Jump straight to:<\/em><\/p>\n So, what is the spirit of the word \u2018community\u2019 and what does it mean to you? Communities are as diverse as the people who contribute to them, however, it perhaps useful to consider a dictionary definition. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A unified body of individuals<\/span><\/i><\/a> Mirriam Webster<\/span><\/p>\n The folks at FeverBee have gone one step further to categorise different types of communities in the helpful table below. Whether we coalesce under a joint goal to change the world, natter about the rubbish waste collection in Coronation Street or because we have a shared interest in developing CS activities, we can all be part of a collective endeavour.<\/span><\/p>\n Image thanks to <\/span>FeverBee <\/span><\/a>Community Management Course<\/span><\/p>\n With OPENER being about \u2018opening up science to all\u2019 i.e. we are sharing in a common activity, perhaps it would be pertinent to hone in on COPs. While you may be thinking \u201cwhat do American policemen have anything to do with this?\u201d, we are in fact talking about Communities of Practice. However, there may be something in the link here with this <\/span>army-trained sniffer dog<\/span><\/a> nosing out rare bumblebee nests \u00a0which takes being a citizen scientist to a whole new level. We all have the potential to play a part (even our canine accomplices). Wenger Trayner define COPs as:<\/span><\/p>\n Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.<\/span><\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n There are a few key criteria that gel COPs together as my rough \u2018n\u2019 ready figure below sums up. <\/span><\/p>\n Image developed from examples of typical COP activities as suggested by <\/span>Wenger Trayner <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The notion of networks frequently comes up in discussion at CS events around the world and this was no different in a workshop at the <\/span>First Italian Citizen Science Conference<\/span><\/a> in Italy last November. \u00a0German, Austrian, Swiss, French and UK CS managers sat under the spotlights of the impressive Roman venue sharing their national experiences. The overriding message was that even at the European level we are wildly different in the level of coordination of communities. We heard about the Austrian <\/span>\u00d6sterreich forscht<\/span><\/a> a 52 partner-strong collective bound together by an MOU and a comprehensive website housing a project repository, resources and news from around the country; to the Swiss <\/span>Schweiz forscht<\/span><\/a> which has taken the Austrian model and run with it; \u00a0to the <\/span>French Natural History Museum<\/span><\/a> coordinating CS efforts from Paris and a whole German CS Government strategy paper, <\/span>Buergerschaffenwissen<\/span><\/a> devoted to the pursuit of participatory science.<\/span><\/p>\n In the UK the situation is slightly different. If we take environmental CS for example, there are a vast array of activities occurring (perhaps owning to our long love affair with whipping our binoculars out every weekend to check out the latest feathered arrival in our gardens.) We arrange ourselves around <\/span>topics<\/span><\/i> such as the British Ecological Society\u2019s Special Interest Group on Citizen Science; or around <\/span>methodological approaches<\/span><\/i> such as the <\/span>Bristol Natural History Consortium\u2019s Bioblitz<\/span><\/a> group; and by <\/span>audience<\/span><\/i> with the government agency focussed <\/span>UKEOF Citizen Science Group.<\/span><\/a> There are a whole spectrum of different bodies out there who have an explicit remit for CS, indeed just within the team<\/a>: <\/span><\/p>\n There is however, no overarching umbrella organisation melding everyone together. So, while there are a whole host of coordinating bodies out there, a statement I heard echo round the theatre was that, at a national scale: \u201cwe are really not that organised\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Widening our vision globally, it is fascinating to see the array of communities which exist placing different audiences centre stage in discussions around environmental sciences. <\/span><\/p>\n Statutory:<\/strong> First up, we examine the platform which underpins an archetypal COP with a policy focus. The <\/span>Federal Community of Practice on Citizen Science<\/span><\/a> and Crowdsourcing \u2018works across the [US] government to share lessons learned and develop best practices for designing, implementing and evaluating crowdsourcing and citizen science initiatives\u2019, its portal <\/span>Citizenscience.gov<\/span><\/a> provides:<\/span><\/p>\n Academic: <\/b>Fast Track Impact<\/span> is about training by \u2018researchers for researchers\u2019 with a mission to \u2018change the way researchers generate and share knowledge, so that their ideas can change the world\u2019 and while a company, it retains many of the traits of a COP: the sharing of resources, knowledge and online\/in person events. <\/span><\/p>\n Societal: <\/b>Public Lab<\/span><\/a> does what it says on the tin, science by citizens.\u00a0It is a community which develops and applies open-source tools to environmental exploration and investigation. Their aim is to democratise science to address environmental issues that affect people’s lives; by using inexpensive and accessible ‘Do- It- Yourself’ techniques. Public lab creates a collaborative network of practitioners who actively re-imagine the human relationship with the environment and support each other’s exploration, which leads to technical development and real application in our communities. It was founded by a group of activists, concerned citizens, educators, technologists and community organisers interested in ways to promote action, intervention, and awareness through a participatory research model.\u00a0 Anyone can join, attend a local event or event call (called Open Hour), chat online to discuss questions and next steps. What a stonker!<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n There are certain activities that we are planning to hold throughout the year such as local COP meet-ups<\/a>\u00a0which we would love you to come along to; a resource library where we invite you to share your favourite resources<\/a> and a series of blogs like this one which are simply a start to trigger conversations around the topic with you. We want this to be a movement for all disciplines – not exclusive to academics in ivory towers, policy makers bogged down in bureaucracy or grass roots campaigners lacking in resources. The exciting thing is we\u2019re all converging together, bringing multiple voices to the table, a community for you, by you.<\/span><\/p>\n Would a more joined-up approach maximise efficiencies, avoid \u2018re-inventing the wheel\u2019, ensure clear signposting to relevant projects and enhance the capacity of the sector to generate more funds to support CS projects of the future? Could coordination help without stifling innovation?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/a> Be a bee<\/span><\/i> and create a buzz online by providing feedback on Twitter @OpenUpSci or by filling in our form<\/a>. \u00a0This is just the start of things to come\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
Communities of\u2026Practice, Place and Potential!<\/a><\/b><\/h5>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nWhat Citizen Science COPs are already out there?<\/a><\/b><\/h5>\n
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Spotlight on science for society<\/a><\/b><\/h5>\n
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Your OPENER community<\/a> <\/b><\/h5>\n
Is that community spirt alive and well? <\/b><\/h5>\n
\nAs a first step, we would love to hear about what you want from this community. Help us answer some of the questions above and shape what this OPENER community becomes. <\/span><\/p>\n