Imagining a DeSci use case for Steem: A decentralized global climate dataset and reporting system

TL;DR: An outline for a Steem-based DeSci project proposes a decentralized global climate dataset using blockchain to improve data reliability, community involvement, and reduce politicization.

Introduction

Yesterday, I was in a Home Depot store, and I happened to walk past an aisle that was displaying a bunch of different home weather stations. This reminded me of a possible Steem dapp for DeSci that I've been imagining for a while. Namely, a decentralized global climate dataset.

As a science and numbers geek, I have loosely followed the field of climate science for a couple of decades. This is not (by any means) to say that I'm anything close to an expert on the topic, but just that I do have some familiarity with the subject. To me, one of the weak points for the field has always been the temperature measurement. It suffers (IMO) from multiple threats to its reliability:

1. Urban expansion leads to localized temperature increases that are not "climate" related.
2. It depends on measurements by volunteers, which limits the amount and quality of available data.
3. Outside of the US and Western Europe, many regions of the world don't have temperature measurements at all, so those temperatures are estimated by combining data from other areas.
4. The conditions around thermometers can change in other ways: Trees can grow up and start shading the area or blocking wind, nearby forest can be cleared, which changes the prevailing wind flow, etc.
5. Other biases exist (such as Time of Observation).
6. The whole field depends on government funding, which frequently leads to politicization.

Scientists argue that data adjustments can correct for these challenges, and they disagree on how much they matter (if at all), but I don't think anyone disagrees that they exist.

I'm not here to join one side or the other in the political debate on the subject of "global warming" (i.e. climate change). Instead, I'm wondering if we can improve the reach and quality of future climate data collection.

It seems to me that the Steem blockchain has the potential to improve the reach and quality of the data, so I want to start thinking about how this might be done.

On DeSci

According to @coingecko (link)

Decentralized science refers to the use of blockchain technology, and its features such as tokens, NFTs, and decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), to make various aspects of scientific research and collaboration more open, incentivized, and community-driven.

I don't really agree with that definition, since we can have decentralized citizen science initiatives that do not involve the use of tokens, NFTs, or DAOs. To me, DeSci just means any scientific collaboration where anybody can participate.

Since we're talking about DeSci on the Steem blockchain, however, this is a distinction that doesn't matter.

To the best of my knowledge, the most advanced crypto-related DeSci initiative is Research Coin, which is backed by the ResearchHub Foundation. The CEO of Research Hub is Brian Armstrong, who also happens to be the CEO of CoinBase.

You can learn about it here:

Here on Steem, the @steemstem account had once tried to create a similar funding/publication/peer review strategy using blockchain rewards, but that forward-looking initiative didn't survive the 2018 crypto market crash, and their residual curation project left the chain in 2020. Since then, as far as I know Steem hasn't had any strong efforts towards participating in the DeSci space.

Personally, I'd like to see that change. Unfortunately, a funding/publication/review system like Research Coin would require funding that I don't have, so scratch that from the list. What I'm thinking about, instead, is how to gain a foothold using a bottom-up Open Source approach.

In the past, I wrote about how Steemizens could build a DeSci initiative around participation in the Globe at Night project. However, sky and weather conditions limit how and when people can contribute, so that's a challenging example. Personally, I haven't managed to record an observation in more than a year. (I'm hoping to change that for their September 14-23 campaign.)

And that leads to the topic of the day, a decentralized global climate dataset.

What would a DeSci climate dataset look like on the Steem blockchain?

One advantage that a climate dataset has over an astronomy dataset is that it can be collected at any time. There is always a current temperature. Another advantage is that the collection can be automated through the use of systems like the ones I saw at Home Depot.

But, it shouldn't be as simple as just collecting the data, publishing it in a post, and collecting the reward. Why? Because that would flood the Steem front-ends with information that is totally irrelevant to the casual viewer. As with today's Trending page, it would drive visitors away.

Instead, what I imagine is this (in no particular order):

1. Create an Open Source program that can collect temperature data (maybe also other weather/climate related information: precipitation, wind speed, barometric pressure, etc...) from a home weather station and post it to the blockchain in custom_json transactions.
2. Create another Open Source program that can analyze the custom_json data and create historical reporting from any collector.
3. Provide an Open Source mechanism for the data provider to easily post the historical reporting weekly, along with photographs of the weather station and its surroundings. This is where the data supplier can receive rewards for their participation.
4. Provide an open source mechanism for researchers to aggregate historical information from multiple stations (up to, and including all of them). This analysis could be posted on the Steem blockchain and/or published in scientific journals.
5. Document siting standards for participation in the project.
6. Create a community where participants can post weekly reports from their own stations. This weekly post would combine a mix of automated data analysis and manual photography into a permanent record of site quality and historical climate trends.
7. Gather curators to support the participants who post weekly reports with photos of stations that comply with siting standards.

This project could, conceivably, complement the existing climate datasets for several reasons:

1. Steem can reach into many parts of the world, probably including some where temperature data is sparse.
2. Participants are rewarded for their time and effort.
3. By including regular siting photos, siting changes can be observed, and stations that go out of compliance with siting standards can be targeted for repair or exclusion.
4. Measurements can be taken and recorded in ways that avoid things like Time of Observation bias.
5. The project doesn't depend on funding from politically motivated actors.

Conclusion

There we have it. Once again, its much easier to have an idea than it is to implement it, so who knows if this ever moves off the drawing board. In writing that brief outline, I'm already starting to see that implementation of this idea would be much more complex than I had realized, and of course there are always concerns about people trying to game the system that would need to be addressed.

In principle, however, I think this would be a use case where Steem could really distinguish itself in the DeSci space. With free transactions, custom_json data storage, and the capability to provide participants with author and curation rewards, Steem brings features to bear that can't be found in many other places.

Further, I'm sure that there are many other similar use cases that could be found if one example were to prove itself.

Something like free market environmentalism comes to mind as a prime source of examples.

The most lasting conservation outcomes do not depend on political strength but rather come from cooperation and mutually beneficial exchange. Cooperative solutions to environmental problems help bridge the divide among various stakeholders and create incentives to sustain voluntary practices no matter the political climate.

What do you think? Can use of the Steem chain improve the reliability of climate data? What challenges have I overlooked? Could a project like this reduce politicization of science? What other opportunities do you see where Steem could demonstrate itself as a great home for DeSci?

Thank you for your attention!

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