Ground Truth 2.0 in view at ECSA Conference 2018

The International ECSA Conference is a biannual event organised by the European Citizen Science Organisation (ECSA). This year’s event took place on 4 and 5 June in Geneva and was focussed on “the citizen”. Ground Truth 2.0 not only ensured its presence in the conference, but also in the ECSA General Assembly, and in the launch workshops for the WeObserve Communities of Practice.

This year’s ECSA Conference brought together a wide variety of researchers, academics, public authorities, private companies and civil society organisations from all over the world. It was in this dynamic setting that Project Director Uta Wehn (IHE Delft) presented Ground Truth 2.0 in a parallel session on “Observatories”. She argued that in order to achieve their desired societal outcomes, citizen observatories rely on the careful combination of social dimensions and enabling technologies. In line with the Living Lab guiding principles for the co-design process, it is crucial to understand the needs and motivations of citizens and to involve citizens at every step of the way. There was much interest in the Ground Truth 2.0 methodology from the audience.

Not only was the event a great platform for Ground Truth 2.0 as a project, it also provided the space for the launch of the first three WeObserve Communities of Practice (CoPs). WeObserve aims to improve the coordination between existing citizen observatories (among which Ground Truth 2.0) and related regional, European and international activities. The CoPs are intended as a key mechanism to consolidate knowledge on citizen observatories. The three CoPs that were launched in Geneva have the following themes:

  • 1. Co-creating citizen observatories & engaging citizens
  • 2. Impact and value of citizen observatories for governance
  • 3. Interoperability and standards for citizen observatories

Ground Truth 2.0 partners CREAF, Earthwatch and IHE Delft took part in the launch workshops for the CoPs. These workshops were organised as part of the Citizen Science Workshop Day on 6 June 2018 at the University of Geneva. The launch workshops were a great opportunity for the partners to connect to new people and organisations, to co-define the objectives of the CoPs, and to further specify the topics of each CoP. For more information on the launch of the CoPs and how you can get involved, you can go here. For direct registration for one of the CoPs, please complete this form.

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