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In recent years, there has been growing interest in digital twins (or virtual representations) of the environment. Programs in the European Union and the UN are investing in digital twins, particularly those of the ocean (DTOs). While citizen science has been mentioned as a potential data source for digital twins, the full potential of citizen science in this context has yet to be fully realised. The Iliad project (https://ocean-twin.eu), funded by the European Commission, is developing a comprehensive set of digital twins of the oceans which are interoperable, data-intensive, and cost-effective. The project (2022-2025) brings together over 50 partners to demonstrate the technologies and methodologies required to develop DTOs. Citizen science and engagement play a pivotal role in the project, with the following goals: (a) exploring the potential for citizen science to contribute to digital twins of the oceans; (b) demonstrating how citizen scientists (and society more broadly) can benefit from digital twins. The Iliad team is currently working on over 20 separate digital twins of the oceans that fall into two primary categories: (i) environmental and ecological digital twins; (ii) engineering and industrial digital twins. Using the Iliad DTOs as case studies, lessons learned for citizen science are presented from the development of each digital twin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Citizen science has become a proven method across a range of scientific disciplines, able to collect new and complementary data which enhances and adds context to existing scientific methods. By upscaling to a transnational level, citizen science could collect, analyse and exploit a vast amount of data across Europe and beyond, achieving a higher impact through creating a multinational community of citizen scientists. However, many citizen science initiatives start at a small-scale, facing technical and practical challenges when attempting to upscale to a wider level, with current EU mechanisms not providing the support or resources required to assist their effort. The CROPS project (crops-cs.eu) will evolve the EU Research & Innovation system so that it can support the transition of citizen science from small-scale to a Europe-wide level, changing it towards a modern, open-science approach. CROPS consists of four activities: (i) appraisal of existing citizen science, their activities and their suitability for upscaling; (ii) creation of protocols and guidance for the upscaling of citizen science, replicating and building on best practice that exists; (iii) providing guidance regarding practical considerations such as open data sharing, sustainability, RRI and diverse funding opportunities; and (iv) development of transnational citizen science communities, including establishing societal coalitions and prospective citizen science champions to raise awareness of the potential of citizen science when addressing Horizon Europe EU Mission goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]