Landscape as Knowledge: Racial Capitalism, Citizen Science, and Environmental Modelling

Citizen science plays a crucial role in addressing gaps left by the state in environmental monitoring. This study examines various elements such as air quality monitors, rain gauges, and biodiversity to highlight how the deployment of low-cost sensors by residents can complement national services provided and national research projects. These citizen science initiatives offer enhanced local data that contributes to broader models for precipitation and air quality. However, processes racial capitalism give rise to a pattern of "socio-ecological segregation" in the geography of citizen science contributions: higher-income and predominantly white neighborhoods are more likely to participate in such projects. The presentation presents findings from hurdle models to underscore the uneven socio-ecological geographies that emerge, resulting in gaps in data representation and early warning systems for low-income and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities, thus perpetuating environmental injustices. This disparity creates a feedback cycle that further entrenches uneven socio-ecological spaces. The presentation concludes with a discussion on the future prospects of citizen science.

Assistant Professor Dillon Mahmoudi specializes in urban, digital, and economic geography, exploring the intersections of cities, technology, political ecology, and uneven development in his research. His broad work intersects critical human geography and critical GIS, focusing on understanding the political economic dimensions of urban environments, particularly in relation to issues of race, class, and environmental inequality. His current work engages in co-created research and community-based initiatives aimed at addressing socio-environmental injustices towards building just and sustainable futures. He holds a BS in Computer Science from Georgia Tech, a Ph.D. in Urban Studies from Portland State, and is currently Assistant Professor in Geography and Environmental Systems at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), where he also serves as Graduate Program Director of the Just Maps GIS Masters, is a Faculty Fellow at the Hilltop Institute, and Affiliate Faculty in the School of Public Policy and the Department of Economics.