Citizen Science Impact on Environmental Monitoring towards SDGs Indicators: The CASE of SIMILE Project

Abstract

This study presents the ongoing activities of citizen science (CS) monitoring of lake water quality that was developed in the SIMILE project. After presenting the tools and the initiatives that were implemented to gather volunteer contributions, the CS data are analyzed: to understand the main factors driving the contribution provided by citizens, through a proximity analysis using hierarchical clustering; to evaluate their added value and complementary nature in view of the proposed integrated lake monitoring with respect to remote sensing (RS) water quality parameters maps and in situ high-frequency monitoring (HFM) data that were acquired in the framework of SIMILE project, through an intercomparison of temperature data; and to highlight water quality patterns in the lakes under study. It is then discussed how the project outcomes could directly or indirectly contribute to the measurement of specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) indicators highlighting the potential impact of CS activities. The conclusions highlight the complementary nature of CS and the need of supporting activities for a continuous lake water quality monitoring. The possibility for the partner local authorities to maintain the CS monitoring establishing a Citizen Observatory (CO) and the opportunity to extend the SIMILE approach to neighboring lakes and beyond is also discussed.