Of the 12 different tools and platforms that are used in citizen science activities, the top three were websites, smartphones and databases.
Respondents to a survey conducted by the CS Track project indicated that they used technology primarily for gathering scientific data and knowledge as well as for communication and dissemination of information with other enthusiasts and researchers.
The CS Track team conducted a citizen science survey targeting adult citizen scientists in the beginning of 2021 to deepen their understanding of CS activities and citizen scientists. Overall, only 4% of respondents indicated that they did not use any technology1 in CS, underscoring its integral nature even in semi-professional scientific engagements. Indeed, smartphones and websites enable many, but not all citizen scientists to access diverse tools, networks of knowledge, and various channels of communication. (Hover over the images to know more details)
Figure 1. How to have you used tenhnology while engaging in Citizen Science activities?
Figure 2. Usage of technology in citizen science activities.
Figure 3. Using (in total)
How to interpret this data
The design of the questionnaire focused on investigating the socio-economic background of adult citizen scientists (n = 1060) as well as gathering information on their activities, engagement, motivation, and forms of participation. Here, “adult” refers to those aged 16 years old or older, and “citizen scientist” refers to those that participate in CS projects or activities even if the term CS is not explicitly used by the participants.