Open Data Day: Citizen science key to achieve SDGs
The indicators that show whether progress toward the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) is on track rely on data. But in many areas, particularly for environmental indicators, there isn’t enough data. Uta Wehn, IHE Delft Associate Professor of Water Innovation Studies, argues that citizen science could fill many of the data gaps.
Citizen science could contribute much-needed data to about a third of the more than 200 SDG indicators, she said ahead of Open Data Day, observed 4-10 March around the world. Increasingly, the information collected by members of the public in citizen science projects is open data – which means that it is publicly available and can be used by anyone interested.
The indicators for SDG6, which calls for universal access to clean water and sanitation, include, for example, the proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality, and the level of freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources.
Wehn was involved in research led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis that shows that citizen science – in which members of the public contribute to the production of scientific knowledge, for example by collecting data about the environment around them - could provide inputs for at least one indicator for each SDG. SDG6 is one of four goals for which citizen science could make the greatest contribution to monitoring process.
“Knowing the status of the indicators is key to SDG progress, and to determine this, we must engage citizen science ,” Wehn said.
For this to happen, though, citizen science must be implemented in a holistic manner, she said: “Citizen science isn’t only about data, but about people - this is really a true way of embedding science in society. Through citizen science, we can bring people into the process of scientific knowledge production.”
She added, however, that caution is needed, as public engagement comes with great responsibilities in managing expectations.
Open Data Day is marked around the world in early March to celebrate open data and the impact it can have.
"Through citizen science, we can bring people into the process of scientific knowledge production.”