We are acutely aware of the importance to act in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the WeObserve project team is directing the attention of its Communities of Practice to support and to mainstream citizen science efforts that aim to understand the virus and the impacts of the pandemic on society.
In the Engage CoP, we will discuss how we can support citizen science initiatives that monitor aspects related to the COVID-19 pandemic to adopt (more) effective approaches and engagement practices for ensuring participation in these citizen science initiatives
In the Impact CoP, we will share our insights with different impact assessment methods – including those that involve citizen scientists – to support citizen science initiatives that aim to capture the evolving impacts of the pandemic on society, the economy, the environment, democracy and other relevant impact domains.
In the Interoperability CoP, we have already started a pilot to integrate and visualize data from COVID-19 affected populations and the environmental impacts of changes in human activities using e.g. citizen science existing networks on air quality.
For the SDGs CoP, we’re particularly interested in understanding the impact of the coronavirus on the SDG progress in general, and how citizen science can help (e. g. would the outbreak obstruct the sustainable development efforts not only in SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing, but also in other SDGs such as SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth, SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 10 Reduced Inequalities, etc) and these SDGs and the process of reaching their targets would be affected by the outbreak.
If you are driving or involved in a citizen science initiative on COVID-19 effects or mitigation, or you are considering starting one, please join the WeObserve Community of Practice(s) to get support and share your experience with a broader community. To join, please visit: https://www.weobserve.eu/cops/