ICM-CSIC: MINKA_BioPlatgestMet observatorio de ciencia ciudadana

Study Extent

Sampling Area: The BioPlatgesMet project specifically targets the urban beaches within the metropolitan area of Barcelona. Sampling Frequency: The project started in 2023 and is scheduled to continue through at least 2025. Sampling activities are opportunistic, and some are planned on a regular basis throughout this period, with the intention of capturing seasonal variations and long-term trends in the ecosystem. Additionally, there is a possibility of extending the project beyond 2025, depending on the findings and ongoing research needs.

Sampling

Sampling Methodology: The BioPlatgesMet project employs a participatory, unstructured sampling approach, leveraging the power of citizen science to gather data. This method involves the opportunistic collection of observations by volunteers across the urban beaches and dunes within the metropolitan area. Sampling Description: Volunteers participating in the project contribute data through direct observations of the local environment, flora, and fauna. These contributions are critical for creating a comprehensive dataset that reflects the biodiversity and ecological conditions of the area. Data Validation Process: To ensure the reliability and accuracy of the dataset, each observation submitted by volunteers undergoes a rigorous quality control procedure. This validation process is designed to verify the correctness and relevance of the data collected, adhering to established standards for scientific data quality. Further details on the specific criteria and steps involved in the quality control procedure are described in the corresponding field.

Quality Control

Observations submitted to MINKA can qualify for Research Grade status if they are accompanied by a photo, the date of observation, and geographical coordinates. This status is conferred when a consensus on the species identification is reached within the MINKA community. When there's a division in opinion regarding the species observed, MINKA selects a consensus taxon from the suggestions, provided it garners agreement from over two-thirds of participating members. The methodology for determining the consensus taxon involves evaluating each suggested species and any broader categories it falls under. This evaluation calculates a score based on the proportion of identifications for that species against the total of all identifications, inclusive of later, more reserved identifications and those for unrelated species. The species with a score exceeding the two-thirds threshold, and with a minimum of two identifications, is deemed the community’s chosen taxon. In the case of observations at the gender level, those that are determined as "cannot be improved", and have two-thirds parts of the community in favor of the gender, will acquire Research Grade. Research Grade status may be withdrawn if community feedback indicates concerns on several fronts, including the authenticity of the organism's natural setting, the precision of the provided location and date, and adherence to MINKA's ethical standards, such as compliance with its terms of service and copyright laws. It's crucial to understand that data points such as observation dates and locations are primarily sourced from the observers and the collaborative efforts of the community for taxonomic identifications, without direct verification from MINKA's custodians. Therefore, the reliability of such information is not guaranteed. Specifically, while MINKA's system defaults to the WGS84 datum for geographical coordinates, observers have the flexibility to adjust these, raising the possibility of inaccuracies due to manual entries or alternate datum usage.

Method steps

1. Data Collection: The MINKA citizen observatory platform serves as the primary tool for data collection within the BioPlatgesMet project. Participants utilize this open platform to submit their observations, adhering to the stringent data quality control measures embedded in MINKA to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the data collected. Data Collaborative Validation: The MINKA platform employs a collaborative and standardized validation procedure. Observations that meet specific criteria are granted a "research grade" status, a designation that denotes their high quality and reliability. It is these research-grade observations that are subsequently published on GBIF. Data Sharing: In addition to the collaborative validation process, the project's dataset undergoes a rigorous review against established data quality standards, focusing on taxonomy, geography, and temporal accuracy, before its publication on GBIF. This ensures that the shared data meets the high-quality expectations of the global biodiversity data community.

This dataset is focused on the dune and contiguous areas of the urban beaches located in the Metropolitan area of Barcelona. The groups more representative in this dataset are the plants (class Magnoliopsida, Liliopsida, Gymnolaemata, etc), the birds (class Aves), the mollusks (class Bivalvia, Gastropoda, and Cephalopoda), some other invertebrats groups (class Malacostraca, Anthozoa, Polychaeta, etc) and other groups (class Actinopterygii, Mammalia, Elasmobranchii, etc).

1. Magnoliopsida
   rank: class
2. Liliopsida
   rank: class
3. Insecta
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4. Bivalvia
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5. Actinopterygii
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6. Malacostraca
   rank: class
7. Gastropoda
   rank: class
8. Anthozoa
   rank: class
9. Cephalopoda
   rank: class
10. Gymnolaemata
    rank: class
11. Hydrozoa
    rank: class
12. Reptilia
    rank: class
13. Pinopsida
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14. Florideophyceae
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15. Ulvophyceae
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16. Polychaeta
    rank: class
17. Aves
    rank: class
18. Mammalia
    rank: class
19. Echinoidea
    rank: class
20. Bangiophyceae
    rank: class
21. Elasmobranchii
    rank: class
22. Demospongiae
    rank: class

This dataset is focused on the dune and contiguous areas of the urban beaches located in the metropolitan area of Barcelona.