Due to the far-reaching consequences of climate change, extensive adaptation
and climate protection measures are becoming necessary not only on a global,
but in particular on more regional scales. Such measures need to embrace citizens
for their success, on an educational as well as a participatory level. For Bavaria,
Germany, the BAYSICS project (Bavarian Citizen Science Portal for Climate Research
and Science Communication) aims to achieve (1) innovative digital forms of
citizens’ participation in climate change research, (2) transfer of knowledge on the
complexity of climate change and its local consequences, and (3) joint scientific and
environmental education goals.
Within the project we develop two main tools for citizens, an interactive web
portal and smartphone app. As the project processes data collected by citizens, careful
considerations are necessary, especially on legal issues (e.g. copyright), the privacy
of citizens, and the credibility of data. Data collected by the citizens are visualized
on the interactive web portal. Additionally, the data will be available for download
through the web portal. Thus, clear metadata (e.g. on relevant attributes and data
usage license) needs to be included. To increase the credibility of data, data collection
guideline for citizens and the application of trust metrics to data are considered.