CROPS at CAPS 2025: A Deep Dive into Scaling Citizen Science
I was full of excitement and energy at the thought of attending CAPS 2025 in Portland Oregon, the bi-annual conference that, once again, served as a pivotal nexus for those at the forefront of citizen science. It was wonderful to reconnect with colleagues from across the pond, and a big thank you to Dilek Fraisl , Cathlyn Davis , Austin Mast , Muki Haklay , Luigi Ceccaroni , Heidi Ballard , Reanna Putnam , Jennifer Shirk , Heather Fischer , Rachael Mady and all of the CAPS organising committee for making this such a great event. This year, a dominant theme wove its way through every keynote, workshop, and coffee break: the critical need for and successful strategies in scaling citizen science initiatives. It was clear that the activities of isolated, small-scale projects, while valuable, were increasingly being joined by ambitious endeavours aiming for broader impact and systemic change.
One of the most striking takeaways from CAPS 2025, and particularly the cropsCS symposium on scaling to address global concerns, was the palpable shift in how the community viewed "scaling." It wasn't merely about recruiting more participants or collecting more data points; rather, discussions frequently revolved around expanding geographical reach, diversifying data types, fostering deeper participant engagement, and, crucially, integrating citizen science outputs into mainstream scientific research and policy-making.
A compelling example of this paradigm shift was evident in the numerous case studies presented, many of which showcased projects that had successfully navigated the complexities of scaling from local pilots to national or even international programs. We heard from teams who had artfully leveraged technology to manage vast datasets and coordinate thousands of volunteers across disparate locations. The emphasis was often on developing user-friendly interfaces, robust data validation protocols, and effective communication channels that kept participants informed and motivated.
Beyond technological solutions, the human element of scaling was a recurring highlight. Sessions dedicated to community building, volunteer retention, and fostering a sense of ownership among participants were particularly well-attended. It was inspiring to learn about innovative approaches to training, mentorship, and creating pathways for participants to evolve from data collectors to co-creators of knowledge. The notion that truly up scaled citizen science relies on empowered and invested citizens, not just sheer numbers, resonated deeply.
Furthermore, CAPS 2025 saw significant attention paid to the integration of citizen science into formal scientific frameworks. Presentations highlighted successful collaborations between citizen scientists and academic researchers, demonstrating how community-generated data was leading to novel discoveries and filling critical data gaps. During the technology session, where cropsCS presented their review of open repositories, discussions delved into the challenges and opportunities of ensuring data quality and interoperability, recognizing these as crucial hurdles to overcome for wider scientific acceptance.
The policy implications of upscaling citizen science were also a hot topic. During Dilek Fraisl's symposium on Citizen Science for Policy several speakers detailed instances where citizen science data had directly informed environmental policy, urban planning, and conservation efforts. There was a clear recognition that as citizen science projects grew in scope and rigor, so too did their potential to influence decision-making at governmental levels. The call for clearer guidelines and frameworks for integrating citizen science evidence into policy processes was a strong undercurrent throughout the conference.
In reflection, CAPS 2025 wasn't just a conference; it was a testament to the maturation of the citizen science movement. The conversations moved beyond "if" citizen science could be scaled to "how" it was being effectively achieved. The collective energy and shared learning provided a powerful blueprint for future endeavours, leaving cropsCS with a renewed sense of purpose and a clear vision for a future where citizen science plays an even more significant role in understanding and shaping our world. The momentum generated at CAPS 2025 undoubtedly set the stage for an even more impactful year ahead for citizen science globally.
CROPS at ECSA: Building transnational communities to support the upscaling of citizen science
The CROPS consortium attended the 5th Annual European Citizen Science conference held in Vienna, Austria during April 2024. The theory of the conference was change - since we are in a time of rapid change on multiple levels. Change can be seen as positive by one group and negative by another. As a result, different perspectives on any given change can draw completely different conclusions.
Perhaps more pertinent to the aims and objectives of the CROPS project, this change can be seen as an opportunity, focussing on adapting citizen science activities towards the 5 EU missions (cancer: improve the lives of more than 3 million people; make 250 regions and communities climate resilient; restore our oceans and waters; achieve 100 climate-neutral and smart cities; and create 100 living labs and lighthouses towards healthy soils) and their goals, through upscaling actions to the transnational level.
To help understand the citizen science community’s views and concerns regarding such an endeavour, CROPS held a workshop on creating transnational communities focussed on each of the 5 EU missions, to discuss firstly how current and future citizen science actions can contribute to the missions, and secondly how citizen science can be upscaled to the transnational level.
The outcome of this process was the creation of 5 main themes that the communities need to consider and address:
- Citizen science project management: Discussions focussed on the need to manage expectations regarding project outcomes, activating a critical mass of participation to expand, producing guidelines for project development, and providing training, mutual learning and knowledge transfer mechanisms.
- Learning from what exists: There was a recognition that the transnational communities need to identify existing tools, technologies and communities, provide official recognition for projects that share best-practice, make knowledge and existing resources accessible, identify current challenges that exist, and come to a consensus of approaches suitable for different contexts.
- Community tools and resources: Several functionalities and tools were identified that the transnational communities should include such as research infrastructure, forums to share best-practice, a place to organise events, multilingual, and adaptability to different types of citizen scientist.
- Scalability and context: On a more conceptual level, issues were discussed regarding the definition of scalability itself, the meaning of transnational (EU or global), tensions between be generalisable but still relevant at a local level, and achieving broad objectives whilst acknowledging local expertise and values.
- Data sharing and processes: The importance of sharing data and adhering to agreed standards should be a focus of the transnational communities. This could include the creation of semantic models, data and interoperability standards, FAIR data practices and considering impact assessment.
The findings of this workshop and the outcomes mentioned will be used to inform the CROPS transnational communities, with participants given the opportunity to be founding members. Follow CROPS channels for more information these communities, which will be launched in February 2025.