我们最近写的一个小短文：

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v520/n7548/full/520436d.html

There are more than one billion mobile devices in China, offering huge potential for citizen scientists to contribute to a cleaner and safer environment. The scientific community should rapidly develop mobile apps to collect and monitor environmental and biodiversity data.

In one example of how China's citizen science could take off, journalist Jing Chai showed how to use a mobile app to follow air quality in the local environment as part of her 'Under the Dome' documentary on smog pollution, which was viewed millions of times in just 24 hours (seego.nature.com/2hj7wa).

Better apps would allow China's 8,000 or so environmental non-governmental organizations to tap into the massive volume of data collected by professionals and citizens. Also, collaborations among all three groups could improve and streamline data management and analysis.

Government financial support for citizen science is currently sparse. Greater investment by large agencies such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China would quickly reap rewards.

Author information
Affiliations
Aarhus University, Denmark
Jian Zhang
Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China
Xiaolei Huang