A focused participant application
Mobile, browser-based or both, connected to an existing backend or delivered with the minimum infrastructure needed to operate it well.
Citizen science app development for research
Commission one tailor-made app, add selected components to an existing system, or ask Pocket Science to build and operate a complete citizen science observatory.
Start with the research method
A serious project brief rarely says only “build an app.” It describes what participants must do, which platforms and languages they need, how consent and data access should work, what the researchers need to inspect or export, and how long the service must remain available.
Pocket Science turns that complete brief into a working service. We can quote a well-defined app directly. If the scientific interaction or architecture still needs exploration, we begin with a bounded discovery phase.
- Web, Android and iOS
One coherent workflow across the platforms the participants actually use. - Unusual research interactions
Timing tasks, image classification, guided measurements, phone sensors, connected instruments or an interface invented for the study. - Languages and accessibility
Internationalisation, content and participant guidance designed into the product. - GDPR and research-data access
Consent, anonymisation or pseudonymisation, participant rights, data minimisation and appropriate institutional access. - Five years or longer
Hosting, app-store releases, maintenance, support and a continuation or transfer plan for the required lifetime. - Website and end-user support
A public project home, documentation, contact route and agreed handling of participant questions.
Choose only what the project needs
Extend an existing environment
Add a dashboard, administration, maps, exports, APIs, outreach, user support, sensor integration, processing or machine learning.
The complete research service
Participant experience, project website, data workflow, researcher tools, managed infrastructure, communication and long-term operation designed as one system.
A complete observatory is an option, not a platform you must buy. Every component can be tailored, and Pocket Science can work alongside an institution’s own developers or infrastructure team.
Participation begins before launch
Citizen science succeeds when the public task is meaningful, understandable and connected to the research. We help shape the invitation, onboarding, feedback, project communication and community around that task. Pocket Science projects have attracted thousands of participants, and our experience includes operating long-running communities as well as supporting individual app users.
No supplier can guarantee participation. What we can do is treat outreach, participant experience and support as core project work rather than leave them as an afterthought.
Self-hosted, secure and ready for real operation
Pocket Science operates its own managed infrastructure. We do not depend on an external public cloud for project hosting. Security updates, access control, monitoring, backups and recovery are production responsibilities; privacy, retention and data minimisation begin in the architecture.
Researchers receive the access their method requires through dashboards, documented extracts or APIs. Data ownership, source access, licensing, hosting responsibility and handover are agreed explicitly for each project.
Custom development, a shared platform, or an internal team?
| Route | Best fit |
|---|---|
| Configurable citizen science platform | A familiar observation workflow, shared infrastructure and a fast, predictable launch are the priority. |
| Institutional development team | The organisation has enduring product, mobile, security, infrastructure and user-support capacity beyond the current appointment or grant. |
| Pocket Science | The method, interaction, sensing, data workflow or long-term responsibility needs a tailored solution and a senior specialist team. |
These routes can complement one another. We are happy to own one defined part while an internal team retains the rest. Our strongest fit is research where the software must follow the science—not the other way around.
Experience that reaches beyond an app interface
We pioneered citizen science app development and matured into scientific sensing, calibration, data platforms and machine learning. A connected instrument with acquisition guidance, processing and a supporting app is much harder to reproduce than an interface alone. These capabilities are available independently: a project does not need a sensor or AI simply because Pocket Science can provide them.
See the work behind this experience in iSPEX, Black Hole Finder, Mini Secchi and Dark Sky Meter.
Direct commission, consortium or long-term relationship
Researchers can commission a defined build, invite Pocket Science to own a work package, arrange a multi-year support contract, or establish continuing collaboration through an institutional MoU. We understand that academic projects often end after four years while their apps, datasets, participants and responsibilities do not.
To request an initial quote, share the research goal, participant task, platforms, languages, data and privacy requirements, integrations, desired launch and required operating lifetime. Start a project conversation.
Frequently asked questions
Do you work worldwide?
Yes. Pocket Science works with researchers, universities and international consortia worldwide.
Can you build only an app?
Yes. The complete observatory is optional.
Can you support the service for five years or longer?
Yes. The operating period, update responsibilities, user support and continuation route are defined in the engagement.
Do you offer standard pricing?
Tailor-made work depends on platforms, method, integrations, evidence requirements and lifetime. A clear brief can receive an initial scope and quote; high-uncertainty work begins with bounded discovery.