Crowdsourcing is not a new idea. Over 100 years ago the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary were using the British public to compile examples of all the words in the English language. Fast forward to today & the Internet allows the same idea to be used on a global scale, with examples ranging from Wikipedia to Amazon’s product review system.
Scientists too can take advantage of crowd power. Citizen Science allows the public to contribute towards otherwise impossible research. One well known example of this, in which we play a key role, is ClimatePrediction.net, using processor time ‘donated’ through the installation of a simple screensaver.
Find our more about Citizen Science on Wikipedia - itself a perfect demonstration of what can be achieved throught the power of the crowd.
Using a screensaver on computers around the world, ClimatePrediction.net has been able to access a vast amount of processing power.
If you would like to find out more about Citizen Science or are interested in collaborating with the Centre then please get in touch.
