Citizen Science

Citizen Science (CS; also known as community science, crowd science, etc.) is a scientific research contribution of amateur scientists or volunteer citizens. These contributions may include surveys, data storage, or other helpful activities. Usually, CS is related to hobbies: for example bird watching, insect gathering, or amateur astronomy.

There are several organizations and associations in Estonia that use the help of amateur scientists to collect monitoring data or phenological observations. Some of them are Estonian Ornithological Society and the Estonian Naturalists' Society Associations. Their purpose is to help experts to expand the biodiversity research by collecting data from places that scientists can not reach.

Bioblitz is an event dedicated to promote citizen science. During the event, volunteers are invited set locations to record as many natural observations as possible within a set timespan. Bioblitz is held annually as part of the Tartu Nature Festival; in 2018, for the first time, all over of Estonia.