Big Data, Massive Engagement! How Citizen Science can contribute to the progress of the world

In September 2015, world leaders committed to 17 Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs) that over the next 15 years should help end extreme poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change, amongst other things. This effort will only be successful if all stakeholders have adequate information about the progress being made towards each of the goals. As some of the most important data sets to help achieve the SDGs are local in nature, they can often be generated and collected by citizens, using devices like smartphones. Web­based tools can in turn enable citizens to track progress towards the goals at a local, regional, or even global level.

Such tracking can be done with the help of “crowdsourcing”, which accelerates the collection and analysis of large amounts of data, such as images or documents, thanks to collective efforts on the Internet. Crowdsourcing is a mature practice in science, sometimes called “Citizen Science”.

This presentation will introduce several ongoing activities in Geneva, Zurich, and beyond, focused on crowdsourcing for sustainable development.

Programme:

18:00 Welcome: 9, chemin des Mines (public transports)
18:15 Visit and Conference
19:30 Cocktail at Biotech rooftop

Maria Rosa (Rosy) Mondardini is the Managing Director of the Citizen Science Center Zurich, a joint effort of the University of Zurich and ETH. The Center supports Citizen Science projects at both institutions, in Switzerland, and beyond. She was previously managing Community & Partnerships at the Citizen Cyberlab. a partnership between CERN, UNITAR, and the UniGe focused on developing new forms of public participation in research. From 2008 to 2015 Rosy has been working at the WEF as Associate Director, managing the YGL Alumni community.