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Experts vs. novices: a comparison of the quality and quantity of Bombus observations between citizen scientists and researchers in national parks

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dc.contributor.authorSmith, Alia, author
dc.contributor.authorBowser, Gillian, advisor
dc.contributor.authorHalliwell, Philip, advisor
dc.contributor.authorBalgopal, Meena, committee member
dc.contributor.authorNewman, Gregory, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2023-08-28T10:28:00Z
dc.date.available2023-08-28T10:28:00Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractCitizen science data is plentiful and diverse in its collection, storage, and subsequent application. Different platforms have unique methods of storing data and limitations in accessing the data contributed to the platform. This study explored the accessibility of citizen science data from several citizen science platforms and compared two different methods of collecting data from iNaturalist, a global citizen science platform for observing and identifying organisms. It focused on Bombus species observations made in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. The study found that different platforms are not equal in the ability to access and utilize data. It also found that on iNaturalist one method of searching for data yielded 14% more results than the other. The separate and incomplete nature of accessible data across citizen science platforms and subjectivity of searching methods on iNaturalist are indicative of the difficulty in creating a complete dataset that is representative of the collective contributions of citizen scientists. The validity of citizen science research has been controversial in recent history. There is a general consensus, however, that citizen science must be verifiable to be trustworthy. iNaturalist is a crowdsourced citizen science platform that allows other users to corroborate or dispute species identifications that individuals post. This research seeks to determine whether there is a difference in the quantity and quality of Bombus observations in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks made by expert researchers and citizen scientists on iNaturalist. It found that the professional researchers, or experts, contributed 68% of the observations, but there was not a significant difference between the achievement rate of Research Grade observations between the experts and novices. This indicates that citizen scientists have the ability, through iNaturalist, to accurately make difficult taxonomic identifications.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierSmith_colostate_0053N_17986.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/236868
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2020-
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectbumble bees
dc.subjectcommunity science
dc.subjectnational parks
dc.subjectcitizen science
dc.subjectBombus
dc.subjectiNaturalist
dc.titleExperts vs. novices: a comparison of the quality and quantity of Bombus observations between citizen scientists and researchers in national parks
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineEcosystem Science and Sustainability
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (M.S.)

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