Expert variability provides perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of citizen-driven intertidal monitoring program
Expert variability provides perspective on the strengths and weaknesses of citizen-driven intertidal monitoring program
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DOI：
10.1890/11-1614.1
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发表时间：
2012-06-01
影响因子：
5
通讯作者：
Smith, C. M.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Cox, T. E.;Philippoff, J.;Smith, C. M.
公民科学家计划是一种有效地进行大规模生态系统或管理物种调查的手段，前提是可以解决对非专家产生的数据的质量和使用的担忧。这项研究提出了公民科学计划中采取的行动，以确保数据质量，并证明了公民生成的数据的有效性。在这种情况下，中学生收集的数据的准确性进行了评估，在2004年至2007年期间，在毛伊岛，莫洛凯岛，奥巴桑乔岛和夏威夷岛的13个地点的底栖岩石潮间带群落的定量采样程序的公民。2007年，两个独立的研究小组在五个地点的八个抽样日期同时收集了学生的数据。香农多样性和Bray-Curtis相似性值计算和模拟从学生和研究人员收集的数据的比较显示，非专家的学生准确地收集社区层面的数据范围内的变化，发生在研究人员之间。然而，学生们可能会错误地识别神秘和稀有物种。这些发现对监测项目的保护目标有直接的影响，因为评估显示，学生很可能会错误识别早期的外来物种，但一旦建立，他们就能够监测本地和引进物种的丰度。为这项调查设计的有效性评估是独一无二的，因为它直接比较了公民在数据收集中所犯的一致错误与专家的变异性，以确定使用限制，并可以为未来的研究提供指导，涉及训练有素的志愿者的努力。
Citizen scientist programs are a means to efficiently conduct large-scale surveys of ecosystems or managed species, provided that concerns over the quality and use of data generated by nonexperts can be addressed. This study presents actions taken in a citizen science program to assure data quality and demonstrates the validity of citizen-generated data. In this case the accuracy of data collected by secondary school students as citizens in a program that quantitatively sampled benthic rocky intertidal communities at 13 sites on Maui, Molokai, Oahu, and Hawai'i island during the years 2004-2007 was evaluated. In 2007, two independent research teams collected data simultaneously with students at five sites on eight sampling dates. Comparisons of Shannon diversity and Bray-Curtis similarity values computed and simulated from student and researcher collected data revealed that nonexpert students accurately collect community-level data within the range of the variation that occurs between researchers. Students were, however, likely to misidentify cryptic and rare species. These findings have direct implications for the conservation goals of the monitoring program as the assessment reveals that students are likely to misidentify early alien introductions but are able to monitor the abundances of native and introduced species once they become established. The validity assessment designed for this investigation is unique in that it directly compares consistent errors made by citizens in data collection to expert variability to identify usage limitations and can be a guide for future studies that involve the efforts of trained volunteers.