Crowdsourcing Water Quality Data
Using mobile phone technologies coupled with water quality testing, there is great opportunity to increase the awareness of water quality throughout rural and urban communities in developing countries. Whether the focus is on empowering citizens with information about the quality of water they use in daily life or providing scientific data to water managers to help them deliver safe water to the citizens, the integration of citizen science, crowdsourcing, and innovative technologies has the potential to create positive and lasting change. The methodology presented herein combines empowerment of the public through participation in the scientific process (citizen science) with modern technologies to collect, gather, and disseminate data (crowdsourcing). By employing a crowdsourcing approach with innovative technologies, there is potential to harness large amounts of data in areas previously considered either too remote or costly to access. The purpose of this conceptual framework is to outline the considerations and activities to be undertaken for a successful water quality monitoring project using citizen science and crowdsourcing. Specifically included in the framework are: (1) the research question to be answered through the project; (2) the theory of change that will lead to desired outcomes; (3) project design considerations to promote a successful pilot; and (4) the methodology outlining implementation steps.
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| Format: | Working Paper biblioteca |
| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2016-11
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| Subjects: | citizen participation, crowdsourcing, project design, water quality, indicators, needs assessment, mobile apps, water screening, reporting, |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/136211480682845472/Crowdsourcing-water-quality-data-a-conceptual-framework https://hdl.handle.net/10986/25755 |
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| Summary: | Using mobile phone technologies coupled
with water quality testing, there is great opportunity to
increase the awareness of water quality throughout rural and
urban communities in developing countries. Whether the focus
is on empowering citizens with information about the quality
of water they use in daily life or providing scientific data
to water managers to help them deliver safe water to the
citizens, the integration of citizen science, crowdsourcing,
and innovative technologies has the potential to create
positive and lasting change. The methodology presented
herein combines empowerment of the public through
participation in the scientific process (citizen science)
with modern technologies to collect, gather, and disseminate
data (crowdsourcing). By employing a crowdsourcing approach
with innovative technologies, there is potential to harness
large amounts of data in areas previously considered either
too remote or costly to access. The purpose of this
conceptual framework is to outline the considerations and
activities to be undertaken for a successful water quality
monitoring project using citizen science and crowdsourcing.
Specifically included in the framework are: (1) the research
question to be answered through the project; (2) the theory
of change that will lead to desired outcomes; (3) project
design considerations to promote a successful pilot; and (4)
the methodology outlining implementation steps. |
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