Electric Oceans: The Features, Functionality and Utility of the GIRT Website and Associated Database for Citizen Science, Site Conservation and Underwater Cultural Heritage Management Outcomes

Abstract

<p>In July 2018 the GIRT Scientific Divers citizen science programme commenced as a pilot project in South Australia. Building on feedback from pilot project participants the GIRT survey methodology and guidance documents were finalised in early 2019, enabling the development of a bespoke website incorporating a secure relational database. The GIRT website is the tool for managing the citizen science programme and can: facilitate and manage membership; communicate research results to the public; enable sites to be adopted; facilitate horizontal and vertical communication between members, tutors and the chief investigator; facilitate training; and enable survey reports to be submitted in a systematic manner into a relational database. This paper introduces the GIRT scientific diver citizen science programme, discusses with examples the website's development, features, functionality, potential and utility for scientific outcomes and links these to the societal objectives of the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021–2030) and the 10 key principals for citizen science supported by the Australian Citizen Science Association. The paper highlights how the GIRT website was designed to support individual benefit from participation and how it facilitates public benefit and public good conservation outcomes for underwater cultural heritage management.</p>