Crowdsourcing for Good in the Developing World

It's not every day that the tech world is abuzz with social change, but there is a bit of a debate of late as to the value of crowdsourcing in helping to solve global challenges.

Crowdsourcing is when a group, rather than an individual, uses the Internet to collectively solve a problem or task at hand (check this video for an intro).

Change.org bloggers have discussed the many opportunities crowdsourcing presents before, for example here, here and here.

But what are some examples of cases in which this exercise in virtual collaboration has successfully made an impact on global development?

• Aid When Disaster Strikes: Perhaps the most talked about example of crowdsourcing in action came in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Director of Crisis Mapping and Strategic Partnerships at Ushahidi and blogger over at iRevolution gives this account of how crowdsourcing worked in the Haiti relief efforts. The main takeaway? When disasters happen access to information on the ground is key, whether it’s coordinates for finding people who are trapped in quake rubble or a place to post information about missing persons. Some have questioned the impact of crowdsourcing in Haiti, including aid worker Paul Currion, but there’s no doubt that experts, both in the tech community and beyond, took note.

• Fighting Corruption: The developing world is riddled with inside deals and corrupt systems that firmly entrench the haves and have-nots at opposing ends of the economic spectrum. Technology, and crowdsourcing specifically, can offer a 'no-brainer' way to expose that injustice. In India, for example, where the dichotomy between rich and poor is quite pronounced, one group has launched a crowdsourcing platform to attempt to stem the tide of bribery that has taken route. Corruption has often happened under the radar or at least out of the eyes of impoverished populations with little access to accurate information. Technology, and the potential of crowdsourcing, seems to offer one way of addressing that challenge.

• There’s an App for That: If there’s one advancement in crowdsourcing that is poised to trump all the rest, it’s engendering sustainable tech solutions to poverty. The State Department’s Apps 4 Africa competition and the World Bank’s Apps for Development competition can shed a little light on how crowdsourcing app development can lead to some real solutions. Forget about your weather or fantasy football app, these contests show that apps do not have to be glamorous to make a difference for people living in poverty.

Of course, these are but a few of the applications we’ve seen where crowdsourcing seems like a great idea for good. There’s no doubt that opening up the challenges of poverty to a much broader audience that understands how technology can reap real benefits in the developing world is a good thing. What remains to be seen is how deep crowdsourcing can make an impact.

Anyone have other examples to share?

Photo Credit: James Cridland (flickr)