Groundwater is a part of the natural water cycle and can be found moving beneath the Earth's surface as shown in the figure above. In the United States groundwater is used mostly for irrigation purposes, but many also rely on it for their drinking water. The issue we find is that groundwater can be easily contaminated. The SWC project focuses on monitoring nitrate in groundwater to detect potential health effects.
The above figures show a heat map of high nitrate contamination. Northern Indiana has been identified as a "hot spot" for groundwater nitrate contamination. We seek to compare groundwater data from urban, suburban, and rural communities in this region by using citizen science.
OUR STRATEGY:
USE CITIZEN SCIENCE TO DEVELOP COST-EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT METHODS TO MONITOR DRINKING WATER
Citizen Science, or crowdsensing, is an efficient data collection method that has potential to overcome many limitations:
- It will not require installing monitoring systems, keeping data collection cost effective
- We will be able to collect large amounts of data available when reaching out to communities and neighborhoods
- A crowdsensing platform will lead citizens to gain empowerment through actively participating and receiving information about their safety and health