First publication of the Deep Sea Spy citizen data in a scientific paper!

The first scientific paper using data acquired by more than 1,130 participants has just been published in the scientific journal Ecological Informatics!

Analysis of the data acquired during the first Deep-sea Spy mission validated the quality and potential of citizen data for the analyses of images acquired by our laboratories at deep-sea observatories, supporting the monitoring of animal communities associated with hydrothermal ecosystems. This work enabled the development of digital tools and a citizen data validation protocol that can be applied to all the projects currently available on the Ifremer's citizen image annotation platform Ocean Spy (https://ocean-spy.ifremer.fr/).

This study highlighted the potential of Deep Sea Spy, hence your contribution, for the observation and monitoring of marine ecosystems by harnessing the participation of over a thousand participants. This new way of making science contributes to remove the barriers between science and society by involving the general public in the research process and the creation of knowledge. The development of educational programmes and material in collaboration with Océanopolis and the French National Education (Atelier Canopé in particular) has facilitated the engagement of young generations in the scientific process while raising awareness on environmental and societal issues related to the preservation of deep-sea ecosystems.

The authors have dedicated this work to Anne Rognant, who passed away in 2021. Anne was the curator in charge of scientific and cultural outreach at Océanopolis and supported this project from its earliest beginnings. The team is forever grateful for her enthusiasm, support and deep engagement in developing the educational resources, building a large network of schools and teachers across Brittany, and providing many opportunities to promote the project through public events and schools intervention.

Thank you for your contribution! Many new projects are waiting on the Ocean Spy platform: https://ocean-spy.ifremer.fr

Citation

Matabos, M., Cottais, P., Leroux, R., Cenatiempo, Y., Gasne-Destaville, C., Roullet, N., Sarrazin, J., Tourolle, J., & Borremans, C. (2025). Deep sea spy: An online citizen science annotation platform for science and ocean literacy. Ecological Informatics, 86, 103065. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103065