Print PageParticipatory Sensing systems leveraging mobile phones offer unprecedented observational capacity at the scale of the individual; at the same time they are remarkably scalable and affordable given the wide proliferation of cellular phone infrastructure and consumer devices that incorporate location services, imagers, accelerometers, and easy programmability. These systems can be leveraged by individuals and communities to address a range of personal, community and environmental concerns, from personal health to global health. At the same time they present technical challenges in usability and data privacy.
Results/Conclusions
Work at the Center for Embedded Networked Sensing (CENS) at UCLA has resulted in several citizen science and self-monitoring projects. Our environmental work includes What's Invasive!, a citizen science campaign for invasive species early detection, and Project BudBurst Mobile, a collaboration with the National citizen science campaign for observing plant phenology in relation to climate. Both projects are currently being used to collect useful environmental data and CENS research into participant engagement and retention is ongoing.
