Open analysis and community sensor integration

openJII is an open-source platform for collecting, sharing and analysing photosynthesis and related plant-science data. Researchers can bring measurements into a shared environment, run analysis scripts and explore the resulting data.

From measurements to analysis

Analysis scripts, called macros, turn measurements into results that can be explored in the platform. Researchers can develop and reuse these scripts within compatible workflows. The Ghana Photosynthesis Hackathon in March 2026 also used a managed notebook environment for collaborative analysis. Teams can discuss notebook collaboration with the platform team; the documentation describes the workflow.

These capabilities provide a foundation for developing and reusing analytical workflows and models across compatible datasets. Reuse depends on suitable data, metadata and analysis methods. The platform provides the tools; a scientific model still needs validation for its intended use.

Learn more: Writing analysis macros · Advanced: Databricks notebooks.

Connecting community-developed sensors

openJII supports more than MultispeQ. Its documented interfaces provide routes for integrating additional sensors and gateways, and researchers can also bring supported data files into the platform. The aim is to reduce dependence on a single instrument manufacturer and make shared research workflows available across compatible instruments.

A new instrument needs to meet the relevant connection and data-format requirements. Integration may require a device driver, data mapping and validation. The device integration guide explains the available routes; contact openjii@jii.org to discuss an instrument or workflow.

Release history

openJII entered open beta in December 2025, following an internal beta in November. The production launch followed on 17 March 2026. Subsequent releases expanded the platform's analysis, data exploration and device capabilities.

See the December open-beta release, March production launch, and current releases.

openJII platform demonstration (30 seconds; September 2026)

Demonstration recorded on the openJII development environment in late August and early September 2026, before the September interface redesign. The barley charts use measurements from a 2025 JII barley field trial, with genotypes chosen at the 10th, 50th and 90th percentiles of median Phi2 to illustrate the observed range; the greenhouse LED dashboard uses generated example data.

Sound is off by default; captions are burned in. Transcript below.

Device families shown in the video: Devices & Protocols guide.

Transcript: See how plants respond to light. Explore real measurements in openJII. Compare photosynthesis across barley genotypes. Bring your analysis together in a dashboard. Built on industry standards. Open science. Open source. openJII.

Visual description: A fluorescence trace leads into a barley measurement chart and a comparison across selected barley genotypes. A separate dashboard illustrates generated greenhouse data. A device card names MultispeQ, Ambit, MiniPAR and the Ambyte gateway. The video closes with the openJII logo and website.

Music: “Wholesome” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 4.0; edited for this video. Track page.

Citing openJII

For the software, cite the repository and the version used in your work: openJII contributors. openJII [software]. https://github.com/Jan-IngenHousz-Institute/open-jii. Add the relevant release tag or commit and access date to match your journal’s format. The software is available under GPL-3.0.

For platform history, cite the internal 0.1Beta release and the backend v1.0.0 release together. The versioned release notes document the December 2025 open-beta period. Cite this overview for the capability description and the software version separately where reproducibility requires it.