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Exploring Citizen Science over Time: Sensing, Technology and the Law

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  • Anna Berti Suman

    (The European Commission Joint Research Centre, 21027 Ispra, Italy
    Disclaimer: views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission.)

  • Edwin Alblas

    (Law Group, Wageningen University, 6706KN Wageningen, The Netherlands)

Abstract

People over the course of history have survived by developing their ability to ‘sense’ their environment as an embryonic form of citizen science. With the emergence of modern states, governments have assumed responsibility for monitoring the quality of the environment, and progressively the practice and role of citizen science has changed. This review explores the different manifestations of citizen science over time, with a focus on its law and governance dimensions, reading this evolution as a critical analysis of the current discourses around citizen science. The evolution of citizen science throughout history and its transformation shows certain patterns that are highlighted in this article as ‘constant’ features, whereas other features are instead interrupted and reversed, and new ones emerge. We thus examined citizen science over time by asking what is really new about this phenomenon, focusing on constants—permanent features—and turning points—changes in direction. We argue that these dynamics are central to understanding the promises and perils of the practice, to fully grasping the forms of uninvited, reactive environmental citizen science and to scoping foreseeable future scenarios.

Suggested Citation

  • Anna Berti Suman & Edwin Alblas, 2023. "Exploring Citizen Science over Time: Sensing, Technology and the Law," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-13, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:5:p:4496-:d:1086081
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Loreta Tauginienė & Eglė Butkevičienė & Katrin Vohland & Barbara Heinisch & Maria Daskolia & Monika Suškevičs & Manuel Portela & Bálint Balázs & Baiba Prūse, 2020. "Citizen science in the social sciences and humanities: the power of interdisciplinarity," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 6(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Anastasia Adamou & Yiannis Georgiou & Demetra Paraskeva-Hadjichambi & Andreas Ch. Hadjichambis, 2021. "Environmental Citizen Science Initiatives as a Springboard towards the Education for Environmental Citizenship: A Systematic Literature Review of Empirical Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-29, December.
    3. Johan Rockström & Will Steffen & Kevin Noone & Åsa Persson & F. Stuart Chapin & Eric F. Lambin & Timothy M. Lenton & Marten Scheffer & Carl Folke & Hans Joachim Schellnhuber & Björn Nykvist & Cynthia , 2009. "A safe operating space for humanity," Nature, Nature, vol. 461(7263), pages 472-475, September.
    4. Michalis A. Vasiliades & Andreas Ch. Hadjichambis & Demetra Paraskeva-Hadjichambi & Anastasia Adamou & Yiannis Georgiou, 2021. "A Systematic Literature Review on the Participation Aspects of Environmental and Nature-Based Citizen Science Initiatives," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-27, July.
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