Skip to main content

Best practice guidelines & resources: Citizen observatories

Best practice guidelines & resources: Citizen observatories

Best practice guidelines resources from citizen observatories experiences in the development, integration, testing and use of the Cos4Cloud services

This area of the Cos4Cloud Toolbox & Evidence Hub demonstrates best practice experiences from the nine citizen observatories (CO’s) involved in the development, integration and use of the Cos4Cloud services, as well as associated project activites these COs have been involved in. These resources share lessons learned from associated engagement, networking, educational and other activities or strategies implemented. 

As guidelines, they have been created fto share knowledge that may be useful for and support other citizen observatories. Citizen science includes the collection of observations and COs provide the platforms, tools and features that support this. Cos4Cloud aims to contribute to the viability and sustainability of COs. These guidelines sharing examples of Cos4Cloud best practice sit alongside the services system and user guides, case studies and other resources. Read more about the nine established biodiversity and environmental citizen observatories involved in Cos4Cloud. 

Best practice guidelines & resources in this area of the Cos4Cloud Toolbox include:


Guidelines on best practice for citizen observatories: framed by the ECSA 10 Principles of citizen science

This guideline is an output from the Cos4Cloud project which demonstrates best practice for Citizen Observatories (COs), based on the experiences of the COs involved in the project. It highlights COs best practice, developed from implementation, reviewed in the context of the ECSA Ten Principles of Citizen Science which has been applied as a framework. These examples are produced as guidelines for other COs, initiatives and interested stakeholders which if followed, can produce good outcomes.


Integrating FASTCAT-Cloud and Pl@ntNet-API in the Cos4Cloud framework: iSpot and AI

Cos4Cloud includes the participation of nine established citizen observatories (COs) and Do it Yourself (DIY) initiatives. These COs have contributed to the development of technological services; integrating, testing and providing feedback; as well as demonstrators sharing the services with their user communities. This guideline demonstrates best practice from the experiences focused on the Pl@ntNet API and FASTCAT-Cloud and the CO iSpot


How to co-design a citizen science project within the Cos4Cloud framework

The Cos4Cloud framework demonstrates best practice providing solutions, interventions, actions, or procedures that can assist the development of new or support existing citizen observatories and citizen science projects.  This has developed from the successful implementation of technological services, involving COs, and practical experiences of integration and testing. Aligned with multi-dimensional approaches, all-together this builds capacity, supports and facilitates outreach, engagement and participation to reach key publics and stakeholders. This best practice guideline summarises insight from some of these experiences which can be adapted by others, highlighting how to co-design a citizen observatory or citizen science project within the Cos4Cloud framework.

These best practice guidelines resources highlight experiences from the citizen observatories involved in the development, integration, testing and use of the Cos4Cloud services that may be useful for other COs and citizen science initiatives. They are developed and shared by The Open University (OU), in collaboration with project partners, for the Cos4Cloud Toolbox & Evidence Hub. Contact: cos4cloud-toolbox@open.ac.uk


logos of the partners involved in the Cos4Cloud project

    Page 0 of 0