Designing Virtual Organizations for Citizen Science

Designing Virtual Organizations for Citizen Science Wiggins & K. Crowston IFIP 8.2 OASIS workshop 15 December, 2009

Motivation • Problem: The Tyranny of Scale in scientific research • Geographic scale • Temporal scale • Data scale • Solution: Redesigning scientific work • eScience: leverages ICTs to overcome challenges • Citizen Science: harnesses public interest to enable and extend research

Context • Citizen Science • Scientific research that includes non-scientists as active contributors • Often has educational or civic goals in addition to scientific goals • Diverse range of intellectual domains, wide variety of modes of participation • Usually a type of virtual organization

Conceptual Framework • Multi-level: distinct but interrelated individual and organizational factors • IMOI model: outputs become inputs • Contextually aware • Scientific processes and goals • Explicitly assuming involvement of professional scientists in project design and development • Participant processes and goals

Initial Model

Inputs • Individual • Demographics • Skills • Motivations • Organizational • Task design • Organizational design • Technology design

Moderators • Processes • Individual: Joining, contributing • Organizational: Scientific research, volunteer management, data management • Emergent States • Individual: Commitment, roles • Organizational: Sustainability, community

Outputs • Individual • Contributions • Satisfaction • Learning • Organizational • Knowledge • Communication • Innovation

Issues • Heterogeneity and scope • From stardust to bumblebees • From a handful to a horde • Participation is like… • Crowdsourcing • Layered individual work • Small group interactions • Networks of practice • Social movements

Future Work • Develop typology of citizen science projects, guided by this framework • Validate and revise iteratively • In-depth case studies • Examine “experience design” of contributors’ participation to optimize for: • Scientifically valuable outcomes • Participant benefit and learning • Project sustainability

Thanks! • Questions? • voss.syr.edu

Designing Virtual Organizations for Citizen Science