I-CHANGE

Within the H2020 I-CHANGE project, a group of students from a scientific high school in Chiavari, Genoa, were involved in field activities aimed at collecting information on recent flood events that have affected the city.

Citizen science activities represent a key instrument for the Institute to strengthen the link between scientific research, territory, and local communities, particularly in the study of slope instability processes and flood dynamics in the context of climate change. Within this framework, the initiatives developed as part of the European H2020 I-CHANGE project aim to promote awareness, adaptation, and virtuous behavioural changes with respect to environmental risks.

A significant experience was carried out within the Genoa Living Lab, with the direct involvement of high school students from the Chiavari area. The activities were implemented through a synergistic collaboration among CNR research groups, in particular with the research teams of CNR IGAG in Milan and CNR IMATI in Genoa.

The initiative was conceived as an integrated pathway of training and participation, aimed at the reconstruction and analysis of past flood and landslide events, with particular reference to the November 2014 flood. The students took part in field campaigns during which they used dedicated web applications to collect georeferenced information on floods and landslides, analysed historical photographs and videos, and conducted interviews with shopkeepers and citizens who had directly experienced the event.

In parallel, the programme included landslide identification exercises based on aerial photographs and laboratory activities using remote sensing data, fostering a concrete understanding of geomorphological processes and of the potential of Earth observation technologies. Through the use of a WebApp based on KoboToolbox, approximately fifteen students were trained in the structured reporting of geo-hydrological phenomena, contributing both to the validation of Sentinel-based automatic landslide detection procedures and to the identification of events not documented in official databases.

The integration of digital mapping, field observations, local memory storytelling, remote analyses, and game-based learning tools demonstrated how appropriately trained citizens can provide a tangible contribution to the improvement of monitoring systems and early event detection. At the same time, these activities fostered an increased perception of risk and a deeper awareness of the link between climate change and the intensification of extreme events.

The results and methodological framework of this citizen science experience were presented at the international EGU General Assembly, through a poster contribution focused on the role of storytelling and ICT tools in bridging the gap between citizens and scientific research, and on the value of local knowledge in documenting the impacts of climate change over time.

These initiatives confirm the value of citizen science as a structural component of risk management and adaptation strategies, not only as a support for data collection, but also as a process of shared knowledge building and of strengthening community resilience.

Further details

Additional info about the project and activities

I-CHANGE project (external link)

I-CHANGE project (IRPI website)

https://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU24/EGU24-17417.html