“Low-cost technology opens up doors for people who never before had the opportunity to become involved in science, especially those in low-income communities. In recent years, communities themselves are initiating research projects, supported by scientists, rather than the other way around.

For example, Extreme Citizen Science, based in the United Kingdom, is developing a generic platform that enables nonliterate people in the Republic of Congo to use smartphones and tablets to collect, share, and analyze spatial data. “Ultimately, the goal is to let communities build so-called Community Memories: evolving, shared representations of the state of their environment, their relationship with it, and any threats it faces,” according to the project’s website.”

One of the many topics explored in this article which covers a range of issues. –AWA–

Source: Frontiers of Citizen Science