Reflecting on deepening participation in recruitment and evaluation in citizen science - lessons from the WeCount project

Sardo, Margarida; Laggan, Sophie; Franchois, Elke; Fogg-Rogers, Laura

Abstract

This paper focuses on an urban mobility citizen science project in which citizens participated in several ways, from technical development to engagement and evaluation. Drawing on asset-based community development, the WeCount project aimed to empower citizens to take a leading role in the production of data, evidence, and knowledge around mobility in their neighbourhoods. WeCount engaged with thousands of citizens in five European case studies, who were involved in co-designing the data platform, collecting/analysing the data, and lobbying for change. In WeCount, each participant mounted a low-cost, automated, road traffic counting sensor (a Telraam) to a window in their house that faced a road. The Telraam sensor counts the number and speed of cars, large vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. Given its efforts to distribute resources and share knowledge for bottom-up sustainable development, WeCount is representative of the shift towards greater participation and self-reflection in the design, delivery, and evaluation of citizen science. Future iterations of similar citizen science projects, as suggested by citizens, would benefit from more training in how to be an activist, more opportunities to get involved in each stage of the project and more training on how to understand the data to ensure the future of urban transport and mobility puts citizens at the centre of decision-making.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 7, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Sep 1, 2022
• Publication Date: Sep 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Jul 14, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 2, 2022
• Journal: fteval Journal for Research and Technology Policy Evaluation
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 54
• Pages: 20-32
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22163/fteval.2022.568
• Keywords: citizen science, evaluation, participatory, involvement
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9680405
• Publisher URL: https://repository.fteval.at/id/eprint/628