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Short Abstract

This paper introduces a project using mobile technology, developed at the University of Jyväskylä, for collecting and analyzing experiential knowledge anonymously. We will discuss the possibilities of the technology for various research questions, including those concerning ambivalent heritage.

Abstract

The Finnish Digital Citizen Science Center is a multidisciplinary project including four faculties at the University of Jyväskylä and the Finnish Museum of Natural History Luomus (University of Helsinki). It includes four subprojects from the fields of Natural Sciences, Health Sciences, Educational Sciences and Humanities.

This presentation introduces the Citizen Humanities subproject and discusses the use and possibilities of digital and mobile technology Research for JYU Mobile (RFJM) which has been developed at the University of Jyväskylä. The subproject is currently using the technology for collecting interviews focused on nature experiences. The collection happens via a mobile application and the interviews are transcribed by AI. Also, the process of analysis is automated. Instead of close reading the transcripts, the researchers pose questions for AI which interprets the research material. Our aim is to explore an automated research process and test a method which guarantees full anonymity for the interviewees.

As the process differs greatly from usual ways of collecting experiential knowledge in our own field, ethnology, and also in other fields of cultural studies, the process raises many questions but also creates possibilities for Citizen Science. The knowledge this project produces about the automated and anonymized method can be applied in various fields and research questions, including those concerning ambivalent heritage.