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## What are Plankton?
"Drifting endlessly, midway between the sea of air above and the depths of the abyss below, these strange creatures and the marine inflorescence that sustains them are called 'plankton' — the wanderers" - Rachel Carson
_"Drifting endlessly, midway between the sea of air above and the depths of the abyss below, these strange creatures and the marine inflorescence that sustains them are called 'plankton' — the wanderers"_ - **[Rachel Carson](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Carson)**
Helping fix 30-50% of the worlds carbon dioxide and providing the foundation of a global food chain, plankton comprise the largest daily movement of biomass in the world as they traverse the oceans. The shapes, colors, and movements of these billions of creatures are as vast as the seas that sustains them. Understanding plankton is crucial to understanding the world around us, and the effect we have on that world. A hurdle for this type of study has been the sheer scale of area to explore, and the limited resources of research fleets and specialized equipment. By developing a way to scale up high quality visual exploration and documentation we can greatly increase our understanding of the complicated web of life around us, and how we are in turn impacting it.
Plankton are tiny organisms that drift in the oceans and play a crucial role in the global ecosystem. They are responsible for fixing 30-50% of the world's carbon dioxide and form the foundation of the global food chain. Despite their importance, studying plankton can be challenging due to the vast area of the oceans and the limited resources of research fleets and specialized equipment. The PlanktoScope is an open-source hardware and software platform that aims to make it easier to study plankton by providing high-throughput quantitative imaging capabilities at a low cost.
## What is a PlanktoScope?
The PlanktoScope is an open-source, affordable imaging platform for citizen oceanography. It's built around a Raspberry Pi, a couple of HATs, some stepper motors and a few centimeters of silicon tubes. Its cost is at about $800 in parts.
The PlanktoScope is a modular, open-source platform for high-throughput quantitative imaging of plankton samples. Its small size, ease of use, and low cost make it suitable for a variety of applications, including the monitoring of laboratory cultures or natural micro-plankton communities. It can be controlled from any WiFi-enabled device and can be easily reconfigured to meet the changing needs of the user.
The goal of the PlanktoScope is to allow citizen to engage in scientific programs, either at sea or onshore. You can use the PlanktoScope to image the different species of Plankton living in a body of water.
[Learn more about how it works](https://www.planktoscope.org/how-it-works)
![planktoscope_hero](images/project_description/planktoscope_architecture.png)
## Key Features
Here are some key features of the PlanktoScope:
1. **Low cost**: The PlanktoScope is designed to be affordable, with parts costing under $1000.
2. **Modular**: The PlanktoScope is modular, meaning it can be easily reconfigured to meet the changing needs of users.
3. **Open-source**: The PlanktoScope is based on open-source hardware and software, making it accessible to a wide community of engineers, researchers, and citizens.
4. **Versatility**: The PlanktoScope is versatile, and can be used to study a variety of plankton types, including laboratory cultures and natural micro-plankton communities.
5. **High-throughput**: The PlanktoScope is capable of high-throughput quantitative imaging, allowing users to analyze large numbers of samples quickly and efficiently.
6. **WiFi-enabled**: The PlanktoScope can be controlled from any WiFi-enabled device, making it easy to use and deploy in a variety of settings.
7. **Portable**: The PlanktoScope is small and portable, making it easy to transport and use in the field.
8. **Ease of use**: The PlanktoScope is designed to be easy to use, with instructions for assembly and use available on the PlanktoScope website.
## Device specification
### Size
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### Characteristic
- Magnification ???
- Focus stage control
- Pump control
- Automatic image capture
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### Certification
- [DIN SPEC 3105-1: Open Source Hardware](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342564027_DIN_SPEC_3105-1_Open_Source_Hardware)
- [DIN SPEC 3105-1: Open Source Hardware (PENDING)](https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342564027_DIN_SPEC_3105-1_Open_Source_Hardware)
- [OSHWA Certification (PENDING)](https://certification.oshwa.org/)
## Areas of Application