MOTIVATING ENVIRONMENTAL CITIZEN SCIENTISTS AND OPEN DATA ACQUISITION ON OPENSENSEMAP WITH OPEN BADGES

Abstract

Citizen science projects making the public part of scientific research are a growing trend and often have a strong geospatial focus with mapping and observation activities on biodiversity or environmental topics. To keep participants engaged, gamification is often used, adding elements of competition and rewards. Digital badges are a common gamification component that can increase participant motivation. Open Badges, an open standard for digital micro-credentials, can be used in citizen science projects to incentivize participants and showcase their achievements. They can also be adapted to open education, where learners can build a portfolio of evidence to demonstrate their achievements and credentials. Open Badges can enhance the learning experience and increase motivation, leading to improved educational outcomes. The use of Open Badges in citizen science and open education aligns with the spirit of collaboration and transparency in science and technology. In this paper we propose a solution linking the openSenseMap, as an open environmental citizen science platform, to myBadges, an Open Badges infrastructure, to allow an automatic issuing of badges for achievements made. A short study reveals first impressions of the proposed solution, its motivational aspects to contribute and improve open data on the platform, and the potential for future work.