Citizen Science provides new opportunities for geography and GIS

Abstract

The Enlightenment around the end of the 18th century was the beginning of the scientific paradigm and the social and societal order that we know today. There is a general belief that society develops through social and scientific innovation, and that progress is based on a foundation of education and learning. This paradigm has been continuously institutionalized through schools, universities and the academic constitution of science. But something is changing in the way institutions conduct research today. The change comes, among other things, by the citizens taking their mobile phone (smartphone) in hand and going out and doing citizen research (Citizen Science). This article (in Danish) shows examples from the research project PERICLES, where Citizen Science has been used in connection with data collection.