WorkshopGroup SessionWorkshop (2 hours)
Citizen sensing in public space
Public Lab lineage workshop on community-built sensing infrastructure — kite-mapping, balloon mapping, low-IR thermal imaging, citizen sensor mesh networks. We'll cover how communities have used these tools to defend public health and shared resources, and what's possible now with cheaper sensors and richer agentic proxies.
What you'll walk away with
- A working mental map of citizen-sensing methods (kite, balloon, thermal, mesh)
- Three project ideas anchored to public-health or shared-resource value flows
- A starter parts list for a low-cost first sensing rig
- Connections to other people doing this in your region
Prerequisites
- Care about a specific public-benefit issue (water, air, soil, watershed, urban heat)
- Curiosity about hands-on tools — no electronics background required
Concepts covered
- Polluter shows up in thermal
- Kite-mapping as infrastructure
- Citizen sensor mesh
- Hot-air balloon public sky
- Restoration is a sensing loop