Opening science to citizens and having it develop thanks to their participation is something that many companies and projects believe in and work on, involving people in their research for data collection and process advancement.
Frederic Bartumeus, ICREA researcher and director of Mosquito Alert, a project coordinated by CREAF and CEAB-CSIC supported by Obra Social "la Caixa", in which scientists, institutions, and citizens come together to control the presence and expansion of mosquitoes that transmit global diseases, talks in an interview with ALMA about Mosquito Alert, a tool that allows studying and controlling mosquito populations and the diseases they transmit.
The operation is mainly through an open-source app where citizens send photos of mosquitoes or their breeding sites. This information is uploaded to a public interactive map that can be accessed and consulted.
Citizen collaboration is highly important. The data provided is as reliable as that collected using the traditional method (both have an 80% prediction capacity).
According to Bartumeus, the system works because citizens take the project seriously and information flows reliably, in both directions, with feedback to the citizen and appreciation for their effort. Ultimately, it is about opening science to citizens, forming a team, and working together to strengthen the link between science and society. Science draws from people, and people draw from science; they are undoubtedly an indivisible pair, as is the technological element as a vehicle for transmitting information and a tool for distinguishing the veracity of content.
In our country, there are funding possibilities, and entities like Obra Social "la Caixa" are committed to innovative, responsible, and open research.
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