{"id":52,"date":"2020-11-11T12:33:25","date_gmt":"2020-11-11T10:33:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecomoreproject.wordpress.com\/?page_id=40"},"modified":"2022-09-13T11:55:05","modified_gmt":"2022-09-13T11:55:05","slug":"rezultate","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ecomore.inoe.ro\/?page_id=52","title":{"rendered":"Second Stage"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Introduction<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Citizen science” represents the involvement of the public in various stages of scientific investigations – the development of the study, the collection of data and\/or the interpretation of the results1<\/sup>. The main purpose of citizen science programs is to bring the public closer to science2<\/sup>. Such programs generally lead to the democratization of science and environment by sharing information and expertise between researchers and the public3<\/sup>. The development of technology in recent decades has significantly facilitated the public engagement in science programs. The online environment (mobile apps, web platforms, social networks) is an effective way to connect with volunteers, supervise activities, communicate results and provide support4<\/sup>. Citizen science programs can easily be promoted and disseminated through social networks, reaching more volunteers than before5\u20138<\/sup>. In Romania, approximately 10 million people use at least one social media platform9<\/sup> and most of them access it from their mobile phones10<\/sup>. The advantage of these approaches for promotion and data collection is that they are free and allow the involvement of a large number of participants. For publicly collected data, the optimal strategy is to start with a simple set of data and requirements to encourage participants and increase their confidence to contribute to scientific applications. Engaging them in activities that require elaborate training could overwhelm them, leading to early project abandonment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Methodology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The concept behind the online platform Aqua S.O.S. was based on the preexisting citizen science platforms and applications. In this regard, the Freshwater Watch 11, EarthEcho 12 and Clean Danube! platforms13<\/sup> served as models for the structure of the website and the amount of information provided. An attractive but, at the same time, simple structure was chosen for easy access from mobile devices (https:\/\/aquasos.inoe.ro\/) (Fig. 1a). Also, the information was provided in a friendly manner, with short messages, but also with a link to the ECOMORE website so that participants can access details about the project’s objectives and activities. The platform was created in WordPress and hosted for free on the inoe.ro domain. WordPress helps for the easy and free development of web pages, and the inoe.ro domain ensures the long-term development of the activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The data submission form opens in a separate page (Fig. 1b). A compromise was chosen between the time required to complete the form and the type and amount of information requested. Previous studies have shown that most participants only contribute with information that can be easily obtained14<\/sup> or that does not require much documentation2<\/sup>. Thus, certain information was required in the online form, without which the submit data button did not work : participant’s first name, subject (for example, Babadag Lake, Mure\u0219 River, Danube River), email address, date\/time and a photo (max. 10 MB). Optional fields included: GPS coordinates, water level, neighborhoods, additional data (water quality parameters), observations. The GPS coordinates were optional because other studies have observed that in most cases the GPS data entered by the public is erroneous15<\/sup>. Most likely, participants are not calibrating their mobile phones or properly setting all the necessary functions for location identification. The field for additional data has been included for volunteers who wish to contribute with water quality analyses. The completed form, at least with the mandatory fields, was sent to the email address of the project coordinator for verification of the information sent. The participants’ contributions are displayed as a gallery on the online platform, and a click on each picture displays the details submitted by the participants about the evaluated aquatic systems (Fig 1c). Existing platforms 11\u201313 display the data on an interactive map. In the Aqua S.O.S. situation, it was decided to include the data in the gallery, because the inclusion of a map requires more extensive knowledge of web design, and the Aqua S.O.S activity must be carried out in the long term without the need for the involvement of specialized personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Particular attention has been directed towards the security of data submitted by participants. According to the 10 principles stipulated by the European Association of Citizen Science16<\/sup>, regarding the organization and implementation of projects with public involvement in scientific activities, the coordinators of these projects must consider legal and ethical issues related to shared data and confidentiality. Thus, in the data submission form, only the first name and email address are requested. Only the participant’s first name is displayed in the public space, the email address being confidential and known only to the project coordinator. Based on the same principles, GPS coordinates are optional, the participant being able to choose if they want to share this information. The privacy policy is presented on the web page of Aqua S.O.S. (Fig. 1d). Before launch, the platform was tested by members of the research team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n