Citizen science projects are activities sponsored by a wide variety of organizations so non-scientists can meaningfully contribute to scientific research.
Precis
Activities vary widely from transcribing old ship logbooks to digitize the data as part of the Old Weather project to observing and counting birds at home or in the field for eBird. Participation can be as simple as playing a computer game for a project called Eyewire that may help scientists learn more about retinal neurons. It can also be more in depth, such as when citizens collect water quality data over time to assess the health of local waters, or help discover and name new species of insects. An emerging branch of Citizen Science are Community Mapping projects that utilize smartphone and tablet technology. For example, TurtleSAT is a community mapping project that is mapping freshwater turtle deaths throughout Australia.
This list of citizen science projects involves projects that engage all age groups. There are projects specifically aimed at the younger age demographic like iTechExplorers which was created by a 14 year old in the UK to assess the effects of bedtime technology on the body's circadian rhythm and can be completed in a classroom setting. Other projects like AgeGuess focus on the senior demographics and enable the elderly to upload photos of themselves so the public can guess different ages.
Lists of citizen science projects may change. For example, the Old Weather project website indicates that January 10, 2015, 51% of the logs were completed. When that project reaches 100 percent, it will move to the completed list.
Worldwide
Citizen scientists anywhere in the world can participate in these projects.
Start End Project name Discipline(s) Sponsoring organization(s) Notes 2019 2020 Hubble Asteroid Hunters Astronomy Zooniverse, ESA ESDCResearch Paper, Zooniverse 2011 2012 Ice InvestigatorsFormerly Ice Hunters, a project to identify potential targets in the Kuiper belt for the New Horizons spacecraft after it completes its mission to Pluto. Astronomy CosmoQuest.orgCosmoQuest is sponsored by NASA in partnership with the Astrosphere New Media Association, the STEM Center, UniverseToday, Astronomers without Borders, the Planetary Society, the Ward Beecher Planetarium, the Galileo Teachers Training Program, Swinburne Astronomy Online, Dark Skies, Bright Kids, the Canadian Astronomy Data Centre and its member organizations, the Galileoscope Project and several NASA projects. 2011 2012 Moon Mappers: Million crater challengeOver a million craters were identified and mapped in late 2012. As of March 2012, 1,207,486 craters have been identified and mapped by the Moon Mappers parent project that continues. Planetary Astronomy CosmoQuest.org 2018OngoingMosquito AlertPublic HealthUnknown 2022 ongoing Spritacular Meteorology NASA, Catholic University of America 2022 ongoing Jovian Vortex Hunter Astronomy NASA, Southwest Research Institute, Zooniverse 2023 ongoing Deciphering Secrets: Unlocking the Manuscripts of Medieval Spain History University of Colorado, Zooniverse, University of Madrid, European Union's Seventh FPRTD 2022 ongoing Cloudspotting On Mars Astronomy, Planetary Research, Weather NASA, Zooniverse 2023 ongoing The Daily Minor Planet Astronomy, Minor Planet Research, Asteroids NASA, Zooniverse
Regional
These projects require that citizen scientists be local to a region of study.
Asia
Start End Project name Discipline(s) Sponsoring organization(s) Country (or region) Notes1957ongoingHong Kong Birdwatching SocietyBiodiversityUnknownHong Kong1993ongoingBird Conservation Society of ThailandBiodiversityIUCN, ToyotaThailand 2012 2012 Citizen Sparrow Ornithology Bombay Natural History Society India2012UnknownFLOAT BeijingAir Quality, Environmental scienceBlack Rock Arts Foundation, AWESOME FoundationChina2012ongoingWildMentorBiodiversityUnknownBangladesh2013ongoingRAD@home AstronomyRAD@home Astronomy Collaboratory and many Indian research institutesIndiafocus on extragalactic radio astronomy2015ongoingBauhinia GenomeBiodiversityUnknownHong Kong20172020Respirer Living SciencesAir Quality, Environmental scienceIIT Kanpur, Shaki Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF)India2017UnknownAirBoxAir Quality, Environmental scienceUnknownTaiwan and South20182021CleanAirAir Quality, Environmental scienceAmerican University of Yangon (Connect University), PhandeeyarMyammar 2019 DustBoy Air Quality, Environmental science Thailand2020UnknownPakAirQualityAir Quality, Environmental science, Public Health, Urban PlanningResearch Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong and Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, China.Pakistan2021ongoingHong Kong Jellyfish Project BiodiversityUnknownHong Kong 2021 ongoing Herptile Roadkill Study (Project Runover) Herpetology, Roadkill, Habitat fragmentation Environmental science Herpetological Society of Singapore Singapore
Australasia Start End Project name Discipline(s) Sponsoring organization(s) Country (or region) Notes 2010 2010 Big Sleep Survey Sleep National Science Week Australia, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Australia Big Sleep Survey 2016 2016 South Australia Great Koala Count 2 Ecology Discovery Circle, University of South Australia, University of Adelaide South Australia 2011 2011 The Multi-tasking Test Cognitive science National Science Week Australia, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Queensland Brain Institute Australia Multi-tasking Test20152015Peninsular Malaysia Butterfly CountLepidopteryMuseum of Zoology, University of MalayaMalaysiaResults published 2012 2012 Sound Check Australia Audiology National Science Week Australia, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, National Acoustic Laboratories Australia Sound Check Australia20012010Value of Patient TestimonyPublic Health ResearchCase Health Pty Ltd
Outcomes: (1) eBook: 'Those Who Suffer Much, Know Much' 2010 https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/aest/20100925000000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/104801/20100925-0000/2010.pdf (2) Spurred significant increase in scientific research into LDN (low dose naltrexone) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=%22low-dose+naltrexone%22%5BALL+FIELDS%5D+NOT+(dependence%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(dependent%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(oxycodone%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(withdrawal%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(cocaine%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(morphine%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(itch-related%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(drinking%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(alcohol%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(cigarette%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(smoker%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(smoking%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(smokers%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(nicotine%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(detoxification%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(gambling%5BTitle%5D)+NOT+(self-biting%5BTitle%5D) AustraliaSpurred dramatic increase in scientific research
Europe
Start End Project name Discipline(s) Sponsoring organization(s) Country (or region) Notes 2009 2013 BBC Lab UK Psychology BBC, BBC UK Discontinued in 2018, see BBC Lab UK1979ongoingBig Garden BirdwatchOrnithologyRoyal Society for the Protection of BirdsUKCited to be the world's largest citizen science project20252026Aurora ÉireSpace weather, AuroraDublin Institute for Advanced StudiesIreland
North America
Start End Project name Discipline(s) Sponsoring organization(s) Country (or region) Notes 1997 2007 Birdhouse Network Ornithology Cornell Lab of Ornithology US Formerly The Birdhouse Network which only monitored nests in bird boxes and similar artificial cavities. NestWatch is a new project that collects observations of open nests as well. 1994 2011 House Finch Disease Survey Ornithology Cornell Lab of Ornithology North America Per the project website, this project was absorbed into the current FeederWatch project. 2010 2014 Maryland Amphibian and Reptile Atlas Herpetology Natural History Society of Maryland, Inc., Maryland Department of Natural Resources US (MD) 2015 2015 McMaster Postcard Project Archives, Social Science, History William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections at McMaster University Library Canada McMaster Postcard Project 2023 ongoing Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring at Elkhorn Slough Water Quality, Environment NOAA, California Fish and Wildlife, Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board, Monterey County Consolidated Chemistry Lab, Zooniverse California 2014 ongoing Aurorasaurus - Reporting Auroras from the Ground up Space weather, Aurora New Mexico Consortium United States
See also Participatory monitoring List of grid computing projects List of volunteer computing projects List of free and open-source Android applications
Notes
External links OpenHumans — quantified self projects SciStarter — SciStarter lists more than 3,000 active and searchable global citizen science projects
References