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Short Abstract

Exploring the use of cost-effective and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) participatory technologies for long-term water quality monitoring to enhance coastal management and promote citizen engagement in urban marine environments.

Abstract

My motivation to participate in this workshop arises from the need to strengthen blue citizen science approaches that connect participatory monitoring, digital innovation, and environmental management. Through my work in the PITACORA project (ParticIpatory Technologies for sustAinable COastal monitoRing in urban Areas), I explore how Do-It-Yourself (DIY) and low-cost technologies can support long-term monitoring and improve data availability for informed coastal management, especially in urban coastal waters.

Our approach integrates citizen observations via participatory platforms such as MINKA, enabling communities to contribute valuable data aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The KduPRO instrument, developed at the Institute of Marine Sciences (CSIC), exemplifies this approach—an open, modular system measuring underwater irradiance, now being adapted with multispectral sensors for use in participatory contexts.

In the roundtable, I aim to contribute by sharing practical insights and challenges related to:

- deploying low-cost instruments in saline and dynamic environments,

- ensuring data quality and scientific reliability in citizen science, and

- fostering sustained public engagement through inclusive and co-created monitoring initiatives.

I hope to exchange experiences and learn from other initiatives addressing similar challenges in marine, coastal, and freshwater contexts, contributing to a broader reflection on how DIY technologies and participatory networks can empower communities toward sustainable ocean and water stewardship.