Content Guide:

This project is meant to enhance science literacy and engagement in nature by informing everyday people of various tools at their disposal with which they can identify, understand, and communicate observations and thoughts in local and online communities. The goal is to empower citizens to engage in the scientific community by presenting small tutorials and work samples applying open-source GIS products to identify and track environmental problems. With this, folks will be better informed and prepared to address climate change at the community level. This website will introduce folks to open-source tools like the QGIS application and various methods to analyze environmental data. As you look through the content, feel free to interact with it. Explore the buttons and zoom  in to the images to capture more detail.

Citizen science is the active inclusion of civilian, non-professional scientists in the greater scientific community. The goal of expanding the community this way is to allow for greater diversity of thought and accelerate the innovation and application of new knowledge. This doesn’t have to involve Jill Krill going into a lab and having to find their way around a microscope for the first time since high school. Often, it involves everyday folks designing and/or conducting research, analyzing data, and sharing observations and thoughts of their community’s environment (Lee et al., 2020). Or someone taking their family on a walk through City Park to record what wildlife they find. This shouldn’t be interpreted as professionals abusing the community's desire to participate in science, rather, the expansion of what it means to be a scientist. When you think about it, a scientist is just a person who analyzes observations, plain and simple. Due to the growing popularity of citizen science and the power of modern technology and crowdsourcing, citizen science is quickly becoming recognized as a valid scientific approach (Lee et al., 2020).

There are plenty of reasons to think citizen science is important, but they’re fairly subjective. I think citizen science is important for two main reasons: to empower the public and hold the government and industry affiliates accountable. I invite you to form your own opinion, whether you agree or disagree. The primary benefits of integrating community participation in the greater scientific  community network have been proven through case studies performed around the world. Theobald et al. (2015) and Franzoni & Sauermann (2012) demonstrated the fiscal benefits of citizen science and the additional benefits it can generate, like innovation in the field of biodiversity conservation and successful promotion of marketing campaigns. Gardner et al. (2012) showed that a professionally-guided citizen science program can generate as much as four times the amount of study samples as traditional research methods at no extra cost.

Some challenges have already been addressed as well, including short-lived projects that negate the overall purpose of civilian inclusion and by causing volunteers to lose interest. There are also operational challenges like coordinating large groups, communicating findings, and increasing project visibility in the community. Pocock et al. (2017) discuss a major challenge facing community science on the international stage: a spatial bias toward western nations. Citizen science inherently relies on the resources provided by society; therefore, it is most affective in countries that can afford to apply its resources in this way. I encourage you to keep this in mind as you begin your scientific journey and look for data to explore. 

As an individual citizen scientist, you will likely face different challenges. Primarily, access to tools and information will be a major obstacle. Please know that you may not find what you need! Or, you might find it and realize the data you find doesn’t support your project, so you have to switch tracks. This has happened to me plenty of times, and it is always for the better. Like every artist says, trust the process! 

By now, you might be asking yourself, "So how can I be a 'good' citizen scientist?" Like any hobby or career, there isn't just one way to create value in a community. Some best practices I reccomend are:

1. Be honest with yourself - acknowledge the areas where your knowledge or skills falls short and allow others to help you. Be open to learning new skills, and be willing to teach yourself.

2. Expect imperfection and have patience with yourself. Remember to trust the process. Not everything you do will be great (some of it won't even be good), and that's very okay.

3. Communicate clearly and frequently with your peers and mentors, if you have any. It is always better to overcommunicate than undercommunicate.

4. Help others when they when they need help, and you're able to help them.

5. Advocate for your right to a healthy environment.