Mowing Quest - Mapping Grassland Mowing Through Citizen Science

Mowing Quest is part of the In-Situ Data Collection Campaign Using Crowdsourcing for the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service (CLMS) Grassland Mowing Events and Dates project, supported by the European Environment Agency (EEA). The initiative demonstrates how citizen science and crowdsourcing can serve as valuable alternative sources of in-situ environmental data collection, helping bridge the gap between satellite observations and ground-based validation.

The project focuses on collecting observations of grassland mowing events and mowing dates to support the CLMS Grassland Mowing Events (GRAME) and Grassland Mowing Dates (GRAMD) layers. Reliable ground observations are essential because satellite sensors may miss mowing events due to rapid vegetation regrowth. Citizen-generated observations therefore play an important role in validating and improving the accuracy of these products.

Grasslands are important ecosystems that support biodiversity, pollinators, agriculture, and climate regulation. Through Mowing Quest, citizens directly contribute to improving environmental monitoring and sustainable land management practices across Europe.

Using the Geo-Quest mobile app, participants can visit grassland sites, take photographs, complete short questionnaires, and submit georeferenced observations. The application also supports offline data collection and includes gamification elements, such as a points system and leaderboard, to encourage participation and exploration of new areas.

The project aims to:

• demonstrate citizen science as a viable source of environmental data collection
• produce high-quality in-situ data for model training and validation
• create a scalable framework for future citizen science initiatives

In 2026, the project will focus on development of the system, testing, and stakeholder engagement activities, with some initial data collected by early adopters. The pilot campaign in 2027 will run during the mowing-relevant vegetation season in selected test areas in several countries, including Austria, Denmark, and Spain.

Mowing Quest is open to a broad community of contributors, including farmers, researchers, environmental organizations, local authorities, citizen scientists, and local residents interested in supporting grassland monitoring efforts.

As part of the project, top contributors of high-quality observations will be invited to participate as co-authors in a scientific data descriptor publication planned at the end of the project. Additional incentives for active participants are also planned for further pilot campaign.

Project Partners

The Mowing Quest project brings together three organizations working in Earth observation, environmental monitoring, and citizen science:

GAF – Earth Observation and Digital Solutions
IIASA – International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
GeoVille – Information Systems and Remote Sensing