Citizen Scientists, Scientists, and the Participation Triangle

Think about it: how many scientists were with you the last time you visited the ocean, coast, forest, or any wild place? Unless you were in a research hub like the Galápagos, the answer was probably—none.

That’s where participatory science, often called citizen science, plays a vital role. By empowering people everywhere to observe and report what they see, we can begin to close critical data gaps that no single research team could ever fill alone. (Our team has published extensively on this—see our IMPACT page).

But this isn’t about replacing scientists—it’s about complementing them. Local observations, expert fieldwork, and advanced technologies like sensors, drones, satellites, and eDNA each bring unique strengths.

At eOceans, we bring all of these together—local, expert, and remote—in a unified system. When these data streams work in concert, they don’t just increase volume and resolution. They transform our collective ability to understand ecosystems and track how they’re changing over time.