Data collected by the JRC Invasive Alien Species in Europe app

Amplified by the phenomenon of globalisation, such as increased human mobility and the worldwide shipping of goods, we observe an increasing spread of animals and plants outside their native habitats. A few of these ‘aliens' have negative impacts on their environment, including threats to local biodiversity, agricultural productivity, and human health. Our work addresses these threats, particularly within the European Union (EU), where a related legal framework has been established. We follow an open and participatory approach that allows more people to share their experiences of invasive alien species (IAS) in their surroundings. Over the past three years, we developed a mobile phone application, together with the underlying data management and validation infrastructure, which allows smartphone users to report a selected list of IAS. We put quality assurance and data integration mechanisms into place that allows the uptake of information into existing official systems in order to make it accessible to the relevant policy-making at EU level. This article summarises our scientific methodology and technical approach, explains our decisions, and provides an outlook to the future of IAS monitoring involving citizens and utilising the latest technological advancements. Last but not least we emphasise on software design for reuse, within the domain of IAS monitoring, but also for supporting citizen science apps more generally.

Whereas much could already be achieved, many scientific, technical and organizational challenges still remain to be addressed before data can be seamlessly shared and integrated. Here, we particularly highlight issues that emerge in an international setting, which involves many different stakeholders.

Tackling alien species (AS) demands international collaboration, harmonization and sharing of data. The European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN) is committed to this aim, as the official information system assisting the European Commission and the European Union (EU) Member States with the implementation of the EU Regulation 1143/2014 on Invasive Alien Species (IAS). Citizens can provide a substantial contribution

by reporting the sighting of IAS identified as of Union concern, according to the EU Regulation, supplementing Member States Competent Authorities surveillance systems. The JRC, within the framework of MYGEOSS initiative devoted to citizen science, has developed an application for Apple and Android devices called “Invasive Alien Species Europe”, allowing users to report the presence of the 37 species currently listed as of IAS of Union concern on the European territory. User friendly factsheets and pictures guide the user towards the species likely to have been observed. Once validated, data will be fed into the EASIN system. The App can be freely downloaded from Google and Apple Store.