Citizen Science
Our world is constantly moving, and so are we. The Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management is set on improving the quality of life within an accessible and clean environment. Using early warnings, the next issue has been selected for further research:
What if Citizen Science becomes key in designing mobility?
The first challenge was the width of the question. It’s not something that can easily be answered, but it also created many new questions that have the same problem of not being easy. For instance:
What is the value of data?
What role can a citizen have within research?
What is the balance of trust between the government and its citizens?
How can citizen science become a driving force in policymaking?
We searched for answers by creating a future vision where this early warning has become a reality and went out to talk to a wide audience.
These in depth-conversations with over 20 different people have shown me that no conversation is alike. It has shown the importance of involving stakeholders within a process. I would have never guessed that even seemingly simple questions could have so many different points of view and opinions.
It has taught me that the core strength isn’t just in my personal findings, but more so the experiences and expressions of all stakeholders that feel involved.
Using the research, we have created guidelines that must be at the center of citizen science if it wants to be of value. We then created a concept that shows how these can possibly be implemented.