In 2015, Cameron Cartiere and Geoffrey Campbell of Border Free Bees joined together to create a tool that would empower citizens to learn about North America’s essential pollinators and participate in observation-based research. The concept and app design was carried out by Campbell as his undergraduate thesis project at Emily Carr University. Over two years, Border Free Bees engaged various community organizations in the design process through focus groups, educational workshops and app testing sessions. Scientists and community experts, including Dr. Elizabeth Elle and Dr. Lora Morandin, played a key role in informing and validating the scientific aspects of the design. In 2018 Border Free Bees partnered with Pollinator Partnership to develop the Insight Citizen Science iOS app. The free iOS app was launched in North America in 2019.
