Environmental charity Thames21 has launched a new online dashboard that – for the first time – brings together key datasets on river health gathered by citizen scientists across London and the Thames Basin.
The ‘Citizen Science Dashboard’ currently holds more than 6,000 water quality samples and 2,000 riverfly surveys, making it, as the charity describes, one of the most complete citizen science tools in the UK. By centralising this information, stakeholders can easily access vital data and have a clear understanding of river health.
The launch of the dashboard platforms the work of a growing citizen science movement, empowering communities to monitor and protect their local rivers. This puts people at the centre of taking action for the UK’s waterways, helping identify and tackle pollution from sewage, road run-off, and agriculture.
The dashboard collates water quality and ecology surveys from eight catchments across London and the Thames Basin. This data is sourced from monitoring initiatives such as Water Rangers and ‘The Riverfly Partnership’ workspace on Cartographer, where citizen scientists trained by Thames21 contribute their results*.
A key feature of the tool is its intuitive interface, which allows users to analyse data in various spatial and time-series views. The dashboard also presents health scorecards, an accessible snapshot of the overall condition of a specific waterbody or catchment that also spotlights the most pressing pollution issues.
The team behind it hopes to translate community engagement into real change. The data and information will make it easier for the public to learn more about river health in their local area and provide a sense of ownership to citizen scientists. Most critically, the Citizen Science Dashboard aims to highlight problematic areas and stimulate discussions with water regulators and water companies to accelerate change, hold them to account and improve river health.
Chris Coode, CEO at Thames21, said: “We are thrilled about this new tool. The data collected by our citizen scientists are vital to drive change in local catchments, and we want to thank our volunteers whose dedication makes this possible. With this dashboard we’re increasing the eyes and ears on our rivers so more pollution sources are identified and ultimately stopped.
“Water pollution is an ongoing threat to London’s rivers and the Thames Basin. Ultimately, the water quality and overall health of our rivers must improve. Achieving real change requires a united effort from government bodies, regulators, environmental organisations, investors, and industry leaders. This dashboard is a practical step to help us work together, clean up our water and secure a healthier future for the River Thames.”
The dashboard was created through Thames21’s EMPOWER Rivers Programme, funded by the Lund Trust and supported by additional funding from SYMBIOREM.
