Citizen Science GIS

What Citizen Science GIS does

Citizen Science GIS is a non-profit academic research and education organization founded in 2015 by Dr. Timothy L. Hawthorne and housed within the University of Central Florida's Department of Sociology. The organization's core function is using geospatial technologies — primarily GIS, drone/UAS mapping, and participatory mapping methods — to connect communities with scientists across the U.S., Belize, and the Pacific Coast of North America. Its operational surface spans community-based research (e.g., Hopkins Village water infrastructure mapping in Belize), STEAM education delivery via the GeoBus mobile classroom in Florida, and federally funded coastal ecosystem research including eelgrass drone mapping with the Smithsonian MarineGeo program.

The product portfolio is structured as a set of interconnected programs rather than commercial products: GeoBus (a solar-powered mobile STEAM classroom on a repurposed Lynx city bus), the NSF-funded REU/RET Site for undergraduate and K-12 educator research experiences in Belize and Florida, Open Reef (drone mapping of the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef), the NSF Smithsonian Drones eelgrass project, and Orange County Utilities drone mapping. Underlying technology relies on the Esri ArcGIS platform, Drone2Map, DJI Phantom UAS, and multi-spectral imagery analysis with a proprietary Spatio-Temporal Cokriging method developed internally. All outputs — including open-data portals and StoryMaps — are published under open licenses.

The business model is grant-funded non-profit operations, not commercial revenue. Primary funding flows from NSF research grants (notably $1.6M for Coupled Natural-Human Systems work and $1.3M for eelgrass mapping), supplemented by UCF institutional support, in-kind donations (the retired bus from Lynx, solar installation by 15lightyears), and contributions routed through the UCF Foundation. Activities are delivered free of charge to K-12 schools, REU/RET participants, and community partners, with no disclosed pricing or commercial product sales. The team is small — 10–20 core personnel plus rotating graduate and undergraduate researchers and REU participants — making the organization highly dependent on grant cycles, key personnel, and its host institution.

Name

Citizen Science GIS

Legal name

Citizen Science GIS

Website

https://citizensciencegis.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Citizen Science GIS is a UCF-affiliated non-profit research organization founded in 2015 that uses geospatial technology, drone mapping, and participatory GIS to connect communities and scientists through STEAM education and coastal research across Florida, Belize, and the Pacific Coast.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Geospatial Research and Education Services

NAICS

Surveying and Mapping (except Geophysical) Services (541370), Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

GIS & Spatial Data Management Platforms (BPAMANAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Satellite Imagery & Remote Sensing Geospatial Platforms (BPAMANAM), Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI), Education & Community Programs (Junior Ranger, Citizen Science, School Programs) (THAAAGAK)

Keywords

• Geospatial research
• Citizen science
• STEAM education
• Drone mapping
• Community-based research

Headquarters

HQ city

Orlando

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. NSF Research Grants: Primary funding from National Science Foundation grants including REU/RET Sites, Coupled Natural-Human Systems grants, and eelgrass drone mapping projects. The organization operates as an academic research group at UCF.
2. University of Central Florida Support: Institutional support from UCF Department of Sociology, including faculty positions, office space, and administrative resources.
3. Donations and Community Support: Accepts donations through UCF Foundation account. Received bus donation from Lynx and solar panel installation from 15lightyears.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Citizen Science GIS is a nonprofit academic research and education organization that uses geospatial technologies (GIS, drones, mapping) to connect communities and scientists across the globe. Its flagship offerings include the GeoBus solar-powered mobile STEAM education classroom for K-12 schools in Florida, NSF-funded REU/RET international research experiences for undergraduates and teachers, Open Reef drone mapping of the Belize Barrier Reef, and NSF/Smithsonian Pacific Coast eelgrass drone mapping. All offerings are delivered free of charge through grants and institutional support.

Product overview

Citizen Science GIS is a research and education organization affiliated with the University of Central Florida that connects communities and scientists through geospatial technologies. The organization operates several interconnected programs: GeoBus (a solar-powered mobile STEAM education lab on a converted city bus), the NSF REU/RET Site (funded international research experiences for undergraduates and K-12 educators), Open Reef (drone mapping of the Mesoamerican Reef), NSF Smithsonian Drones (eelgrass mapping with the Smithsonian), and Orange County Utilities (water infrastructure mapping). Together these offerings provide community-based GIS research, education, and outreach focused on making geospatial technologies accessible to diverse populations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GeoBus: Nation's first mobile STEAM education classroom/lab on a repurposed 40-foot city bus powered by solar that provides geospatial technology learning experiences to K-12 youth, families, and teachers in Florida.
• Open Reef Mapping Society
• Maps Apps and Drones Tour

Products and services

• GeoBus GeoBus is a solar-powered mobile STEAM education classroom built on a repurposed 40-foot city bus. It travels to K-12 schools across Florida to provide hands-on geospatial technology learning experiences, including mapping activities, apps, and drone demonstrations, prioritizing Title 1 and high-need school districts.
• NSF REU & RET Site The NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) and Research Experiences for Teachers (RET) Site provides fully funded international research experiences in community geography, GIS, and drone methods in Belize and Orlando, Florida. It is designed for U.S. undergraduate students and K-12 teachers who apply competitively.
• Open Reef Mapping Society Open Reef Mapping Society is a drone-mapping initiative that uses DJI Phantom UAVs to map the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in Belize and publish open, free mapping data on the ArcGIS platform to support citizen science, education, and marine conservation discovery.
• NSF Smithsonian Drones (Eelgrass Mapping) Drone mapping project for eelgrass meadows along the Pacific Coast of North America in partnership with the Smithsonian MarineGeo program, using multi-spectral UAV imagery and Spatio-Temporal Cokriging to measure eelgrass meadow extent, patchiness, and dynamics across sites in California, Oregon, and Washington.
• Orange County Utilities Drone Mapping A community-engagement drone mapping project in partnership with Orange County, Florida to map public water utility infrastructure, including pipelines and water meters, using UAV imagery and GIS analysis.
• STEAM Outreach Program STEAM outreach program that brings geospatial technology education experiences to schools and communities, including mapping activities, drone demonstrations, and career exposure. The program evolved from the earlier Maps, Apps and Drones Tour and continues alongside GeoBus.

Quantifiable outcome

• Served nearly 1500 GeoBus participants since February 2022 launch
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• EsricoreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partner providing ArcGIS platform, Drone2Map software, story maps, and ArcGIS Online platforms. Esri has featured Citizen Science GIS work on their story maps gallery and provided ongoing software support and training for research activities.
• Smithsonian Institution (MarineGeo)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner on NSF eelgrass drone mapping project along Pacific Coast of North America. Dr. Emmett Duffy serves as Principal Investigator with Citizen Science GIS as UCF partner. Joint fieldwork with Smithsonian researchers and students.
• University of California-DaviscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in $1.3M NSF eelgrass mapping collaborative grant alongside Smithsonian, Cornell, Oregon State, San Diego State, University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Hakai Institute.
• Cornell UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in NSF eelgrass drone mapping project. Cornell team members involved in in-situ measurement collection and validation activities.
• Oregon State UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in NSF eelgrass mapping project along Pacific Coast, with sites including Coos Bay and Yaquina Bay in Oregon.
• University of WashingtoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partner in eelgrass mapping project. UW team members (Dr. Drew Harvell, students) involved in Friday Harbor fieldwork and in-situ measurements.
• OpenOceans GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounder Carl Nettleton interested in including Hopkins Village, Belize in OpenOceans Global interactive map of world trash. Potential collaboration for marine debris mitigation work.
• San Diego State University (SDSU)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on drone mapping in Southern California alongside Smithsonian and UCF teams.
• University of Central FloridacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHost institution providing faculty positions (Dr. Hawthorne in Department of Sociology), office space, administrative support, and institutional infrastructure for Citizen Science GIS research group.
• 15lightyears (Solar Company)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCF alumni solar company that installed solar panels and built battery/inverter wall on GeoBus to power the mobile learning lab with renewable energy at no cost to the organization.
• Lynx (Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated retired 2005 baby blue city bus (#556) to Citizen Science GIS, which was converted into the GeoBus mobile STEAM classroom.
• U.S. Embassy BelizeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerREU students and staff presented research to Embassy staff including Ambassador Carlos Moreno and Deputy Chief of Mission Adrienne Galanek. Embassy expressed interest in ongoing collaboration and youth involvement.
• Hopkins Village Council (Belize)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary community partner in Belize for water infrastructure mapping, marine debris research, and flooding studies. Village council collaborates on identifying research needs and data sharing.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT): Non-profit that applies community-based participatory mapping to humanitarian and development challenges globally. Closely comparable on the methodology axis: volunteer/citizen mapping, open data outputs, and community-defined needs driving the research agenda.
• NASA DEVELOP Program: NASA's DEVELOP program conducts rapid-turnaround geospatial research projects applying Earth observations to community/environmental challenges, with a strong capacity-building and student-internship model. Highly analogous structure: federally funded, project-based, geospatial, with student researchers and applied community outcomes.
• American Geographical Society: Long-standing non-profit scholarly organization advancing geographic research and education. Comparable as an academic-leaning geography research and education body, though with a publication/policy orientation rather than field-project orientation.

Broad incumbents

• Conservation International: Global environmental NGO that integrates geospatial tools, including drone and satellite imagery, into conservation research and community engagement. Compares on the intersection of GIS/remote sensing and community-based environmental work, especially in coastal ecosystems.
• National Geographic Society: Large non-profit research and education organization focused on geography, exploration, and science communication. Dr. Hawthorne's National Geographic Explorer designation is awarded through this body. Compares on non-profit research/education mission with geospatial storytelling, though at vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• The Nature Conservancy: Large environmental non-profit with extensive use of GIS, remote sensing, and spatial analytics for conservation. Compares on the application of geospatial technology to environmental/community outcomes, though at a much larger scale and with a global conservation portfolio.
• Esri (Education & Research Programs): Dominant GIS software vendor whose Education & Research programs support university and K-12 users. Direct technology partnership with Citizen Science GIS (ArcGIS, Drone2Map) and comparable as a promoter of geospatial literacy; sits in adjacent, not competing, position.

Emerging players

• Zooniverse: Citizen science web platform hosting hundreds of research projects across disciplines. Compares on the citizen-science research model and on free public participation, though it operates as a generic online platform rather than a place-based field research group.
• MapGive: U.S. State Department-affiliated initiative that uses OpenStreetMap to support humanitarian and development mapping by volunteers. Comparable on the participatory/community-based mapping methodology applied to international development, though government-sponsored rather than academic.

Others

• USGS Coastal/Marine Hazards and Resources Program: U.S. Geological Survey programs conduct coastal/marine research and mapping using GIS, drones, and remote sensing. Compares on the technical application of GIS and remote sensing to coastal ecosystem monitoring, though as a federal science agency rather than a university-affiliated non-profit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/citizen_gis
• Facebookfacebook.com/citizensciencegis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Citizen Science GIS