Citizen science involves members of the public collecting and analyzing scientific data using sensors. Sensors can react predictably to environmental conditions and measure aspects like air quality. A recent citizen science project involved students, scientists and public health experts using open-source air quality sensors to collect data from four neighborhoods in San Diego over a spring period. The sensors measured particulate matter and gas levels every 30 seconds, uploading averages to be viewed online. The project aimed to engage the public and gather more information on local environmental conditions.

1. CITIZEN SCIENCE:
SENSORS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
AMY SCHMITZ WEISS | @DIGITALAMYSW
LILY BUI | @DANGERBUI
JUN YAMADERA | @JUNYAMADERA
#SXSW | #SENSORJOURNO

2. citizen science
crowdsourcing
participatory
sensing
citizen sensing
flock sensing

3. CITIZEN “BEN” SCIENCE

4. citizen scientists are people who participate in
the collection of scientific data who don’t
necessarily have a scientific background or
expertise, but enjoy being a part of process
CITIZEN SCIENCE

5. Something that reacts predictably to its
environment and can measure some aspect
of it.
SENSOR

8. source: http://www.buzinga.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Sensor-growth-
in-smartphones.jpg

10. source: https://
arrayofthings.github.io

11. Top down
Bottom up

24. JunYamadera
Unicorn, Chief Chaos Officer
FUKUSHIMA Wheel
“Reinvent the Wheel”
http://fukushimawheel.org/ hashtag: #fukushimawheel

25. 15,870
343,334

27. Kintsugi (Golden Repair)

30. 130M

31. Bike-Share Market

32. Problem

33. “Reinvent
the
Wheel”

35. “Reinvent the Wheel”

36. “Share, Nothing Can Stop Us”

43. “Where there is sorrow
there is holy ground.”
– Oscar Wilde
http://fukushimawheel.org/ hashtag: #fukushimawheel

44. TEXT
WHAT’S IN THE AIR
AIR QUALITY SENSOR PROJECT
‣ Spring 2015 live news experiment
‣ students | scientists |
public health experts | inewsource
‣ 4 san diego neighborhoods &
open-source air quality sensors
ONA Hack the
Curriculum Grant

45. AIR QUALITY SENSOR KIT
Arduino
Grove dust PM2.5 sensor
Grove MQ2 gas sensor
LCD display (data ran every 30
seconds, sent averages)
Ethernet/micro-SD card upload

46. Photo by Camelle Sison

47. Photo by Yareli Parga

49. Photo by KC Stanfield

52. OUTCOME & WHAT’S NEXT
‣ http://inewsource.org/whats-in-the-air/

53. CITIZEN SCIENCE:
SENSORS AND THE ENVIRONMENT
AMY SCHMITZ WEISS | @DIGITALAMYSW
LILY BUI | @DANGERBUI
JUN YAMADERA | @JUNYAMADERA
#SXSW | #SENSORJOURNO