas,the Conservation Effectiveness Index(C)is 68.4%and 71.1%,respectively,showing that the current coverage of protected areas for this part of its range is reasonable.This study presents the most complete and recent population data to date.Tiaozini is the most important migration stopover site for Nordmann's Greenshanks.The species is under threat in terms of breeding,wintering,and stopover sites.Therefore,we suggest improving monitoring,establishing new protected sites to complete the habitat protection network,and improving the effectiveness of existing habitat protection strategies,including further developing high tide roosting sites.

Spatial Analysis of Fine Particulate Matter (PM2.5) in South St. Boniface and Mission Industrial Area, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Particulate matter smaller than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) stays airborne for long periods and can enter the lungs, increasing respiratory and cardiovascular risks. Metal shredders are known sources of PM2.5, lead and other heavy metals. Winnipeg residents of South Saint Boniface (SSB) in Manitoba, Canada, live downwind of the Mission Industrial Area (MIA), which includes a metal shredder, train tracks and other industries. Residents are concerned about the MIA air and noise pollution and wanted ambient air quality monitoring in their mixed land-use area to understand its impact on their health. We measured and mapped the daytime PM2.5, from the MIA and South St. Boniface (SSB) neighborhoods using the Dylos DC 1700 PM over seven months. The Dylos air quality data for PM2.5 was validated by the two federal reference monitors in the city, finding a moderate to very strong correlation (r = 0.52 to 0.83;p-value 0.001), confirming good accuracy. A spatial analysis of the emission data showed that the highest pollution concentration was downwind of the scrap metal shredder in MIA. One-way ANOVA and Pearson correlation analysis revealed significantly higher levels of PM2.5 at MIA and SSB than at the reference sites, which are away from pollution sources. The PM2.5 Canadian Ambient Air Quality Standard (CAAQS) of 27 μg/m3 was exceeded downwind of the property line of the scrap metal shredder in the MIA for five of the 35 monitoring days averaging between 28.9 μg/m3 to 38.1 μg/m3 over eight hours. The standard was not exceeded in the residential area, although PM2.5 levels higher than background levels increased SSB residents exposure levels. This exceedance of regulatory standards requires action to reduce emissions.

A New Species of Euphlyctis (Amphibia, Anura, Dicroglossidae) from the West Coastal Plains of India

The genus Euphlyctis is widely distributed across Southwestern Arabian Peninsula into parts of Southeast Asia. Five of the seven known Euphlyctis species are found within the Indian subcontinent. Here, we describe a new species, Euphlyctis karaavali sp. nov. from South-west coast of India, which was discovered during surveys engaging citizens. This species was identified to be distinct based on molecular and morphological evidence. We provide a detailed description of this species along with its call description and compare it with closest congeners. Previous studies in the region had identified this species as E. hexadactylus but suggested the possibility of it being cryptic. Genetically E. karaavali sp. nov. is distinct from E. hexadactylus with a genetic divergence of 9.2% （12S and 16S） and shows a high divergence with E. kalasgramensis and E. ehrenbergii （13.04% each）. Our findings are discussed in the context of cryptic species discovery, citizen engagement in scientific progress and conservation measures while suggesting future directions.

Monitoring the geospace response to the Great American Solar Eclipse on 21 August 2017

Since ancient times,solar eclipses have fascinated—and sometimes terrified—humankind.Solar eclipses are direct sensory experiences.As the sun vanishes from the sky,birds fall silent during the midday twilight.Modern instrumentation has enabled research into the consequences of this sudden change in irradiation within the upper atmosphere.For the first time in 26 years。

Processing and Unification of Environmental Noise Data from Road Traffic with Spatial Dimension Collected through Mobile Phones

Noise measurement using mobile phones is now developed very well. While there are some good applications for the measurement of noise from road traffic, thus on processing of measured data is only paid a very little attention. The data, however, are burdened by specific errors and for further work with them it is necessary to adjust and determine their uncertainty. One of the biggest problems is inaccuracy in position versus the noise source and the shortest length of measurement that can be regarded as representative. Imprecision in terms of location can be determined by calculating the variance of possible distance from the noise source, which for measurement of traffic noise requires a map-matching data points both transverse to the street (sidewalk) network and in the longwise direction. During typical urban measurements, this error can even reach 7 - 10 dB. Three basic types of algorithms for the calculation of uncertainty and positional correction based on the type of input and output data (raster, vector, vector-oriented) were tested. Uncertainty in the variability of the measurement data is necessary to determine from the number of passing vehicles per time unit. The presented solutions are implemented in the Mobile Noise system.

Comparison of the timing of spring phenological events between phenological garden trees and wild populations

Phenological research is engaged in monitoring the infuence of climate change on the natural environment.The International Phenological Gardens(IPG)network provides a valuable dataset of standardized tree phenology records dating back to the mid-20th century.To make best use of this actively growing record,it is important to investigate how network data can be applied to predict the timing of phenological events in natural populations.This study compared clonally propagated IPG downy birch(Betula pubescens Ehrh.)and hazel(Corylus avellana L.)specimens of central European provenance to nearby wild populations at the western-most margin of the IPG network,in the south-west of Ireland.In addition to monitoring by trained scientists,observations by citizen scientists were included.The order of the timing of phenological events among sites was consistent across 2 years,confrming reproducibility of the results.IPG trees had the earliest B.pubescens leaf unfolding and C.avellana fowering dates of the sites studied.In addition,leaf unfolding occurred later in the wild populations than expected from the temperature responses of the B.pubescens and C.avellana IPG clones.Natural variation in phenology also exceeded the historical change observed at the IPG site,suggesting a potential genetic basis for climate adaptation.Trunk circumference,refecting the age-dependent increase in tree size,was found to infuence C.avellana phenology,with earlier timing of phenological events in larger trees.This fnding highlights tree size as an important consideration in the management of phenological gardens and tree phenology research in general.

What incentives encourage local communities to collect and upload mosquito sound data by using smartphones?A mixed methods study in Tanzania

Background To detect and identify mosquitoes using their characteristic high-pitched sound,we have developed a smartphone application,known as the‘HumBug sensor’,that records the acoustic signature of this sound,along with the time and location.This data is then sent remotely to a server where algorithms identify the species according to their distinctive acoustic signature.Whilst this system works well,a key question that remains is what mechanisms will lead to effective uptake and use of this mosquito survey tool?We addressed this question by working with local communities in rural Tanzania and providing three alternative incentives:money only,short message service(SMS)reminders and money,and SMS reminders only.We also had a control group with no incentive.Methods A multi-site,quantitative empirical study was conducted in four villages in Tanzania from April to August 2021.Consenting participants(n=148)were recruited and placed into one of the three intervention arms:monetary incentives only;SMS reminders with monetary incentives;and SMS reminders only.There was also a control group(no intervention).To test effectiveness of the mechanisms,the number of audio uploads to the server of the four trial groups on their specific dates were compared.Qualitative focus group discussions and feedback surveys were also conducted to explore participants’perspectives on their participation in the study and to capture their experiences of using the HumBug sensor.Results Qualitative data analysis revealed that for many participants(37 out of 81),the main motivation expressed was to learn more about the types of mosquitoes present in their houses.Results from the quantitative empirical study indicate that the participants in the‘control’group switched on their HumBug sensors more over the 14-week period(8 out of 14 weeks)when compared to those belonging to the‘SMS reminders and monetary incentives’trial group.These findings are statistically significant(p<0.05 or p>0.95 under a two-sided z-test),revealing that the provision of monetary incentives and sending SMS reminders did not appear to encourage greater number of audio uploads when compared to the control.Conclusions Knowledge on the presence of harmful mosquitoes was the strongest motive for local communities to collect and upload mosquito sound data via the HumBug sensor in rural Tanzania.This finding suggests that most efforts should be made to improve flow of real-time information back to the communities on types and risks associated with mosquitoes present in their houses.

Collecting volunteered geographic information from the Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS):experiences from the CAMALIOT project

Raw observations(carrier-phase and code observations)from the Global Navigation Satellite System(GNSS)can now be accessed from Android mobile phones(Version 7.0 onwards).This paves the way for GNSS data to be utilized for low-cost precise positioning or in ionospheric or tropospheric applications.This paper presents results from data collection campaigns using the CAMALIOT mobile app.In the frst campaign,116.3 billion measurements from 11,828 mobile devices were collected from all continents.Although participation decreased during the second campaign,data are still being collected globally.In this contribution,we demonstrate the potential of volunteered geographic information(VGl)from mobile phones to fill data gaps in geodetic station networks that collect GNSS data,e.g.in Brazil,but also how the data can provide a denser set of observations than current networks in countries across Europe.We also show that mobile phones capable of dual-frequency reception,which is an emerging technology that can provide a richer source of GNSS data,are contributing in a substantial way.Finally,we present the results from a survey of participants to indicate that participation is diverse in terms of backgrounds and geography,where the dominant motivation for participation is to contribute to scientific research.

Community-based population monitoring for large baleen whales:the case study of Bryde’s whale in Beibu Gulf of China

Citizen science is a popular method for the long-term monitoring of the distribution of wild animals.The application of these methods in different species and environments still poses challenges,especially for aquatic animals.In this study,we investigated the distribution of the Bryde’s whale(Balaenoptera edeni)in the Beibu Gulf of China by using scientific boat-based surveys and citizen science approaches using 2 different methods of data collection.First,we built our mobile app(Whale Guard)and installed it on fishermen’s phones.Second,we used a popular instant messaging app(WeChat)to create an online fisherman community.We found that the mobile phone app collected far fewer reports(5 reports)than the online community group(42 reports,P<0.01).By using a variety of incentives,we maintained the fisherman’s community’s activity without significant user loss(P<0.01).We also found that the locations collected by social media applications in this study were consistent with observations from scientific boat-based transect surveys.The sightings distribution of Bryde’s whales differed from those in previous surveys in that they were present across larger areas.Social media apps reported that 69%of reports was confirmed by more than one person,whereas Whale Guard reports were much lower(0,P<0.001).Community-based citizen science can greatly contribute to the long-term monitoring of Bryde’s whales,and it has successfully overcome the challenges of data accessibility,accuracy,and fragmentation.Our study shows how to appropriately use citizen science in different community groups and community-based approaches make them useful for large baleen whale surveys.