About this Research Topic
Citizen seismology refers to research collaborations between seismologists and non-scientists volunteers. The growing field of citizen seismology links the need of scientists -expanding opportunities for scientific data collection- and the need of citizens - accessing scientific information that matters to community members. Thanks to the rise of connectedness (internet and development of social media) and low-cost sensor technologies with a push of open data, there is a timely need to document "the power of citizen seismology": What has been done, why has it made difference and how?
Until the development of seismic networks from the 1960's, eyewitnesses' observations were key data to characterize earthquakes parameters. In recent years, the availability of cheap sensors has opened the way to structure communities of amateurs seismologists -similarly to what has been long established in meteorology-, to merge citizen and school seismology initiative while providing near-real time monitoring and scientifically useful data. Smartphones also become powerful crowd-sourcing tools while offering capacity for timely geo-targeted information.
How much the public involvement helps on the awareness and preparation towards seismic impact? How does it affect public communication?
What exactly the scientific advances have been reached through data integration and interoperability between projects/across countries?
What are the ethical challenges met along the way?
And how to make difference - to have influence on government agency actions?
We look forward to seeing submissions covering the different aspects of the burgeoning field, from mature experiments to more challenging ones.
We welcome expertise from diverse backgrounds (educators, scientists, data managers, and others) to share insights across disciplines.
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The cover image for this Research Topic was adapted from:
Steed et al. (2019). "Crowdsourcing triggers rapid, reliable earthquake locations." Science Advances.
Until the development of seismic networks from the 1960's, eyewitnesses' observations were key data to characterize earthquakes parameters. In recent years, the availability of cheap sensors has opened the way to structure communities of amateurs seismologists -similarly to what has been long established in meteorology-, to merge citizen and school seismology initiative while providing near-real time monitoring and scientifically useful data. Smartphones also become powerful crowd-sourcing tools while offering capacity for timely geo-targeted information.
How much the public involvement helps on the awareness and preparation towards seismic impact? How does it affect public communication?
What exactly the scientific advances have been reached through data integration and interoperability between projects/across countries?
What are the ethical challenges met along the way?
And how to make difference - to have influence on government agency actions?
We look forward to seeing submissions covering the different aspects of the burgeoning field, from mature experiments to more challenging ones.
We welcome expertise from diverse backgrounds (educators, scientists, data managers, and others) to share insights across disciplines.
__________________________________
The cover image for this Research Topic was adapted from:
Steed et al. (2019). "Crowdsourcing triggers rapid, reliable earthquake locations." Science Advances.
Keywords: citizen science, seismology, science communication, seismic hazard, open data
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