Research 02

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Field instruments for changing ecologies

We build long-lived, repairable instruments that make slow environmental changes legible without removing them from context.

Environmental data often becomes detached from the conditions of its collection. Our field practice treats instruments, maintenance, local knowledge, and interpretation as one research system.

We work with low-power acoustic and chemical sensing, participatory annotation, and seasonal sampling. Instruments are designed to be repaired on site and to make uncertainty visible in the resulting records.

Working in place

Current studies follow wetland edges and urban soils across several seasonal cycles. We pair continuous sensing with deliberate gaps for observation, calibration, and conversations with the people who care for these sites.

2026

A situated acoustic atlas of seasonal wetland edges

J. Weber, N. Ibrahim, Y. Sato

Environmental Media Review 14(1) · Journal

A two-year field study combines low-power acoustic sensing, situated annotation, and maintenance logs to document ecological transitions at wetland boundaries.

2025

Repairable field nodes for intermittent environmental sensing

N. Ibrahim, J. Weber, E. Rossi

Proceedings of Designing Interactive Systems · Conference

Modular field nodes expose power, sensing, and storage failures as inspectable states, enabling maintenance with common tools during long deployments.