As a standout digital legacy of the ARSINOE project, the MINKA Citizen Science App has been officially presented as a key tool for empowering communities in the fight against climate change. This digital observatory for participatory environmental monitoring is already being deployed in key European regions, including Athens, Sardinia, and Ohrid/Prespa, to drive local resilience efforts.
MINKA is structured around three core pillars: Observe, allowing citizens to record biodiversity and environmental data; Analyse, enabling users to visualize and explore collective data; and Deliberate, a future community forum for collaborative decision-making. Through a user-friendly interface, AI-assisted species identification, and community-based validation, MINKA ensures that citizen-collected data can achieve ‘Research Grade’ status, making it valuable for both science and policy.
The platform’s impact has already garnered significant international recognition. MINKA is a recognized UN SDG Acceleration Action, an endorsed project of the UNESCO Decade of Ocean Science, and part of the EU Ocean Mission. With secured funding until 2029 and adherence to FAIR principles, MINKA is positioned as a long-term enabler of citizen-driven climate resilience.
Discover the app at the link here.