sciencewhere

Sciencewhere is an emergent term in science studies and information design describing an approach or platform that ties scientific activity to spatial and social contexts. It seeks to illuminate where research is produced, who participates, and how science interacts with local needs, governance, and public discourse. As a concept it encompasses both theoretical framing and practical data tools.

The term synthesizes science geography and open-data ideas by encouraging the collection and visualization of location-tagged information such as researcher affiliations, project sites, funding flows, publication origins, field research locations, and community partnerships. In practice, sciencewhere can be implemented as dashboards, maps, or interoperable data layers that users can explore interactively.

Applications include informing policy and planning, supporting regional innovation ecosystems, enhancing transparency in research funding, aiding science education, and enabling citizen science initiatives to connect local communities with ongoing work. It can also help researchers identify collaborations and understand the geographic distribution of expertise.

Challenges include ensuring data quality and privacy, avoiding misinterpretation of location signals, and addressing unequal data coverage across regions and disciplines. The concept remains exploratory, with debates about standardization, governance, and the potential for place-based science to reinforce existing inequities if not carefully managed.

See also: geography of science, science communication, open data, citizen science.