Citizens observatories as innovative learning environments: opportunities to broad citizen participation in environmental monitoring

Citizens observatories are a new concept of research infrastructure (http://www.citizen-obs.eu/). They are platforms that integrate the latest information technology to digitally connect citizens, and support the discipline known as Citizen Science through the improvement of the ability of environment observation. Additionally, citizens observatories are an excellent framework to develop innovative teaching methodologies and projects and broaden participation in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. This potential for education comes from the opportunities offered by the active collaboration of citizens, with different levels and roles in shared processes of knowledge creation. In this contribution the authors will analyze the role of citizen observatories (and how people can collaborate with different participation roles) in two case studies: (1) the European project Citclops (Citizens¿ Observatory for Coast and Ocean Optical Monitoring, http://www.citclops.eu/), which introduced an innovative concept for water-quality monitoring, and developed tools and sensors that can be used by citizens to help oceanographers and limnologists in monitoring natural waters; and (2) the platform for monitoring biodiversity Natusfera (http://natusfera.gbif.es)