Crowdsourcing, citizen science, and civic hacking are all forms of open innovation that recognize and leverage the public as valuable resources. The ubiquity of internet access, mobile devices, and low-cost sensors has enabled citizens to be human sensors, collect and analyze data, and validate scientific models at unprecedented scales. Crowdsourcing and citizen science are participatory approaches for gathering ideas, content, or services by soliciting contributions from a large group of people with relevant skills, resources, and/or experiences. Civic hacking is a creative and collaborative approach to problem solving and soliciting innovative solutions and fresh ideas from the public in an accelerated fashion. Tapping into the wisdom of the crowd and emerging networks of volunteers, on the ground and online, can enhance scientific research, addresses societal needs, and increases scientific literacy at much broader scales in more efficient ways.
Results/Conclusions
During the 2017 hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) operationalized crowdsourcing to enhance situational awareness and decision-making by coordinating with existing digital volunteer networks and organizing disaster hackathons. FEMA Crowdsourcing Coordinators conducted daily coordination calls to engage with 6 digital volunteer networks actively supporting 10 crowdsourcing projects involving over 5,700 volunteers in total. For example, the Standby Task Force was activated to collect the operational status of 71 hospitals in Puerto Rico using social media and other sources. At the time, official reports only had information on 30 hospitals, but crowdsourcing efforts were able to collect information on 61 hospitals and 44 unlisted health facilities. Two disaster hackathons were also organized enabling support and authorization from FEMA senior leadership and partner agencies to integrate crowdsourcing into emergency operations.
After Hurricane Sandy, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) developed a citizen science application called “iCoast – Did the Coast Change?” asking volunteers to identify changes to the coast by comparing and tagging aerial photographs taken before and after storms to help the USGS improve the accuracy of coastal erosion prediction models and vulnerability assessments that can inform pre-storm evacuation planning as well as post-storm rescue and recovery efforts. iCoast also engages the public’s interest in coastal hazards, boosts awareness and risk-wise behavior, and can be an interactive resource for basic coastal-hazard education during crises as well as non-emergency times to assist the Nation in preparing for extreme storms. iCoast allows users to remotely witness the conditions of bridges, roads, and properties along the coast immediately after extreme storms.