{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Challenges, Crowdsourcing, Citizen Science: What’s the Dif? |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Challenges, Crowdsourcing, Citizen Science: What’s the Dif?",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/16/challenges-crowdsourcing-citizen-science-whats-the-dif/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Challenges, Crowdsourcing, Citizen Science: What\u0026#8217;s the Dif?","summary" : "There’s more than one way to harness the wisdom of the crowd. In honor of December’s monthly theme, we’re diving into and defining the various ways that federal agencies use public contributions to meet real needs and fulfill important objectives. Crowdsourcing Two’s company, three’s a crowd—and getting input from many is crowdsourcing. A White House","date" : "2015-12-16T11:10:18-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"awichman" : "Ashley Wichman"},"topics" : {
        
            "challenges-and-prize-competitions" : "Challenges and prize competitions",
            "crowdsourcing-and-citizen-science" : "Crowdsourcing and citizen science",
            "innovation" : "Innovation"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2015-12-16-challenges-crowdsourcing-citizen-science-whats-the-dif.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2015/12/2015-12-16-challenges-crowdsourcing-citizen-science-whats-the-dif.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/12/2015-12-16-challenges-crowdsourcing-citizen-science-whats-the-dif.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2015/12/2015-12-16-challenges-crowdsourcing-citizen-science-whats-the-dif.md","slug" : "challenges-crowdsourcing-citizen-science-whats-the-dif","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/16/challenges-crowdsourcing-citizen-science-whats-the-dif/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eThere’s more than one way to harness the wisdom of the crowd.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn honor of December’s \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/12/08/challenges-crowdsourcing-a-quick-overview-and-look-ahead/\"\u003emonthly theme\u003c/a\u003e, we’re diving into and defining the various ways that federal agencies use public contributions to meet real needs and fulfill important objectives.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"crowdsourcing\"\u003eCrowdsourcing\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTwo’s company, three’s a crowd—and getting input from many is crowdsourcing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/02/designing-citizen-science-and-crowdsourcing-toolkit-federal-government\"\u003eWhite House blog post\u003c/a\u003e defined crowdsourcing as “a process in which individuals or organizations submit an open call for voluntary contributions from a large group of unknown individuals (“the crowd”) or, in some cases, a bounded group of trusted individuals or experts.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eGovernment agencies are engaging a diverse and broad spectrum of people whose skills, talents, and knowledge are key to solving problems and driving innovation at every level of program need.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEfforts range from technical skills to scientific data to creative and visionary designs:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNotice a change in landscape after a disaster? The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is collecting data to understand the broader impact of natural disasters, and citizens around the country are sharing what they know online through \u003ca href=\"http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/icoast/\"\u003eiCoast\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCan you fix a technical bug with your programming skills? The Department of Health and Human Services’s (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ran 100 technical challenge competitions to build a large-scale fraud detection platform. People could contribute micro- and macro-level programming skills.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eHave ideas about solar power? The Department of Energy launched an ideation program, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/07/an-innovation-framework-that-delivers-the-sunshot-catalyst-program/\"\u003eSunShot Catalyst\u003c/a\u003e, to gather ideas from around the world about how to make solar energy cost-competitive.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese are just three examples out of hundreds of crowdsourcing initiatives in government that bridge collaboration and community among the federal government and the public. \u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/12/600-x-414-Crowdsourcing-nevarpp-iStock-Thinkstock-467787670.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Various teams contribute to a solution\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"internal-ideation\"\u003eInternal Ideation\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSometimes, the best ideas start at home.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWithin government agencies, there are departments that crowdsource ideas and solutions from employees. Internal ideation projects harness the knowledge and skills of the people who work day-to-day in their program offices as well as those who are in the field. These programs do everything from seek improvements to the workplace to searching for niche expertise among departments.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few examples:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) developed an open-source technology platform that is used to manage the agency’s internal crowdsourcing efforts. The code is available on GitHub and an on-demand webinar gives an \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KRQ24645LOE\u0026amp;list=PLd9b-GuOJ3nFeJeAHAn3Z5opohjxIw8OC\u0026amp;index=2\"\u003eoverview of CFPB’s program\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://www.nasa.gov/coeci/nasa-at-work\"\u003eNASA@Work\u003c/a\u003e platform “seeks to increase innovation by fostering collaboration within [the NASA] community through the contribution of interactive discussions and the submission of solutions to posted challenges.”\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOther agencies run occasional crowdsourcing efforts, like the General Services Administration’s \u003ca href=\"http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/141687\"\u003eGreat Ideas Hunt\u003c/a\u003e, which solicited innovative ideas.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe \u003ca href=\"https://community.max.gov/pages/viewpage.action?title=Ideation+Community+of+Practice+%28Idea+Generation+Tools%29\u0026amp;spaceKey=Planning\"\u003eIdeation Community of Practice\u003c/a\u003e is open to federal employees (with .gov or .mil email addresses) and provides best practices, resources and tools to help employees navigate the process of asking for ideas, implementing solutions and managing awards and expectations with contributors.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"citizen-science\"\u003eCitizen Science\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCitizen science is a narrower subset of crowdsourcing.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/02/designing-citizen-science-and-crowdsourcing-toolkit-federal-government\"\u003eWhite House blog post\u003c/a\u003e defined citizen science as “a form of open collaboration in which members of the public participate in the scientific process, including identifying research questions, collecting and analyzing data, interpreting results, and solving problems.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCitizen science contributions help advance a variety of federal projects:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) works with citizen scientists to discover, collect and organize a variety of scientific data; one notable USGS citizen science project is \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/01/20/usgs-where-citizen-science-is-for-the-birds/\"\u003etracking bird species\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has three mobile applications that are based on contributions from citizen scientists: \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/10/24/dolphin-and-whale-apps-from-noaa-fisheries/\"\u003eDolphin and Whale 911\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/11/14/noaa-release-mako-now-on-ios/\"\u003eRelease Mako\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/06/18/noaas-crowdmag-app-citizen-science-on-the-go/\"\u003eCrowdMag\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"open-innovation-competitions\"\u003eOpen Innovation Competitions\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTake the power of crowdsourcing, add the thrill of competition, plus the possibility of a winning a unique or lucrative prize… and you’ve got open innovation!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOpen innovation competitions have many interchangeable names, including incentive, prize and challenge competitions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://www.challenge.gov/about/\"\u003eChallenge.gov\u003c/a\u003e defines a challenge as when a “seeker” poses a problem or question to the public and “solvers” respond and submit solutions. Agencies award prize money and non-monetary incentives for solutions that meet the established criteria and are chosen as winners.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese competitions are open to anyone, regardless of credentials, experience, expertise, connections, etc. It levels the playing field and brings solutions from a diverse community of solvers.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSince September 2010, federal agencies have launched more than 630 challenges and promoted the competitions on \u003ca href=\"https://www.challenge.gov/\"\u003eChallenge.gov\u003c/a\u003e. The website, which is the official hub for prize competitions across government, doubles as a no-cost technical platform used by agencies to host and manage their programs. The Challenge.gov staff also provides a suite of advisory, consultation and support tools for running successful and impactful challenge competitions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the most recent competitions:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDepartment of Agriculture (USDA) challenged the public to \u003ca href=\"http://lunchux.devpost.com/\"\u003ecreate an electronic application for the National School Lunch Program\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking for \u003ca href=\"https://www.challenge.gov/challenge/nutrient-recycling-challenge/\"\u003etechnologies to recycle nutrients from livestock manure\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe Bureau of Reclamation is looking for solutions to \u003ca href=\"https://www.challenge.gov/challenge/quantifying-drift-invertebrates-in-river-and-estuary-systems/\"\u003ecount food for critical fish species\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead more about \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/topics/challenges-and-prize-competitions/\"\u003esuccessful federal challenges\u003c/a\u003e and best practices for those interested in hosting one.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"crowdfunding\"\u003eCrowdfunding\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is all about the money—raising funds.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn crowdfunding, a person or organization uses an online platform to explain their pitch, idea, or concept, and they may even have a product to deliver. The platform is used to raise money via donations to the person or company. Sometimes, there is an exchange of goods for a donation.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is no official program within the federal government for crowdfunding. There are some initiatives for local and municipal government projects that can be found online. \u003cdiv class=\"image\"\u003e\n  \u003cimg\n    src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2015/12/600-x-431-Crowdfunding-nevarpp-iStock-Thinkstock-467787672.jpg\"\n    alt=\"Individual and teams contribute money to fund a solution\"/\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\n\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2 id=\"next-steps\"\u003eNext Steps\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhile the programs featured here are big bucket items, throughout government you’ll also find crowd-focused efforts like \u003ca href=\"https://www.whitehouse.gov/nation-of-makers\"\u003emaker faires\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/03/27/what-to-do-with-big-data/\"\u003edata jams\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/05/27/the-national-day-of-civic-hacking-2015-harnessing-the-power-of-the-people/\"\u003ehack-a-thons\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"http://www.hhs.gov/idealab/projects-item/health-game-jam/\"\u003egame jams\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2015/08/10/data-delivers-challenge-culminates-in-national-demo-day-event-slated-for-thursday/\"\u003edemo days\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsider which format would be best for your program; look through the options and consider what outcome you want and what group could be the best contributors to the project. Talk with others who have run these programs and learn from their experience.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are also training videos and webinars on-demand that include all of the topics listed above on DigitalGov University’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd9b-GuOJ3nFeJeAHAn3Z5opohjxIw8OC\"\u003eChallenges YouTube Playlist\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eInterested in getting more involved in crowdsourcing, citizen science and/or challenge and prize competitions? Join the two communities working in these areas: the \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/crowdsourcing-citizen-science/\"\u003eFederal Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science Community of Practice\u003c/a\u003e and the \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/challenges-prizes/\"\u003eChallenges and Prizes Community of Practice\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}