Citizen science is an ever-evolving and dynamic concept. With its advent, scientific research was not confined to state of the art laboratories. Even a person with no scientific background could pitch in to conduct meaningful research that has an effect on our common welfare. It’s this sense of “collective participation” that will set the milestones for a green environment.

Curiosity is all that is required!

Why is Citizen Science Important?

This term originated in the mid 1990’s, born out of a feeling of responsibility towards society. Recently it has grown into a movement, with more and more people taking interest in becoming citizen scientists.

Why? Perhaps it’s because we have realized that “if we want a change, then we can be the change”. How can we look towards a better future when our present is clouded? There have been many campaigns that highlight the issues that the mother-earth faces today - be it climate change, natural disasters, or even man-made interferences. We cannot overcome nature’s fury, but we can certainly do our bit to fix society and the shortcomings.

There is inspiration everywhere, be it around us or in neighbourhoods across the world. There are fewer people and even fewer resources to conduct research studies to understand the world. However, if each citizen could volunteer and pitch in with their own scientific knowledge, resources, equipment, or supplies, etc., it could go a long way. It could even lead to you making the difference and contributing to larger research. If more and more people can do their bit, then the knowledge would be as wide as the ocean.

Sensything’s Contribution to Citizen Science

Why Sensything? Perhaps the answer was clear when we said that it could “Sense Anything”. Apart from that, the main focus is on the user. You needn’t be a scientist to use this device (although you could be!), as it offers a simplified solution. You can be anyone who has the feeling that you want to make a difference in the world. We encourage people to not limit themselves, but to step out and do their bit for society. That’s why we made Sensything an open source device - it makes it easier to use multiple sensors to collect, monitor, record, and analyse data that is generated collectively. So for all you environmentalists who are looking for reliable data acquisition tools then look no further. Our aim is to bridge the gap that exists between science and fiction where the reality is right there in your hands, thanks to Sensything.

This article was inspired from Ashwin’s visit to the Open Source Hardware Summit 2018 at MIT. Redhat films’ "Open Source Stories" is an excellent film on citizen science.