A new chapter: moving on from the Citizen Science (CS) Project Builder
Citizen Science Zurich (CSZ) will be deactivating the CS Project Builder at the end of June. Since 2020, the platform has successfully supported numerous projects for citizen scientists in Switzerland and beyond.
The CS Project Builder is based on PyBossa, an open-source framework that has played a key role in enabling collaborative platforms for digital data analysis and enrichment. Active development and support for PyBossa ended a few years ago, making it increasingly challenging for CSZ to keep the platform up to date, secure, and aligned with current needs.
At the same time, CSZ has been exploring a range of alternative open and free CS tools. Many of them offer similarly powerful features and are actively maintained by established research institutions, ensuring long-term reliability and continued development.
Based on these considerations, CSZ has made a strategic decision to move away from maintaining a single dedicated platform. Instead, we will focus on providing expert guidance to CS practitioners by:
- evaluating a variety of existing tools and platforms
- supporting the selection process based on specific project needs
- advising on appropriate formats and technical solutions
In practice, the current platform will be switched off on June 30 2026. All current and past users have been informed and advised to download any remaining data, as access will end at the same time.
We remain committed to supporting the CS community and will continue to advise on selecting the right platforms and formats for successful projects. If you have any questions or need support, feel free to get in touch.
Author: Rosy Mondardini