Crowdsourcing applications for public health

Daren C Brabham; Kurt M Ribisl; Thomas R Kirchner; Jay M Bernhardt

doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2013.10.016

Crowdsourcing applications for public health

Am J Prev Med. 2014 Feb;46(2):179-87. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.10.016.

Authors

Daren C Brabham¹, Kurt M Ribisl², Thomas R Kirchner³, Jay M Bernhardt⁴

Affiliations

¹ Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address: brabham@usc.edu.
² Gillings School of Global Public Health and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
³ Steven A. Schroeder National Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies, Washington DC; The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland.
⁴ Center for Digital Health and Wellness, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida; Department of Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.

PMID: 24439353
DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2013.10.016

Abstract

Crowdsourcing is an online, distributed, problem-solving, and production model that uses the collective intelligence of networked communities for specific purposes. Although its use has benefited many sectors of society, it has yet to be fully realized as a method for improving public health. This paper defines the core components of crowdsourcing and proposes a framework for understanding the potential utility of crowdsourcing in the domain of public health. Four discrete crowdsourcing approaches are described (knowledge discovery and management; distributed human intelligence tasking; broadcast search; and peer-vetted creative production types) and a number of potential applications for crowdsourcing for public health science and practice are enumerated.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Crowdsourcing / methods*
Crowdsourcing / trends
Humans
Public Health / methods*
Public Health / trends