Citizen science and Earth Observation Data for “Rescuing” the SDGs

Fraisl, D. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7523-7967, See, L. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2665-7065, Fritz, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0420-8549, & McCallum, I. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5812-9988 (2025). Citizen science and Earth Observation Data for “Rescuing” the SDGs. In: Living Planet Symposium, 23-27 June 2025, Vienna.

Slideshow 799_Fraisl.pptx - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial. Download (64MB)

Abstract

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015, represent a global call to action to tackle the world’s most pressing challenges, from poverty to environmental degradation. Achieving these goals requires a data-driven approach, grounded in accurate, timely, and comprehensive data to guide policy and decision-making. Despite improvements in data availability over the past decade, with less than five years remaining to achieve the SDGs, substantial data gaps remain, limiting the ability to effectively monitor progress and guide policies and actions. Traditional data sources, such as censuses and household surveys, are insufficient to address these data gaps. New data sources, including Earth Observation (EO) data and citizen science, defined as public participation in scientific research and knowledge production, offer innovative and complementary solutions. Scientific literature has demonstrated the potential of these alternative data sources to fill critical gaps. For example, Fraisl et al. (2020) conducted a systematic review of SDG indicators and citizen science initiatives, showing that citizen science data are already contributing or could potentially contribute to monitoring 33% of SDG indicators. Their analysis also revealed a significant overlap with EO data contributions. According to GEO (2017), EO data are relevant to 29 SDG indicators, and Fraisl et al. found that citizen science could support 24 of these, demonstrating the complementarity between the two. Since publishing the aforementioned study in 2020, Fraisl et al. have been working with National Statistical Offices (NSOs) and UN agencies to demonstrate how this potential can be realized. A notable example is their collaboration with the Ghana Statistical Service, the Environmental Protection Agency in Ghana, and UNEP (as the custodian agency), which resulted in existing citizen science data on marine plastic litter being integrated into Ghana’s official statistics, as well as into the monitoring and reporting of SDG indicator 14.1.1b, Plastic Debris Density, under the leadership of the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). This initiative bridged local data collection efforts with national and global monitoring processes and policy agendas through the SDG framework. The results were included in Ghana’s 2022 Voluntary National Review of the SDGs, reported on the UN SDG Global Database, and are informing national policies in Ghana. This makes Ghana the first country to use citizen science data for monitoring and reporting an SDG indicator. Their findings, published in Fraisl et al. (2023), provide valuable lessons for the EO community, not only from a technical perspective but also in building effective partnerships with NSOs, UN agencies, civil society organizations, academia, and other stakeholders to leverage EO data for SDG monitoring and reporting and sustainable development. This example highlights one of the ways citizen science is being utilized to support the SDGs. The oral presentation will showcase additional examples that emphasize the synergy between citizen science and EO in bridging SDG data gaps, informing or reshaping policies, and mobilizing action. It will also feature initiatives such as the Citizen Science Global Partnership (CSGP), hosted by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), which seeks to advance citizen science for a sustainable world and foster collaboration with the EO community to leverage the combined potential of citizen science and EO data for achieving sustainability. References: Fraisl D, Campbell J, See L et al (2020) Mapping citizen science contributions to the UN sustainable development goals. Sustain Sci 15:1735–1751. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-020-00833-7 GEO (2017) Earth Observations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, V1.1. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on behalf of GEO under the EO4SDG Initiative. Available at: https://www.earthobservations.org/documents/publications/201703_geo_eo_for_2030_agenda.pdf Fraisl, D., See, L., Bowers, R. et al. The contributions of citizen science to SDG monitoring and reporting on marine plastics. Sustain Sci 18, 2629–2647 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-023-01402-4

Actions (login required)

View Item