This document discusses nurturing nature sensors by examining how organic farmers, beekeepers, and aquarists monitor the environments of living organisms. It finds that they rely heavily on non-digital tools like magnifying lenses, scales, and observation over time. Some use electronic sensors initially but abandon them once skills are developed. The document suggests that sensor design should (1) leverage non-digital inputs, (2) teach new ways of observing the environment, and (3) enrich practices of collecting and sharing biomarker data within communities.

1. Nurturing Nature Sensors
Stacey Kuznetsov, William Odom, James Pierce, Eric Paulos
Human-Computer Interaction Institute
Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Ubicomp 2011
Presented by: Bian Xiaoying
Bian@akg.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp

2. Content
 Background and Motivation
 Method and Result
 Suggestion
1

3. secrete nectar, the bees can't get to the flowers, maybe too
what's going on cold maybe very dry, there's not an excess moisture for the
st a function of flowers to secret a lot of nectar. (B1)
—you start to get
ght there‖, A). Background
Moreover, A checks ORP sensors twice a day to ensure
proper function of the ozone generator (―check in's and
check out's. Spend a good hour and a half of my day", A)
either by selling
and runs water quality tests weekly (―we do monitor it
• Large range of sensing system to support our
nitiatives (radio
rban agriculture
[water] once a week to make sure the carbon is still
removing the chlorine‖, A). R uses a scale to weigh reptiles
also emphasize
interactions with local environments
that‟s the most
while they are quarantined (―we do weights, measurements,
eeing something
to fruition‖, G)
―every third bite
ed to the honey
ir work.
domains, all
ar check-ups to
relates to. From
he first thing we
animals, we do
hem [fish] for a
ng that's off‖, A)
very Wednesday
the bi-weekly
Figure 2. Technologies used by participants: ORP probe, 2
once in 12 to 14 routinely used to monitor ozone levels in aquariums (top left),

4. Motivation
Traditionally This research
• Focus on electronic • Include Living
devices organisms
Inspire a broader and more hybrid approach
for sensing system
3

5. Method
• Have interview with 10 participants who work
with organic organisms and detail data in:
1. Monitoring practices
• Participants’ use of technology, tools and observation to monitor the
environment
2. Types of living indicators
• How participants use living organisms as environmental indicators
3. Collection, sharing and speculation of Data
• patterns of discussion and speculation around biomarker data
4

6. Result
Traditional
Tools
Digital
Biomarkers
Sensors
Get
information
5

7. Suggestion
• Leverage non-digital inputs in ubiquitous
systems
• Design technologies that teach new ways of
‘seeing’
• Enrich practices of data collection and sharing
6

8. Problems
• Meaningless use of sensors: Sometimes
people get result by observing biomarkers.
Green
Lack of ozone
Sensor
(lack of
ozone)
7

9. Problems
• Several types of sensors have been abandoned
once user acquires skills.
- More fully functional should not be the only purpose of
electronic sensors.
8

10. slag that drive by… there's this like black dust that collects phenomena and non-digital 'measurement‘ tools.
in the street and we scooped some of that up recently and Magnification and counting tools
sent it away for testing. I‟m curious to see… (F1) Participants routinely use counting and magnification tools
The aquarist participant relies on water quality testing when to infer environmental conditions (Figure 3). In beekeeping,
a ―monitoring tray‖—a tray imprinted with a square inch
Suggestion and Opinions
he notices unusual fish behavior (―we just start checking
everything to see where's the problem, what‟s wrong‖, A).
Water quality sensors include a pH meter, a
spectrophotometer, which can run up to ―400 different
grid—is placed under a hive. B2 accesses the infestation by
counting the number of mites (pests) fallen on each square:
This is a monitoring tray… I'll slide it in there [under a
chemical analysis‖, and a dissolved oxygen meter: hive]... We can either do a 24-hour count or a 15 min
count. I just do a 15 min count. I'd look at it, and go ok
We have a dissolved oxygen meter in the lab, we don't go
there's 6 [mites] in that one and on average there's 5 or 6
around and check all the exhibits once a week… if there's a
• Suggestion 1: Leverage non-digital inputs in
mites, which is heavy per square… So then I can determine
problem… we'll bring the DO [dissolved oxygen] meter
whether I want to do a treatment. (B2)
out. We'll check that it's not too low or too high. (A)
Similarly, F2 uses handmade traps (notecards covered with
Likewise, before harvesting honey, B2 occasionally uses a
a sticky substance) to monitor pests based on the amount of
ubiquitous systems.
handheld refractometer to check its water content
(―anything above 18% tends to ferment, anything below
18% doesn't ferment‖, B2). Thus, while technologies such
caught insects:
"To see them [pest insects], we set sticky traps… you can
as a DO meter or refractometer are not part of routine go and you stick them in the dirt and you can go and see
Where do non-digital inputs come from?
practice, participants tend to draw on them when their
observations suggest ambiguous outcomes.
what you have… I don't count them [insects], but I kinda
look at it. Like what's been caught on these cards-[F2 looks
at card] it's not a ton, but it's definitely a lot." (F2)
Abandoned digital sensing
Lastly, in several instances, digital sensing is used early on In IPM, a magnifying hand lens helps observe larvae stages
- Human, and their traditional tools.
but is eventually abandoned. F2 no longer uses a sprinkler
timer since it caused a pipe to ―burst‖, and participant I
on leaves to determine if beneficial insects are thriving:
Figure 3. Magnification and counting tools: monitoring tray (left); hand lens (center); handmade sticky trap (right).
- A wide range of monitoring rely on them.
9

11. Problems
• Use too many electronic devices can reduce
people’s engagement in other activities. The
more people take part in the interaction
directly with nature, more engagement they
would take.
10

12. Problems
• Example
a system that senses soil discourage active presence User never learn health of
moisture and waters plants in the garden plants
11

13. Suggestion and Opinions
• Suggestion 2 :Design technologies that teach
new ways of ‘seeing’.
- This means : sensing technologies as tools
that support new ways of ‘seeing’ or engaging in
the environment.
12

14. Suggestion and Opinions
• More engagement in the environmental
sensing could encourage people participate in
other activities.
- The sensor should be used as a tool under
the condition of not stopping people’s
other engagement.
13

15. Problems
• Poor input from and information exchange
between electronic devices.
14

16. Suggestion and Opinions
• Suggestion 3: Enrich practices of data
collection and sharing.
Data collection: Data from living organisms
can serve to issues of community concern and
political interest.
Picture of Track water
plants and quality in
fishes this area
15

17. Suggestion and Opinions
• Data sharing: People are willing to discuss the
meaning and cause of some environmental
phenomena.
Nothing to
exchange
16

18. Suggestion and Opinions
As a Result
• Shift from designing sensing
technologies to designing ubiquitous
systems.
- A system which can serve at the right point, both
facilities people and not hinders people’s
engagement and interesting.
17

19. Suggestion and Opinions
• Future input could support indiscreet and fluid
interactions with digital systems.
concrete System active with
measurement human
• Fully automated • human behavior
system
18

20. A Pool
If we designed everything separately:
Water level People:
Collect data
Temperature
Sensors
Analyze data
Ozone
Normal Abnormal
Oxygen
Stay home Action
Chemical elements
19

21. A Pool
If we combine everything together as a system, include people:
Water level People:
Collect data and work
Temperature
Sensors
Analyze data
Ozone
Normal Abnormal
Oxygen
Stay home Action
Chemical elements
20

22. Difference
• Work
- interaction with nature
- interaction between sensors
• More important, this system can even collect
data for human activity
21

23. Suggestion and Opinions
• Develop scaffolding tools that can train
individuals.
Be used to direct
A mobile phones
people to their Used as
as digital sensing
local scaffolding tools
devices
environments
22

24. Conclusion
• This paper is interesting because…
Search what people really need related to the sensor in
the natural.
Expand the vision of sensing beyond electronic devices.
Give the idea of design the whole system instead of
sensing technology only.
23

25. Thank you for your listing.
24

26. ogies that teach new ways
icher forms of metadata to themselves. We conclude with three opportunity areas to
eir actions, interests and help critically frame future work in ubiquitous sensing: (1)
leveraging non-digital sensors, (2) designing technologies
Appendix
that teach new ways of „seeing‟, and (3) enriching practices
of data collection and sharing.
WHAT IS A SENSOR?
In what follows, we present several categories of electronic
omp and HCI communities sensing technologies that emerged from our review of the
• Biomarkers: a substance used as a indicator of
ng systems to support our
ents, as well as the people,
UbiComp and HCI literature. Although these categories are
by no means exhaustive or exclusive, they help
iting them. While a sensor
a biological state.
device that responds to a
contextualize the diverse range of sensors currently studied
by these communities.
ty of prior and ongoing
nderstandably focused on
ing devices. In this paper,
f gardeners, beekeepers,
the domain of organic and
n the question, when is an
1 2
or necessary in a given
turned to groups outside
o productively inform new
Comp community [e.g., 39].
values and practices of
3
es of all or part of this work for 4
hout fee provided that copies are
mercial advantage and that copies Figure 1. Everyday biomarkers: reptile posture suggesting a
he first page. biomarkers means: 1. The snake’s shape, which means it is not comfortable.
These To copy otherwise, 2. Small
disturbance to the environment (top left); scale larvae
edistribute to lists, requires prior
insects, which means they may cause problemto this kind of tree. 3. Bee behavior, which reflect
signifying a pest harm (top right); bee behavior reflecting
the weather. 4.Fish appearance, from whichcyclesparasite levels (bottom right).
jing, China. local weather and bloom
we can seeleft); fish appearance
indicating water quality and
(bottom
the water quality. 25
8/10/09...$10.00.