1000001 Labs

We are always surprised by the events we attend; and the First International ECSA Citizen Science Conference, held on May 19–21, 2016 in Berlin, was a complete, surprising success. It gathered policy makers, scientists, non-governmental organizations and other interested citizens in a transdisciplinary environment in the field of citizen science, which is the work undertaken by civic educators together with citizen communities to advance science, foster a broad scientific mentality, and/or encourage democratic engagement. Citizen science is also a flexible and complex expression, and we recommend reading the 10 ECSA principles of citizen science if you want to know more. At the conference, it was explored how citizen science can contribute to the domain of open science, as well as to responsible research and innovation.

1000001 Labs has presented diverse, relevant contributions:

• a talk (Ceccaroni, L. et al. Citizen engagement); and
• two posters:
  • Bardají, R. et al. Citizens’ Observatories in coastal environments:  using innovative technologies (DIY instruments  and data sonification) for engaging volunteers; and
  • Piera, J. et al. Design of innovative learning environments in the context of developing a Citizen Observatory.

Elena Jurado and Raul Bardají, presenting one of the posters at the ECSA 2016 conference

Furthermore, we have organised the panel “The diversity of citizen-science technologies: traditional and new opportunities for interactive participation in scientific research“, and we have participated actively in a consolidated Working Group, “Projects, data, tools, and technology” (chaired by Jaume Piera, from ICM-CSIC); in a recently formed Working Group, “Citizen science in schools”; and in the international “Data and metadata” working group (co-chaired by Anne Bowser, from Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and Greg Newman, from Citsci.org). And it has been a very interesting opportunity to present the results of the project we coordinated during the last three years: Citclops, of which several researchers were present. Besides, the General ECSA Assembly took place during the conference and Luigi Ceccaroni, co-founder of 1000001 Labs, was re-elected on the Board of Directors.

The conference organizing committee and ECSA Board of Directors, with Luigi Ceccaroni in the bottom right corner

The outcome of the participation in the conference has been extremely rewarding. We have learnt a little bit more about the state-of-the-art in citizen science, with new perspectives of citizen observatories in the society. We have reconnected with colleagues and established new connections, and we have experienced an innovative way to do conferences. Indeed, this conference was an improved, 3.0 version of other conferences we have attended: more spaces and opportunities to collaborate, such as the ThinkCamp Challenge, round tables, panels of experts, connections with societal organisations, such as makerspaces, and fun opportunities, such as the citizen science disco and the citizen science safari. The ECSA 2016 Conference was also the opportunity to present the release of the first issue of the Journal “Citizen Science: Theory and Practice” and the book “Analyzing the Role of Citizen Science in Modern Research“, being edited by L. Ceccaroni and J. Piera.

More information about the event can be found at [http://www.ecsa2016.eu/].

ECSA 2016 Photo Gallery can be found at [http://ogarit.jalbum.net/ECSA 2016/].

2013.12.02. 1000001 Labs is a cooperative specialized in advanced systems of decision support, recommendation, personalization and Internet of Things applied to the marine-environment and healthcare domains. The research staff includes the current principal investigator and coordinator of an FP7 project about a citizens’ observatory for coast and ocean optical monitoring and experts in the area of Internet of Things.

Why a cooperative?

One of the great values of businesses of cooperative nature is the ability to manage, as a fundamental principle of organizational work: education, training and information for their members and for the society.

What is sought in the cooperatives is to generate awareness among owners and users about the importance of the association of individuals to generate conditions of welfare and quality of life. In addition to the above, cooperatives allow to develop: greater user participation in all democratic forms permitted by the cooperative model and the self-management of work.

In cooperatives, associated individuals participate democratically in all socioeconomic processes developed by the company and continuously learn concepts, techniques and management tools that allow them to manage their organization efficiently and legitimately.

¿Por qué una cooperativa?

Uno de los grandes valores de las empresas de naturaleza cooperativa es la capacidad de gestionar, como principio fundamental de su quehacer organizacional, ejercicios de educación, formación e información para sus asociados y para la sociedad.

Lo que se busca en las cooperativas es generar conciencia entre sus dueños y usuarios sobre la importancia de la asociatividad de los individuos para generar condiciones de bienestar y calidad de vida. Adicional a lo anterior, las cooperativas permiten desarrollar la mayor participación de los usuarios en todas las formas democráticas permitidas por el modelo cooperativo y la autogestión de la forma empresarial.

Desde la forma cooperativa, los individuos asociados logran participar democráticamente en todos los procesos socioeconómicos desarrollados por la empresa y aprenden continuamente conceptos, técnicas y herramientas de gestión que les permiten administrar eficiente y legítimamente su organización.