Abstract:
This article proposes a conceptual architecture for citizen-expert knowledge exchange
in biodiversity management. Expert services, such as taxonomic identification, are required
in many biodiversity management activities, yet these services remain inaccessible
to poor communities, such as small-scale farmers. The aim of this research was
to combine ontology and crowdsourcing technologies to provide taxonomic services to
such communities. The study used a design science research (DSR) approach to develop
the conceptual architecture. The DSR approach generates knowledge through building
and evaluation of novel artefacts. The research instantiated the architecture through the
development of a platform for experts and farmers to share knowledge on fruit flies. The
platform is intended to support rural fruit farmers in Kenya with control and management
of fruit flies. Expert knowledge about fruit flies is captured in an ontology that is
integrated into the platform. The non-expert citizen participation includes harnessing
crowdsourcing technologies to assist with organism identification. An evaluation of the
architecture was done through an experiment of fruit fly identification using the platform.
The results showed that the crowds, supported by an ontology of expert knowledge,
could identify most samples to species level and in some cases to sub-family level.
The conceptual architecture may guide and enable creation of citizen-expert knowledge
exchange applications, which may alleviate the taxonomic impediment, as well as allow
poor citizens access to expert knowledge. Such a conceptual architecture may also enable
the implementation of systems that allow non-experts to participate in sharing of
knowledge, thus providing opportunity for the evolution of comprehensive biodiversity
knowledge systems.
