Doctoral Dissertation Research: Socio-Technical Practices in the Context of Marcellus Shale Water-Quality Science

概述本STS博士论文改进基金将资助研究，以检查推动更大和更复杂的环境信息系统与当地对污染工业知识的需求之间的紧张关系。计算技术使大数据系统得以发展，用于分析自然和人造环境；然而，非科学家越来越多地参与收集当地社区污染的证据。因此，当普通公民通过参与式环境科学寻求地方赋权时，他们对数据收集工作的贡献有助于扩大大数据在科学知识主张中的重要性。这项研究是一项志愿者水监测小组的研究，他们对纽约和宾夕法尼亚州天然气开采带来的污染威胁做出了回应。该研究将跟踪五个能力建设组织，它们在制定志愿者监测协议、汇总数据和确定如何在公共数据门户中使用数据方面发挥重要作用。该研究解决了几个问题，例如解释能力建设组织使用的监测实践、数据聚合策略和数据共享实践的多样性，以及解释水监测社区在创建标准、共享的水质数据库方面面临的困难。为了回答这些问题，本研究采用了混合方法，包括对多个利益相关者群体的成员进行定性访谈，以及对能力建设组织之间举行的战略会议进行参与者观察。该研究将为STS关于公民科学的文献和越来越多的大数据信息学研究做出贡献。更广泛的影响本研究的结果将有可能影响民间社会团体的技术实践和信息管理战略。它将通过向参与研究的能力建设组织、志愿者团体和其他利益相关者团体提供知识，为志愿水监测社区做出重大贡献。这项研究还将为监管机构和研究科学家的实践提供信息，这些科学家正在寻求有效的方法与即将上线的支持公民科学团体的新信息系统进行互动。

OverviewThis STS Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant will fund research to examine the tension between the drive toward bigger and more complex environmental information systems and local needs for knowledge about polluting industries. Computing technologies have enabled the development of big-data systems to analyze natural and built environments; whereas, non-scientists are increasingly involved in gathering evidence of pollution in their local communities. Thus, while lay citizens seek local empowerment through participatory environmental science, their contributions to data gathering efforts serve to amplify the importance of big data in making scientific knowledge claims.Intellectual MeritThe research is a study volunteer water monitoring groups that respond to pollution threats from natural gas extraction in New York and Pennsylvania. The study will follow five capacity building organizations that play an important role in developing volunteer monitoring protocols, aggregating data, and determining how data will be used in public data portals. The study addresses several issues, such as explaining the diversity of monitoring practices, data aggregating strategies, and data sharing practices that are used by capacity building organizations, and explaining the difficulties water monitoring communities have faced in creating a standard, shared, water-quality database. To answer these questions, the research uses mixed-methods including qualitative interviews with members of multiple stakeholder groups, and participant observation of strategy sessions held between capacity building organizations. The study will contributes to STS literature on citizen science and a growing body of research on big-data informatics.Broader ImpactsThe results of this research will have potential to impact technical practices and information management strategies of civil society groups. It will make significant contributions to volunteer water-monitoring communities by contributing knowledge to capacity building organizations, volunteer groups, and other stakeholder groups that participate in the study. The study will also inform the practices of regulators and research scientists who are seeking effective ways to interact with new information systems that are coming online to support citizen science groups.