COLLABORATE | Hammerdirt

Hammerdirt supports environmental research, monitoring programs, and applied studies by contributing both analytical capacity and field expertise. Engagements range from short-term analytical support to multi-year collaborations with universities, public authorities, and non-governmental organizations.

Data Science, Analysis & Research Support

Hammerdirt contributes as an integrated member of research and project teams, providing data science and analytical expertise across the full project lifecycle. Services include data management, statistical analysis, geospatial modeling, and machine learning applied to environmental datasets. This work has supported academic research, regulatory monitoring programs, and large collaborative projects, with contributions resulting in peer-reviewed publications, technical reports, and open analytical frameworks.

Field Operations, Data Collection & Quality Assurance

Hammerdirt also provides hands-on field capacity for environmental monitoring and assessment projects. Services include field survey design, data collection, quality assurance, and field safety. This field experience has been applied in government-mandated monitoring programs, academic research projects, and participatory citizen science initiatives. Hammerdirt brings a strong emphasis on data integrity, traceability, and consistency between field observations and analytical outputs.

Roger and Shannon Erismann enjoying the view of Bielersee in Canton of Bern, Switzeralnd.

Do you need to strengthen your research or data team? Do you have a large project area and need assisstance with sampling and quality control?

contact : roger[at]hammerdirt.ch

Profile

Hammerdirt is an independent environmental data science initiative founded in 2014 by Shannon and Roger Erismann. Since then, Hammerdirt has continuously adapted its methods to keep pace with rapid developments in data science, machine learning, and, more recently, artificial intelligence and generative AI. This evolving technical foundation supports the design of standardized field surveys, the management of complex environmental datasets, and a dedicated team in the field.

Collaborations

Between 2016 and 2019, Hammerdirt expanded its work through sustained collaborations with academic institutions, research collectives, and public authorities. During this period, it contributed to participatory research projects and field-based investigations addressing solid waste distribution and water quality (Aronoff et al. 2021). From 2019 to 2022, Hammerdirt led the design and implementation of a nationwide shoreline litter survey for Swiss federal authorities, producing a comprehensive multi-chapter assessment supported by a fully documented analytical pipeline, (Erismann et al. 2022). This work established a foundation for large-scale, scientifically-relevant litter monitoring in Switzerland.

Science and Policy

Since 2022, Hammerdirt has continued to develop long-term partnerships with universities and environmental organizations, contributing to peer-reviewed research and large collaborative monitoring initiatives. These efforts have included a nationwide geospatial analyses linking land use to shore line litter abundance (Schreyers et al. 2024). A large-scale citizen science shoreline survey of Lake Geneva (Pochelon et al. 2024), and applied research on persistent plastic pollutants in aquatic environments conducted with international academic partners (Filella et al. 2025). Hammerdirt’s has remained consistent: designing field protocols, managing complex datasets, and translating environmental observations into evidence that can inform science, regulation, and environmental management.