Table 1.
Comparison of international biodiversity-related citizen-science projects that have at least some on-site component.
| Event | Short description | Frequency and year established | Geographic range | Number of participants and/or completed tasks | Online or on-site | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BioBlitzes | Survey all living species within an area over a set amount of time (usually 24 hours). Unlike the other projects featured in this table, BioBlitzes are not managed by a parent organization and any group can organize a “BioBlitz.” | Varied, depending on host; 1996 | Global | Unknown. Numbers vary with each BioBlitz and without a governing body there are no summative data. | On-site | www.pwrc.usgs.gov/blitz.html, www.wikipedia.org/wiki/BioBlitz |
| eBird's Global Big Day | Record the number of bird species seen on 1 day and upload checklists to Cornell Lab of Ornithology's eBird. | Annual; 2015 | Global | 16,679 participants, 6307 species, 145 countries during 2016 event. | Main activities on-site with results shared online | www.ebird.org/ebird/globalbigday |
| National Audubon Society's Christmas Bird Count | Census of birds within a 24-km-diameter area completed by groups of at least 10 volunteers | Annual, on 1 day between 14 December and 5 January; 1900 | Western Hemisphere | 72,653 observers, 2106 species from 24 countries during 2015 event | On-site | www.audubon.org/conservation/science/christmas-bird-count |
| National Geographic's Great Nature Project | Document biodiversity around you by uploading photos of plants and animals to the project website. | Two events (2013 and 2015); 2013 (no longer active). | Global. 102 countries during 2015 event. | 40,396 observations of 8000 species, from over 3000 users, from 102 countries during the second and final 2015 event | Main activities on-site with results shared online at iNaturalist | www.greatnatureproject.org; www.voices.nationalgeographic.com/2015/06/04/40000-observations-of-biodiversity-in-11-days |
| WeDigBio | Transcribe biocollections information using online platforms | Annual; 2015 | Global | 51,822 transcription tasks from users in over 100 countries during 2015 event | Main activities online with activities available at on-site locations | www.wedigbio.org; present study |
Note: For the purposes of this research, we have defined “on-site” as “at the physical location of the data source” and generally include field sites outdoors, as well as indoor venues such as museums and universities. Values provided are most current available data.