CI-TEAM Demo: Environmental CyberCitizens: Engaging Citizen Scientists in Global Environmental Change through Crowdsensing and Visualization

这一示范项目正在创建和评估一系列活动，旨在培养一支具有网络基础设施知识和技能的多样化的科学和工程队伍。一个由教师和本科生组成的多学科团队正在与公民科学家终端用户合作，开发和部署数据收集和可视化工具，以监测密歇根州上半岛莱特福特湾的关键生态系统。该项目建立在密歇根理工大学、基韦诺湾奥吉布瓦社区学院、几所当地高中和当地一家土地保护机构现有教育项目的基础上。国际商业机器公司(IBM)的研究科学家正在积极参与人群感应应用程序的开发，他们正在与共同的PI和学生合作。支持智能优点传感器的智能手机正在成为获取、分析和传播环境信息的主要平台。在这个演示项目中，团队正在开发和使用智能手机应用程序来获取数字图像、水质参数的现场测量和个人叙述。该项目正在开发应用程序，将获得的数据同步或异步地传输到一个互动网站，公民科学家将通过该网站与专业科学家互动。受流行的互联网概念的启发，该项目专注于端到端的参与，不仅收集数据，而且提供一个引人注目的创造性可视化环境，用户通过该环境以有意义的方式组合定量数据，同时用定性数据框架和/或注释。智能手机应用程序和交互式数据显示是在现有的计算机科学课程中开发的，推动了其课程的重大、可持续的增强。高中、社区大学和本科生正在现场和数据可视化站点测试应用程序，并向开发人员提供反馈。这些活动通过现有的普通科学、环境科学和工程、社会科学和科学课程提供，并将在项目期后通过培训教师部署智能手机应用程序和交互式数据显示来持续进行。利益攸关方正在制定和实施一项协调的网络基础设施计划，以提供一个协作和灵活性的平台，确保为所有参与者提供一个富有成效的环境。目前正在进行一项严格的评价工作，既有形成部分，也有总结部分。评估旨在允许持续改进，并确定和记录项目-S在实现预期结果方面的总体有效性，包括与职业选择相关的结果。更广泛的影响这里要测试的模型有可能具有广泛的适应性和/或可采用率。该项目针对的是农村、低收入高中和社区大学的学生，他们中印第安人的比例很高。将针对与当地奥吉布瓦文化相关的具体环境数据和信息。该项目的学校和学习区域位于农村地区，这些地区的网络基础设施一直服务不足。该地区的农村性质将带来技术挑战(例如，手机覆盖范围较差)，但特别重要的是让服务不足地区的公民参与，以证明先进的网络基础设施系统可以改善他们的生活质量和经济机会。

This demonstration project is creating and evaluating a set of activities aimed at preparing a diverse science and engineering workforce with cyberinfrastructure knowledge and skills. A multidisciplinary team of faculty and undergraduate students is collaborating with citizen scientist end users to develop and deploy data collection and visualization tools, to monitor the critical ecosystems of Lightfoot Bay in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The program is building upon existing educational programs at Michigan Technological University, Keweenaw Bay Ojibwa Community College, several local high schools, and a local land conservancy. Research scientists at International Business Machines (IBM) who are actively engaged in the development of crowd sensing applications are collaborating with the co-PIs and students. Intellectual Merit Sensor-enabled smartphones are serving as the primary platform for acquiring, analyzing and disseminating environmental information. In this demonstration project the team is developing and using smartphone applications to acquire digital images, in-situ measurements of water quality parameters, and personal narratives. The project is developing applications for transferring the acquired data synchronously or asynchronously to an interactive website through which citizen scientists will interact with professional scientists. Inspired by the popular concept of the internet, the project focuses on end-to-end engagement that not only collects data but provides for a compelling creative visualization environment through which users combine quantitative data in meaningful ways while framing and/or annotating it with qualitative data. The smartphone applications and interactive data displays are developed in existing computer science classes, driving significant, sustainable enhancements in their curricula. High school, community college, and undergraduate students are testing the applications in the field and the data visualization site and are providing feedback to the developers. These activities are offered through existing general science, environmental science and engineering, and social studies and science courses and will be sustained beyond the project period by training the teachers to deploy smartphone applications and interactive data displays. The stakeholders are developing and implementing a coordinated Cyber-Infrastructure Plan to provide a platform for collaboration and flexibility, ensuring a productive environment for all participants. A rigorous evaluation effort is being conducted with both formative and summative components. The evaluation is designed to allow constant improvement and to determine and document the project?s overall effectiveness at achieving its intended outcomes, including outcomes related to career choices. Broader Impacts The model to be tested here has the potential to be broadly adaptable and/or adoptable. The project is targeting rural, low-income high school and community college students with high proportions of Native Americans. Specific environmental data and information will be targeted that is relevant to the local Ojibwa culture. The project schools and study area are in rural areas that are consistently underserved by cyberinfrastructure. The rural nature of the area will present technological challenges (e.g. poor cell phone coverage), but it is particularly important to engage citizens in underserved areas to demonstrate that advanced cyberinfrastructure systems can improve their quality of life and economic opportunities.