Print PageFreshwater ecosystems, especially lakes, have long inspired human interest, passion, and investment. These systems are valued for the ecological services that they provide such as potable water, recreational opportunities, and aesthetic benefits. Across the globe, citizens have organized themselves into lake and watershed associations to help protect aquatic ecosystems and to provide education and outreach to citizens, students, and local governments. These groups do not often use real-time sensor data to enhance their missions. Researchers, however, have begun to systematically measure and compare lake ecosystems across the globe using sensors systems. In fact, through the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network (GLEON), some lake associations, in collaboration with scientists and researchers, have deployed buoy systems not only to monitor their lake ecosystems but also provide their constituents with comprehensive data on lake water quality. Communicating these biogeochemical data to the public has proven to be difficult because such data are indirectly related to lake function and require ecological knowledge to interpret. Here, we describe a research project that integrated the expertise of lake associations and citizens with that of social, computer, and ecosystem scientists, to co-design cyberinfrastructure for the display and use of lake buoy data to meet the needs and interests of multiple audiences. We used a series of workshops, interviews, and iterative software design to guide our work.
Results/Conclusions
We employed user-centered design to create an interactive web-based interface for lake sensor data displays based on a buoy station on Lake Sunapee, NH. Workshop results underscored the kinds and sources of lake ecosystem data that are of interest to citizens and led to better understanding of the types of data displays that resonate with non-scientists such as teachers, students, and the general public. The design team use an iterative approach to create the cyberinfrastructure. Our participation in GLEON proved a significant benefit for accessing data, generation of ideas for display and extension, and for linking scientists and citizens into co-development and use of sensor data. Our results suggest that real time sensor displays can be used to underpin outreach and education programs at local lakes. However, at this stage of development, engagement with computer scientists and information technology specialists is necessary for interface development, maintenance, and uninterrupted data display. Functional, co-designed cyberinfrastructure is a first step in developing the software tools to empower and enhance citizens’ ability to both visualize and understand interactions between ecosystems and a changing environment.
