After the Fukushima accident, Japanese citizens decided to make their own opinion on the radiological risk faced using off-the-shelf or issue dosimeters. Systems were also prepared to share the measurements taken on sites, particularly in the form of maps. Available tools to measure regional contamination have progressively multiplied in number, enabling all individuals to better analyse their environment and the level of ambient radioactivity.
The project can be used to centralise environmental radioactivity measurements by citizens, both in France and worldwide, and allow all users to view these measurements on a dynamic map. Participants in the data collection process can use collaborative tools, to comment on or to discuss. The site can also be used by groups (associations, school classes, etc.) to create dedicated spaces for their specific projects focusing on measuring environmental radioactivity.
A dosimeter was developed as part of the OpenRadiation project and can be used to send data directly to the OpenRadiation site. In general, the system is designed to be "open", and the idea is to allow users to take measurements using other dosimeters. In practice, interfaces will be progressively launched to allow data to be transferred by other systems such as SafeCast. Data can also be entered in the site manually or loaded in the form of a file.
The data collected is open data and the main software applications used are open source. In addition to its primary interest for the public, the data base could be used by scientists and experts, particularly in the event of a crisis. On this basis, OpenRadiation is a citizen science project.