Building Bridges Through Infrastructure: Citizen Science and Institutional Integration in Air Quality Monitoring

Citizen Science Theory and Practice, vol. 11

Abstract

Citizen scientists are increasingly using low-cost sensors to measure their surroundings, for example, air quality. Sensor measurements offer greater temporal and spatial resolution, and have the potential to complement official monitoring practices that are often limited in coverage and may not reflect lived experiences. However, integration of citizen science (CS) data into official frameworks is still limited. CS data are often perceived as “messy,” with concerns about data quality, absence of standard methodologies, and perceptions of unreliability. While these challenges are well-documented, the critical role of infrastructure in bridging CS data and institutional frameworks has received less attention. Herein, we examine Measure Together, a government-funded project and community that functions as a boundary organisation at the interface between CS initiatives and institutional air quality monitoring. We explore how infrastructure emerges through relational, organisational, and technical factors aimed at making sense of CS data. We show how this CS infrastructure is beginning to merge with official monitoring infrastructure, resulting in a hybrid infrastructure that seeks to combine local data and insights from CS with the standardised and rigorous approaches of official monitoring. Our analysis highlights critical tensions, including conflicts between local and generic data, the action-oriented expectations of many CS participants versus the long-term timelines of official infrastructure, and challenges around trust and standardisation. We conclude by identifying pathways to navigate these tensions, emphasizing infrastructural work as an integral part of boundary work and a crucial condition for integrating CS and official monitoring data.

Authors 5

1. Henri de Ruiter corresponding

   National Institute for Public Health and the Environment

   Affiliation as printed

   National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven

2. Kirsten Vegt

   National Institute for Public Health and the Environment

   Affiliation as printed

   National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven; Centre for Science and Technology Studies, Leiden University, P.O. Box 905, 2300 AX Leiden

3. H. Volten

   National Institute for Public Health and the Environment

   Affiliation as printed

   National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven

4. Margaret M. Gold Aachen Citizen Science Lab

   Leiden University · University of Applied Sciences Leiden

   Affiliation as printed

   Citizen Science Lab, Leiden University, P.O. Box 905, 2300 AX Leiden

5. Janneke Elberse

   National Institute for Public Health and the Environment

   Affiliation as printed

   National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), P.O. Box 1, 3720 BA Bilthoven