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NODES will mobilize the tools of citizen and data science combined with Earth observations to monitor, analyze, and foster progress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
To realize this vision, NODES will exploit novel data ecosystems in which several actors interact via infrastructure, analytics, and applications to produce, analyze, exchange, and consume data.
Three main cross-fertilizing pillars characterize the research focus of NODES:
- Advancing the field of citizen science: NODES will remain at the forefront of citizen science from conceptual advancements to innovations in citizen science practice, including the development of new means to acquire, analyze, and openly share citizen science data, as well as how citizen science can contribute to the SDGs and sustainability.
- Enriching Earth observation: NODES will utilize new types of Earth observation technology (e.g., high-resolution imagery, drones, and the Internet of things (IoT)) and develop applications that focus on the interplay between Earth observation and citizen science using Geo-Wiki tools, various forms of remote sensing, and on-site observation.
- Exploiting the digital revolution: NODES will harness the opportunities arising from the digital revolution by exploiting advancements in computing capabilities, data science (e.g., machine and deep learning), environmental informatics, and the geospatial sciences, among others, to enhance integrated systems science research and generate new and innovative data sets for further insights.
Projects
Urban ReLeaf - Citizen-powered data ecosystems for inclusive and green urban transitions
Open-Earth-Monitor Cyberinfrastructure (OEMC)
Staff
Victor Maus
Research Scholar (NODES)
Maria Shchepashchenko
Researcher (NODES)
Johannes Pirker
Guest Research Scholar (NODES)
Ian McCallum
Research Group Leader and Senior Research Scholar (NODES)
News
26 June 2024
Jan Steinhauser in an interview for the ‘Climate Survivors’ game
Computer games are not only entertaining but can also offer new perspectives, as demonstrated by the game "Climate Survivors". In this game, players combat the consequences of global warming while learning about scientifically grounded facts in an engaging and playful way.
14 May 2024
Study confirms giant store of global soil carbon and highlights its dynamic nature
Discussions around soil carbon have traditionally revolved around organic matter, overlooking the substantial contribution of soil inorganic carbon. A recent study published in Science by an international team of researchers, however, addresses this oversight.
02 April 2024
CROPS: a new EU-funded project to grow citizen science in Europe
In February 2024, a new EU-funded project kicked off. CROPS – short for curating, replicating, orchestrating, and propagating citizen science across Europe – is a three-year project that brings together six partners from six different countries to develop and demonstrate a modern, inclusive mechanism to support the upscaling of citizen science activities in Europe and beyond.
Events
Museum of Natural Sciences, Brussels
EuropaBON final stakeholder conference
Vienna, Lower Austria, Carinthia
IIASA at Austria's Long Night of Research 2024
Focus
27 June 2024
Improving national SDG reporting through citizen science
Working with IIASA researchers, Ghana pioneered the adoption of a citizen science approach to address the problem of plastic pollution in marine environments. Further analysis highlighted how a similar citizen science data validation and reporting process can benefit reporting on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in other countries.
11 April 2024
Breaking boundaries through citizen science
The way we do science has come a long way—from having only experts work on scientific projects, to where many projects now also include members of the public as participants. This change is thanks to citizen science, which creates opportunities for science to be taken to the next level.
Publications
Barthelme, P., Darbyshire, E., Spracklen, D.V., & Watmough, G. (2024). Detecting Vietnam War bomb craters in declassified historical KH-9 satellite imagery. Science of Remote Sensing 10 e100143. 10.1016/j.srs.2024.100143. Hager, G. (2024). Citizen-basierte Daten- und Wissenssysteme für einen inklusiven und grünen städtischen Wandel. In: FFG Deep Dive "Aktuelle New European Bauhaus-Ausschreibungen in Horizon Europe & LIFE", 21 June 2024. Pišl, J., Rußwurm, M., Haydn Hughes, L., Lenczner, G., See, L. , Dirk Wegner, J., & Tuia, D. (2024). Mapping drivers of tropical forest loss with satellite image time series and machine learning. Environmental Research Letters 19 (6) e064053. 10.1088/1748-9326/ad44b2. Crooks, A., Jiang, N., See, L. , Alvanides, S., Arribas-Bel, D., Wolf, L., & Batty, M. (2024). EPB turns 50 years old: An analytical tour of the last five decades. Environment and Planning B: Urban Analytics and City Science 51 (5) 1028-1037. 10.1177/23998083241246928. Fraisl, D. (2024). The use of citizen science data for biodiversity monitoring and informing the GBF indicators. In: 8th International International Conference on Big Data and Data Science, 10-14 June 2024, Bilbao, Spain.