FieldKit is an open-source software and hardware platform (environmental sensors, app, and FieldKit.org website) that allows individuals and organizations to collect and share field-based research data and tell stories through interactive visualizations. Designed to be easy to deploy customizable, FieldKit can be adapted to meet the needs of diverse research teams, from biology and ecology to marine and environmental sciences, from post-doc researchers to elementary school students. FieldKit offers a simple platform for enabling live data expeditions, and for the creation and deployment of environmental sensor networks or in situ monitoring. The aim is to bring open source scientific monitoring capabilities to anyone who wants it. FieldKit has been funded by the National Geographic Society and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. It is currently being deployed with UCLA in the Congo Basin, the Wildlife Conservation Society and Florida International University in the Amazon rainforest, throughout the American Prairie Reserve in Montana, and a number of other locations.