Founded in 1972, IIASA is an international scientific institute that conducts policy-oriented research into problems too large or complex to be solved by one country or academic discipline, or of common concern to many countries that require national and international cooperation (climate change, energy security, population growth, and sustainable development). Funded by scientific institutions in the Americas, Europe, Asia Oceania and Africa, IIASA is independent and unconstrained by political or national self-interest; it is a not-for-profit registered association in Austria. Its mission is to “provide insights and guidance to policymakers worldwide by finding solutions to global and universal problems through applied systems analysis in order to improve human and social wellbeing and protect the environment.”
IIASA’s Ecosystems Services and Management (ESM) program aims to improve our understanding of ecosystems in today’s changing world. The strategic goal of ESM is supporting policy makers in developing rational, realistic and science-based regional, national and global strategies for the production of food, feed, fibre, and bio-energy that sustain ecosystem services and safeguard food security. By using advanced theories of applied systems analysis, new information technologies and integrated biophysical, social and economic modelling techniques, ESM is charting possible pathways to the future by linking ecosystems, society, policy and governance. ESM research has been vital in providing policy advice on assessing restoration potential, land-use change, deforestation, and climate targets. ESM has also extensive experience in using crowdsourcing in land cover and land use monitoring.
ESM consists of three Centres, one of which is the Centre for Earth Observation and Citizen Science (EOCS). EOCS research on Earth Observation, in collaboration with GEO and national space agencies, devises new approaches and technologies to collect, harmonize, and verify spatial information. At the core of these efforts is the Geo-Wiki platform, which provides citizens with the means to engage in environmental monitoring of the Earth by providing feedback on existing information overlaid on satellite imagery or by contributing entirely new data. EOCS has extensive experience in land use and environmental assessment, and a track record in developing successful crowdsourcing mobile applications that allow for stakeholder involvement in the collection and use of information for early warning programs, risk analysis and decision-making. Overall, the EOCS team is placed firmly at the intersection of Earth Observation and Citizen Science, having expertise in data quality assurance in citizen science, technical implementation, crowdsourcing and engagement. Furthermore, EOCS currently coordinates the H2020 projects WeObserve (H2020 CSA), LandSense (H2020 IA) and is key content developer for the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) within the H2020 Grow Observatory.