The citizen scientists performing water research in Hong Kong
Trained volunteers are gathering information that’s as reliable as official data
Together with his colleagues, Fred Lee is on a mission to involve the Hong Kong public in water research.
‘We want to show people that there is actually a great potential to perform citizen science projects in Hong Kong,’ says Lee, who is a professor and head of science at the School of Science and Technology at the Open University of Hong Kong (OUHK). ‘I think it is very challenging [to do citizen science here] because Hong Kong is very small and crowded and people in Hong Kong are very busy.’
For a number of years Lee and colleagues have been part of ‘FreshWater Watch’, a programme sponsored by HSBC. More than 20 publications have resulted from data gathered by over 8000 of the company’s employees across 36 countries – an interesting experiment in and of itself when considering the reach and impact enabled by corporate sponsorship of engagement programs.