1,721,238 research outputs found
Citizen science mobile apps for soundscape research and public spaces studies:
No full textHighlights
• Mobile apps have been increasingly developed as participatory tools
within the context of citizen science projects on environmental
noise. However, fewer apps for the combined identification and
assessment of quiet areas have been developed.
• Public quiet areas can be essential for healthy cities, being key to
counterbalancing the detrimental effects of noise pollution on
human health, biodiversity and the environment.
• The free citizen science Hush City app, released in 2017, enables
users to create an open-access map of quiet areas, with the potential
of orientating plans and policies for healthier living.
• Drawing on the experience of the Hush City app, 15 people-centred
recommendations are proposed potentially to inform the design,
build and use of citizen science mobile apps in soundscape research
and public spaces studies, aimed at generating a greater health-related quality of life
A survey of current trends in incorporating virtual reality and geographical information systems
No full textThe paper describes the results of a comprehensive literature and Internet survey on current
trends in virtual Reality GIS (VRGIS). In the first part of the paper, a background of VRGIS is
set, followed by the description and classification of the main research areas which focus in
VRGIS research with an attempt to clarify the reasons that led the researchers to pursue a VR
solution for the specific problems in their research field.
Based on the observations from the current practice, the main definitions of VRGIS are
discussed in the third section. Finally, future directions and possibilities for development are
drawn
When citizens do science: an overview of public participation in scientific research in Italy,
No full textOver the recent years citizens have had the opportunity to play a valuable role in contributing to projects conducted in collaboration with universities, government agencies and NGOs. Such initiatives have become increasingly popular and have been given various terms, including citizen science, volunteer monitoring, public participatory research. These initiatives are diverse and don’t necessarily require the involvement of the academia. There are worldwide numerous inspiring local projects on land and resources monitoring thanks to the cooperation of citizens, communities and committees. Our goal is to give an overview of the entire landscape of Public Participation in Scientific Research (PPSR) in Italy. A questionnaire has been subjected first of all to international opinion leaders and then to the coordinators of the various Italian participatory projects through the use of social media, blog, email and interviews. The required information concerned the essence of the project, the discipline area, the organisation and the nature of the involvement of volunteers. The results show a growing development of partecipative activities, still with a strong prevalence of projects in strictly natural areas, while are lacking the contributions on other disciplines. Besides most of the projects are yet characterized by a top-down approach for citizens' participation
A focus on local public participation in scientific research: citizen science in the Italian landscape
No full textThe Italian Citizen Science landscape: a descriptive analysis to understand the public participation in scientific research
No full textPublic environmental information: understanding requirements and patterns of likely public use
No full textPublic access to environmental information received much attention in the last decade. Recent developments promote access to this information through public telecommunication networks. This paper describes a Web-based survey that explored the requirements and needs of likely users of public environmental information systems for London: educated middle-class members of the public, with high interest in environmental issues and computer literacy. The survey demonstrated current information consumption patterns and the reasons to gather and use such information
Conceptual models of urban environmental information systems - toward improved information provision
No full textCities are the hub of European society - for over a millennium, they are the locus of social, political
and economic development. As the core of intensive and creative human activity, they are also the
place where the environmental externalities that accompany rapid development are most visible.
The environmental consequences of urban development have been recognised long ago, as in the
case of London, where in 1388 legislation was introduced to control pollutant emissions
(Lowenthal, 1990). Similar historical environmental regulations can be demonstrated for many
cities in Europe. However, while for most of history those who govern the city (be it the sovereign,
city elders or local government) where responsible for the control, mitigation and management of
the common environment in the city, the last 30 years are a period of profound change. This is due
to the trend toward improved participation in environmental decision making . a more inclusive and
open approach to decisions that deal with the city commons. This change did not occurre overnight
but rather gradually. For example, in the United Kingdom, it was the Town and Country Planning
Act of 1947 which introduced public scrutiny to changes in the urban form (Rydin, 1998), or the
development of public involvement in environmental impact assessment of urban projects as
developed in many countries throughout the developed world during the 1970s and 1980s (Gilpin
1995). These changes accelerate within the last three decades, and especially since the publication
of .Our Common Future. (WCED and Brundtland 1987), the acceptance of the .Sustainable
Development. principles and the Rio conference. A quiet (mini) revolution happened in Europe not
long ago, toward the end of 1998 when the members of the United Nations Economic Commission
for Europe (UN/ECE) signed the .Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in
Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. - the Aarhus Convention
(UN/ECE 1998). The convention is expected to come into force by the end of 2001, and calls the
governments and public authorities to open up access to environmental information as a means to
improve public participation in environmental decision making and awareness of environmental
issues (UN/ECE, 1998).
However, these declarations on the value and importance of environmental information do not
match our level of understanding on the role of environmental information in decision making
processes, and especially on the role of information in improving awareness and participation.
Therefore, it is useful to take a step back, and to try and evaluate how environmental information
and access to it and its use support public involvement in such processes.
This paper is aimed to offer a framework that can assist us in the analytical process of
understanding environmental information use. It focuses on public access and assumes that
environmental information will be delivered to the public through the Internet. Such assumption is
based on the current trend within public authorities is to use Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) as a major delivery medium and it seems that it will become more so in the near
future (OECD 2000).
The framework which this paper presents, is based on Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) study
which unpacked some of the core issues relating to public access and use of environmental
information (Haklay, 2001). Although the aim here is not to discuss the merits of SSM, but to focus
on the conceptual models, some introduction to the techniques that are used here is needed.
Therefore, the following section opens with introduction to SSM and its techniques. The core of the
paper is dedicated to the development of conceptual models. After presenting the conceptual
models, some conclusions about these models and their applications are drown
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