Beyond data collection — the social and political effects of environmental sensor proliferation

Jennifer Gabrys spoke with Mongabay about emerging technical applications, their deployments in the field and cultural implications of an ever more “wired up” planet.

Look across the pages of this website and others which feature emerging technologies, and you find a world that is increasingly “wired up” with interoperable, multifunctional devices that “sense” the environment, providing scientists with much needed data. Sensors you already know include cameras, GPSs, smart phones, thermometers, webcams and acoustic monitors.

As these and other technologies become more affordable and widely dispersed, greater numbers of citizen scientists are using sensor apps and tools to collect information about their environment, effectively crowdsourcing the building of knowledge about the world.

Full article.

Published in: Mongabay
By: Jenny Isaacs