Harrison, S.E.; Lawson, R.V.; Charlton, D.H.; Kaiser, L.H.; Clive, M.A.T.Griffin, A.G. 2025 Crowdsourcing to collect public observations of geohazards and their impacts in Aotearoa New Zealand: an overview of the process, challenges, and learnings for implementation. Lower Hutt, NZ: GNS Science. GNS Science report 2025/33. 52 p.; doi: 10.21420/CTHH-ZK71
Abstract
This report provides an overview of the recent work that has been carried out to operationalise a crowdsourcing platform at Earth Sciences New Zealand to rapidly collect public observations of geohazards and their impacts. This involved conducting an extensive human-research ethics review and risk assessment to ensure that the risks of the project are minimised for all users and partners as reasonably practicable. The crowdsourcing tool described herein was built through a user-centred design process, whereby contributors and users of the public-observation data were engaged with to understand their needs and test their experiences. This report is intended for researchers and practitioners looking to implement a crowdsourcing project to collect natural hazard and impact information. The reporting form is the tool through which we collect people’s observations of a geohazard and its impacts. The form is designed using skip logic to allow users to complete either a rapid or a detailed reporting form. The forms for collecting public reports of tsunami, landslide and volcano were designed in consultation with physical, social and risk scientists with expertise in the processes associated with each type of hazard and associated impacts. Each reporting form follows a similar structure with consistent sections on safety, consent, rapid questions, detailed questions and survey closure. The volunteer contributor will access the reporting form online using either their mobile device or computer. Good practise in a citizen-science and crowdsourcing project involves sharing the data/results back to the contributors. We have identified three service levels for sharing the data back to the public: (1) At a minimum service level, we will publish a summary of the collected data in any GeoNet news story that is published in relation to the event and data collection. (2) At a medium service level, we will publish a more in-depth and interactive post-event summary as an ArcGIS StoryMap, with aggregated de-identified results for participants, and anyone else from the public, to interact with and explore the filtered data in such a way that still protects the privacy of the respondents. (3) At a maximum service level, we intend to publish a real-time or near-real-time map of filtered data during or immediately after a hazardous event so that users can use this for their own situational awareness. For notable events, we will publish the data in an open-access science report or journal publication available for online download from Earth Sciences New Zealand. We also intend to share the data with select technical users during an emergency response in real-time or near-real-time to support decision-making, as well as post-event scientific analysis. Due to the sensitivity of the data and Earth Sciences New Zealand’s obligations in handling personal information under the Privacy Act 2020, external users will be required to sign a data-sharing agreement in advance of an event. Collecting, sharing and publishing crowdsourced geo-located observations of hazardous phenomena and their impacts introduces numerous ethical, legal and organisational risks that must be identified and mitigated. Protecting people’s safety and wellbeing is the primary goal of all research that the research team conducts. We applied various ethical principles to assess the risks and benefits to people participating in this project (i.e. by submitting their observations through the reporting forms) and determined that, as a Crown Research Institute (currently awaiting legislative change into a Public Research Organisation), we must also consider our social obligation to make this information available for improving risk-based decision-making, awareness, education and actions to increase Aotearoa New Zealand’s resilience to such hazards. Thus, it is important that we find a balance between mitigating harm to the individuals and larger societal benefit (auths)
