OpenCTD: Oceanography for Everyone
There is something radical about making and using your own scientific instruments. The structure of scientific inquiry has coalesced around a model that is, in general, both expensive and exclusive. This centralizes knowledge production within a small circle of individuals, organizations, and institutions who have access to substantial financial resources. This circle rarely reflects the breadth of identities, experiences, and ways of knowing that are most directly connected to the places being explored. 
By building your own instruments to study and understand the natural world, you are expanding the circle of knowledge production. A scientist who can make their own instruments is not beholden to the cycles of funding and access that constrain formal, institutional inquiry. A researcher who can build and repair their own equipment is not dependent on the whims of academic sentiment to decide what is and is not worthy of study. A community leader who has the tools to create their own data does not have to wait for institutions to take notice of an emerging crisis before taking action.
| Type | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| OpenSource | OpenCTD (GitHub) | The OpenCTD is a low-cost, open-source CTD designed for budget-restricted scientists, educators, and researchers working in nearshore coastal ecosystems. |
| Organizations | The Oceanography Society (TOS) | While primarily professional, TOS has resources that can be beneficial for amateurs, including educational materials and public engagement initiatives. |
| Organizations | Project Oceanology | A nonprofit focused on education, offering programs and resources for students and the public to learn about marine sciences in a hands-on environment. |
| Organizations | Florida Oceanographic Society | Dedicated to environmental stewardship through education, research, and advocacy, providing various public programs. |
| Organizations | Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO) | Offers resources for educators and students, including publications and meeting opportunities that can be useful for amateur oceanographers. |
| Software | QGIS | A free and open-source Geographic Information System (GIS) application that can be used for mapping oceanographic data. It's powerful for visualizing spatial data related to marine environments. |
| Software | Ocean Data View (ODV) | A software package for the interactive exploration, analysis, and visualization of oceanographic and other geoscience data. It's freely available for non-commercial use. |
| Software | PySeabed | An open-source Python library for processing and analyzing marine sediment data, useful for amateur oceanographers interested in the seabed. |
| Hardware | DIY Water Quality Sensors | Various open-source projects exist for building low-cost sensors to measure parameters like pH, temperature, and turbidity. For instance, Arduino-based projects can be assembled with sensors available from places like Adafruit or SparkFun. |
| Hardware | Secchi Disk | A simple, traditional tool for measuring water clarity, which can be made at home. It's useful for assessing water quality in lakes, rivers, or coastal areas. |
| Hardware | OpenROV | While more advanced, OpenROV provides kits for building your own underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV), which can be adapted for amateur oceanographic exploration. |
| Hardware | Raspberry Shake | Originally for seismology, this can be used to measure vibrations or noise in water bodies, offering insights into marine environments. |
| Hardware | Plankton Net | A basic piece of equipment for collecting plankton samples, which can be homemade or bought inexpensively, allowing for biological studies in marine environments. |
| Additional Resources | Citizen Science Projects | Programs like NOAA's Phytoplankton Monitoring Network or Zooniverse's projects offer platforms where amateur oceanographers can contribute to real scientific research with minimal equipment. |
| Additional Resources | Local Clubs or Meetups | Look for local geology, marine biology, or environmental science clubs that might organize amateur oceanographic activities or share knowledge and equipment. |
Note: When diving into amateur oceanography, remember that safety, environmental impact, and ethical considerations should always be