[go: nahoru, domu]
Jump to content

Sensor journalism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Lilybeewiki (talk | contribs) at 09:58, 13 October 2014 (→‎External links). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.


Definition

Sensor journalism[1] refers to a method of using sensors to generate or collect data, then analyzing, visualizing, or using the data to support journalistic inquiry. This is related to but distinct from data journalism. Whereas data journalism relies on using historical or existing data, sensor journalism involves the creation of data with sensor tools. This also includes drone journalism.[2] [3]

Background

Examples of sensor-based journalism (below) date back to the early 2000s[4] and usually involve the use of sensor tools to generate or collect data to be reported on. The way in which the sensors are deployed varies. In some cases, a journalist will learn how to operate and deploy a sensor (see Houston Chronicle) while in others (see WNYC Cicada Tracker), the sensors are built and deployed by the general public. Journalists can also request data from existing sensor networks (see Sun Sentinel example) and remote sensors (see ProPublica example)[5].

Sensors used for reporting can be closed source with expressly stated terms of use or open source, which allows for modification of the sensor downstream of development[6].

Sensor journalism modules have been taught at Emerson College[7] (around water quality/contamination) and Florida International University (around sea-level rise)[8][9][10]. An air quality sensor journalism module is slated for spring of 2015 at San Diego State University[11].

Examples

  • Houston Chronicle, In Harm’s Way[12]
The Houston Chronicle tested the air in public parks, playgrounds and neighborhoods bordering some of the state's largest industrial plants and found the air in the Manchester area laden with toxic chemicals. The Chronicle collected air samples over the course of 3 days in Houston, Baytown, Freeport and Port Neches. The test was carried out with equipment used by plant workers to detect hazardous chemicals in the air, and the samples were analyzed for 18 toxic substances by the University of Texas School of Public Health.
  • USA Today, Ghost Factories[13]
In 2012, USA Today published a series called “Ghost Factories” which investigated lead-contaminated soil in neighborhoods around previous U.S. lead factory sites. The investigation addressed the lack of action taken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to test and clean up these sites despite having been warned in 2001 about the dangerous levels of lead contamination around the area. The journalism team used an XRF analyzer, which miners traditionally used to analyze soil samples. The tool's manufacturer ThermoFisher set the units to analyze the soil for specific pollutants that USA Today was investigating.
  • Sun Sentinel, Above the Law [14]
In February 2012, Sun Sentinel released a three-part series revealing the tendencies of cop cars to speed. The reporters found nearly 800 officers who reached speeds of 90-130 mph, many of them while off duty. The journalism team was able to request and access sensor data from toll gates to assess the speed of cop cars. As a direct result of the Sun Sentinel's investigation, many officers were disciplined, suspended and/or fired.
  • WNYC Cicada Tracker[15]
The WNYC Data News team conceived of the Cicada Tracker project, which revolved around the emergence of the Magicicada brood in the summer of 2013. The project involved getting public radio listeners to measure soil temperature using Arduino-based sensors and report it back to WNYC using a data app on their website. From Tow report: “Altogether, the sensor design that WNYC published online required parts costing about $80 and could be assembled in 29 steps, each illustrated with a picture and a short piece of text. Consequently, people in the WNYC community actually spent the money, invested the time to build the sensor, and started to send in their temperature readings.” A new design was eventually released, for which the cost of parts was only $12.
  • Washington Post, ShotSpotter[16]
ShotSpotter captured more than 9,000 incidents of gunfire using a web of 300 acoustic sensors across 20 square miles in D.C. About 39,000 separate incidents of gunfire have been documented by this network. The data were obtained through a public-records request and offer an unprecedented view of gun crime in a city where shooting a firearm is illegal.
  • Planet Money, Planet Money Makes a T-Shirt[17]
The public radio show Planet Money ran a Kickstarter campaign for a short-sleeved shirt made out of cotton with a printed cartoon squirrel holding a martini glass. The idea was to follow the production of the shirt from beginning to end. The reporting process involved the use of drones to take aerial photography and footage of cotton farms.
  • ProPublica, Losing Ground[18]
ProPublica journalists used remote-sensing data from Landsat-8 satellites to show the effects of sea-level rise in Louisiana. The team processed Landsat-8 images and drew on the US Geological Survey’s interpretations of data from earlier Landsat craft. Starting with data collected from aerial photography in the 1950s and ending with 2012 satellite data, the layered maps show how the canals transformed the marshlands and the relocated soil stopped sediments replenishing the land.

Related

  • Citizen science
  • Citizen sensing
  • Remote sensing
  • Crowdsourcing
  • Data journalism
  • Data visualization
  • Citizen journalism
  • Environmental monitoring
  • Post-industrial journalism
  • Open software/hardware
  • Open source
  • Open science
  • Responsive city


Tools and Platforms


References

  1. ^ Sensors & Journalism, Tow Center report, 2014
  2. ^ Culver, Kathleen Bartzen. "From Battlefield to Newsroom: Ethical Implications of Drone Technology in Journalism," Journal of Mass Media Ethics (2013)
  3. ^ Drone journalism, Wikipedia.
  4. ^ Sensors & Journalism, Tow Center report (see 'Case studies,' 2014
  5. ^ Tow Center blog, "ProPublic Satellites and the Shrinking Louisiana Coast
  6. ^ Sensors & Journalism, Tow Center report, "Closed Source Initiatives" p. 164, 2014
  7. ^ "Sensor journalism student reflections"
  8. ^ Gutsche, Robert. King Tide Day project from Florida International University
  9. ^ Lean, Rachel. "King Tide Day: Students Gather on Miami Beach To Combat Sea Level Rise Apathy," Miami New Times (2013)
  10. ^ TODAY Show. King Tide Day (2014)
  11. ^ "What's In the Air?" project from San Diego State University
  12. ^ Houston Chronicle, In Harm’s Way
  13. ^ USA Today, Ghost Factories
  14. ^ Sun Sentinel, Above the Law
  15. ^ WNYC Cicada Tracker
  16. ^ Washington Post, ShotSpotter
  17. ^ Planet Money, Planet Money Makes a T-Shirt
  18. ^ ProPublica, Losing Ground

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sensor_journalism&oldid=629418799"