Citizen Science Case Studies

The data collected from the bioblitz events are stored on iNaturalist, and locally in The Rock Pool Project’s own database. The data need to be in both locations to run the app which assigns species scores for each event, and so that the data don’t need to be redownloaded from iNaturalist  for all records each time they wish to use them. The data are stored here indefinitely, with no embargos applied.

They are also archived with the National Biodiversity Network NBN and with the UK Data Archive for Marine Species and Habitats (DASSH). One of the main challenges when preserving the data is that the process of sharing the data to the NBN and DASSH can take some time, causing bottlenecks and making it difficult to know where the data have reached.

Existing guidance was used when setting up the project to see where data could be archived, as well as discussions with experts at DASSH and the NBN.