The document discusses the concepts of crowdsourcing and crowdfeeding in participatory information management systems, highlighting their significance during crises and the advantages they provide for real-time information collection. It introduces various methods of crowdsourcing, including unbounded and bounded systems, and tools like Ushahidi and OpenStreetMap that facilitate community engagement in mapping and data sharing. The document also outlines challenges associated with crowdsourcing, including the reliability of information and the need for effective verification and planning in project implementation.

1. World Bank ZambiaPPCR Mission – August 2010CROWDSOURCING AND CROWDFEEDINGTOOLS AND TIPS FOR PARTECIPATORY INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSAnahi Ayala Iacuccianahi@crisismappers.net

2. CROWDSOURCING AND CROWDFEEDINGCROWDSOURCING: use the crowd to collect information. The act of outsourcing tasks, traditionally performed by an employee to a large group of people or community (a crowd), through an open call for action. Jeff Howe coined the term in June 2006 explaining that because technological advances have allowed for cheap consumer electronics, the gap between professionals and amateurs has been diminished. CROWDFEEDING: the need for the crowd to share information with the crowd, ie, not top-down, or bottom-up, but information from the crowd, for the crowd; horizontal communication. The act of sharing information out to a large group of people or community, through an open sharing system. In the same time for the international community it means to share all available information with all stakeholders to allow better decision to be taken and better actions to be implemented.

3. Advantages of using crowdsourcingInformation during a crisis or for early warning systems is as important as food and waterAffected communities know what is going on on the ground in real timeThe ability to collect information is limited by the availability of sources of information: more sources, more informationAffected population get engaged in the process because they have an interest in the outcomeCrowdsourcing is relatively cheaper than the use of selected monitoring teamsCrowdsourcing allow for triangulation of information permitting verification and accountability

4. Typologies of crowdsourcing methodsUnbounded crowd-sourcing: a large group of people is reporting. This system allows for an unlimited number of information to come in, but lack in reliability of information. Bounded crowd-sourcing: the reporting is done by a specific group. This system allows for verified information to come in but is subjected to the limitation of the limited source. Combined bounded and unbounded crowd-sourcing: information are collected by a specific group of people, but also by the crowd. Reliable sources and unreliable sources are combines. This system allows for: increase in overall reportingIncrease in the ability to validate reports from unknown sources

5. : CROWDSOURCING, MAPPINGAND CROWDFEEDING TOOLUshahidi, which means “testimony” in Swahili, began as a one-off deployment for mapping reports of election violence after the December 2007 Kenyan elections. Ushahidi is a crowdsourcing mapping system that people to report into the platform by web submission, SMS, Twitter or e-mail. The Ushahidi platform is right now being used in more than 30 countries and 60 projects, from electoral monitoring in Burundi to violence in Congo to Early Warning system in the Rift Valley.

6. What is Ushahidi?Platform Methodology

8. What is Ushahidi?PlatformMethodology

9. What you can do withVisualization of data on a mapMultiple layersCrowdfeeding

10. Visualizing data on an interactive map

11. Multiple layersThe categoriesThe map layersThe static layers

12. 1st layer: the categories

13. 2nd Layer: The map layers

14. 3rd Layer: The static layers

15. Two typologies of static layersPoints (ex. Fixed points like wells, dams, irrigation systems)Areas (ex.Agro-ecological regions, risk maps, crop suitability)

16. Crowdfeeding

17. OPENSTREET MAP: CROWDSOURCED MAPPINGOpenStreet Map (OSM) was founded in July 2004 by Steve Coast. OpenStreet Map data is published under an open content license, with the intention of promoting free use and re-distribution of the data (both commercial and non-commercial). The Map is entirely built by volunteers who can be expert mappers or not. In April 2006, a foundation was established to encourage the growth, development and distribution of free geospatial data and provide geospatial data for anybody to use and share.

18. Advantages of using OSMOpen data available for everybodyEasy to edit and share even for people with no GPS skillsOn line active community

19. Map data under an open content license

20. Free editing and sharing

21. On Line Community

22. OpenAction develop tools to help change-makers tell a more engaging story of impact to a larger audience. Using smart technology and open data standards, the organization brings greater connectivity to the social impact space by creating something called aggregator of maps.

23. WhatAggregator of mapWho does what and whereOpen Data and network visualizationcan do

24. Aggregator of Maps

25. Who does what where

26. Open Data and network visualization

27. MAP KIBERAMap Kibera was developed in response to the lack of available map data and other public, open, and shared information about one of the world's largest slums: Kibera, in Nairobi, Kenya. The project started with the simple creation of a map using the open source free software OpenStreet Map and the Ushahidi platform, to become a project involving now media, health organizations, GBV working groups and grassroots organizations.

28. Kibera 500,000 people(?), 2.5 km2 was a blank spot on the map

29. 1st STEP: Training the mappers

30. 2nd STEP: the base mapWhat was mapped?roads and paths and rail water points pit latrines / sewer medical facilities schools churches/mosques businesses community organizations administrative units

31. 3rd STEP: Voices of KiberaDevelop Entities and Skills: Kibera Mappers, Kibera News Network (video journalism), SMS ReportingDeeply Explore Themes: Health, Education, Water/Sanitation and Safety with detailed mapping and reportingSet up a short code 3002, “Kibera”www.voiceofkibera.org

32. The integration with the Ushahidi PlatformCommunity website for sharing info relevant to Kibera residents

33. News, videos, and SMS

34. Reports are mapped

36. Map Kibera Results:A group of engaged and skilled citizens, mappers, and journalistsLinkages between Nairobi tech scene and slumdwellersPlatforms and mediums to share the information locally and globally (printed maps, SMS reporting, USHAHIDI and new media creation).Slowly building movement for shared and open information among NGOs and CBOs

37. Next StepsRegister mapping group locallyExpand to other communities in and around Kenya – including the other slums in Nairobi Taking the model to Haiti and elsewhere via GroundTruthMaterials and curriculum, thorough documentation and training othersMaps for Data: your surveys for our printout

38. Lessons Learned from MapKiberaCommunity Mapping can be a system to create community awareness and support social networksCommunication management in risk environment needs to incorporate vulnerable populationEarly warning systems are effective when they are based on shared information and open dataGatekeepers to information and data can often be bypassed or ignored completely, allowing for a new parallel information system to be created and used by marginalized citizens.

39. HOW TO USE CROWDSOURCING AND WHAT TO BE AWARE OF

40. CROWDSOURCING IS NOT PERFECT AND IT IS NOT ALWAYS NECESSARYCROWDSOURCING AND CROWDFEEDING NEED TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATIONIT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO START ON A SMALL SCALE AND THEN SCALE UP THAN THE CONTRARYNEVER CHOOSE A TOOL AND THEN DECIDE WHAT TO USE IT FOR

41. RISK AND PROBLEMES OF CROWDSOURCING SYSTEMSVERIFICATIONSTRUCTUREIMPACT

42. VERIFICATIONPROBLEM: when you do crowdsourcing you don’t know who is the source of your information. The risk is to receive and use false or bias information that can affect your work and credibility.POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:Verification can be crowdsourced too (ex. OpenStreet Map and Ushahidi)New systems to triangulate information and create reliability scores (ex. Swift River)Bound and Unbound crowdsourcing is for now the best solution (ex. Uchaguzi)

43. STRUCTUREPROBLEM: people thinks that a good tool is enough to make a good project. This is not the case: a tool is only a tool, a good project is much more than this.POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS:Planning and strategy design need to be always the first step of a projectCrowdsourcing is not immune to its own principle: the best crowdsourcing project is the one managed by the involved populationSustainability and integration with local systems need to be always taken into consideration

44. IMPACTInformation is power, so if you share information you are sharing power. Crowdsourcing projects cannot be detached by their political implications.Crowdsourcing projects are bi-directional projects: the crowd will always modify and affect the project as much as the project will modify and affect the crowd.Crowdsourcing projects to be effective need to be adapted to the existing flow of information and information management systems existing in the environment where they are implemented.

45. THANK YOU!Anahi Ayala Iacuccianahi@crisismappers.net