---
title: "Citizen science"
chunk: 13/19
source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_science"
category: "reference"
tags: "science, encyclopedia"
date_saved: "2026-05-05T03:48:48.750305+00:00"
instance: "kb-cron"
---

Citizen Sense (2013–2018): (quote) "Practices of monitoring and sensing environments have migrated to everyday participatory applications, where users of smart phones and networked devices are able to engage with modes of environmental observation and data collection."
Breathe Project: (quote) "We use the best available science and technology to better understand the quality of the air we breathe and provide opportunities for citizens to engage and take action."
The Bristol Approach to Citizen Sensing: (quote) "Citizen Sensing is about empowering people and places to understand and use smart tech and data from sensors to tackle the issues they care about, connect with other people who can help, and take positive, practical action."
Luftdaten.info: (quote) "You and thousands of others around the world install self-built sensors on the outside their home. Luftdaten.info generates a continuously updated particular matter map from the transmitted data."
CitiSense: (quote) "CitiSense aims to co-develop a participatory risk management system (PRMS) with citizens, local authorities and organizations which enables them to contribute to advanced climate services and enhanced urban climate resilience as well as receive recommendations that support their security."
A group of citizen scientists in a community-led project targeting toxic smoke from wood burners in Bristol, has recorded 11 breaches of World Health Organization daily guidelines for ultra-fine particulate pollution over a period of six months.
In a £7M programme funded by water regulator Ofwat, citizen scientists are being trained to test for pollution and over-abstraction in 10 river catchment areas in the UK. Sensors will be used and the information gathered will be available in a central visualisation platform. The project is led by The Rivers Trust and United Utilities and includes volunteers such as anglers testing the rivers they use. The Angling Trust provides the pollution sensors, with Kristian Kent from the Trust saying: "Citizen science is a reality of the world in the future, so they're not going to be able to just sweep it under the carpet."
River water quality in the U.K. has been tested by a combined total of over 7,000 volunteers in so-called "blitzes" run over two weekends in 2024. The research by the NGO Earthwatch Europe gathered data from 4,000 freshwater sites and used standardised testing equipment provide by the NGO and Imperial College. The second blitz in October 2024 included testing for chemical pollutants, such as antibiotics, agricultural chemicals and pesticides. Results from 4,531 volunteers showed that over 61% of the freshwater sites "were in a poor state because of high levels of the nutrients phosphate and nitrate, the main source of which is sewage effluent and agricultural runoff". The data gathered through robust volunteer testing is analysed and put into a report helping provide the Environment Agency with information it does not have.

=== COVID-19 pandemic ===

Resources for computer science and scientific crowdsourcing projects concerning COVID-19 can be found on the internet or as apps. Some such projects are listed below: