Researching cyberinfrastructures for citizen science requires the integration of science, engineering, information technology, relationship management, and formal evaluations. Science has to go back to basics to develop scientific tasks that can be consumed by the public, while maintaining the core philosophies of scientific research. From the basics, we have to use terminology and tasks that take into account the knowledge of the public and do not assume scientific knowledge. The design and implementation of a cyberinfrastructure falls primarily within the domain of software engineering. This involves the design of the overall system and the details of executing a detailed software development lifecycle that is comprehensive and ensures the needs of stakeholders and end-users are met. Information technology skills are required to purchase, setup, and maintain the required hardware and data center to house the cyberinfrastructure and have it available on the Internet for public use. Relationship management is critical not only for the long-term success of the project but also to insure groups are contacted early and their inputs are included in the design and development of the system. These same groups can participate in the testing of the system as it is made available. Formal evaluations provide unbiased feedback on the quality of the system from the user’s perspective and provide one of the key research results. This information can be used to improve future related projects making their development less costly and improving their chance of success.
Results/Conclusions
The proper application of science, engineering, information technology, relationship management, and formal evaluations can improve the quality of cyberinfrastructures for research improving their chances of success.
