FieldScope is an interactive platform, run by BSCS Science Learning, which allows organizers of field studies to leverage sophisticated graphing and mapping tools to enhance existing and future citizen science projects. Participants of all ages and backgrounds can conveniently upload measurements, observations, and media to a shared project database.

Many citizen science projects ask participants to collect data, which is a great way to engage in authentic science. But there’s also so much to learn from analyzing data and understanding how observations contribute to the bigger picture. FieldScope allows project participants to do that. And the accompanying “Invitations to Inquiry” instructional activities guide students in how to use the FieldScope visualization tools to learn about where data are collected and what they mean. These activities support numerous aspects of the Next Generation Science Standards and the Environmental Education Materials: Guidelines for Excellence.