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Maps Aren’t Paintings: A Discussion About Data Licenses
When it comes to open-source map data, licenses like the one used by collaborative mapping group OpenStreetMap (OSM) are important. They ensure that anyone can use the map data in a commercial or...
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Calling for “Backup” – Indemnification for Digital Volunteers
Editor’s note: This guest blog is by Edward S. Robson, Esq. In the past I have written about the tort liability that digital volunteers face when making responses. In addition to a number of other...
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Too Big to Succeed: The Need for Federal IT Reform
The following is part of a special series of policy briefs by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars running until inauguration day. This piece, written by Commons Lab Early Career...
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Federal Agility: A Cultural Solution to a Technical Problem
Editor’s note: In our recently posted transitional brief, Too Big to Succeed, we called attention to agile development as an opportunity for cost savings and improved outcomes. This week, we dive...
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GovLoop Interview with Zack Bastian on IT Reform
As the House Oversight & Government Reform Committee starts looking at federal IT reform, please take a few minutes to check out the Commons Lab’s recent work on the issue. Chris Dorobek of...
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The Boston Marathon Bombings and the Limitations of Crowdsourced Intelligence
In the wake of the horrific bombings at this week’s Boston Marathon, a complex web of agencies has been furiously searching for suspects. Intelligence analysis is already a challenge, and attempting to...
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UPDATE: After Arrest, Authorities Caution Against Crowdsourced Criminal...
During last week’s frenzied pursuit of suspects after the Boston Marathon bombings, we commented on the danger of attempting to crowdsource a criminal investigation. After Friday’s arrest of Dzhokhar...
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New Open Data Rules Continue Push for Government Innovation
FCC Visualization of Low Power FM Availability, built on open data and explained on GitHub. Today, the Office of Management and Budget and the Office of Science and Technology Policy jointly released...
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Project Open Data: Interview with Ben Balter
In our recent post on the Open Data Policy, we mentioned Project Open Data as an exciting manifestation of collaborative government concepts put into practice. To learn more, we reached out to...
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Citizen Science Profile: SeaSketch
A demo of the SeaSketch platform being used to combat whale strikes in the Santa Barbara Channel. As part of the Commons Lab’s ongoing initiative to highlight the intersection of emerging technologies...
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The Power of Hackathons
The Commons Lab of the Science and Technology Innovation Program is proud to announce the release of The Power of Hackathons: A Roadmap for Sustainable Open Innovation. Hackathons are collaborative...
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Appiro Testifies Before Congress on Crowdsourcing, Innovation and Prizes...
Mr. Singh wearing google glass while testifying. As Congress moves forward with integrating more prizes and challenges for crowdsourcing scientific research, one expert from Silicon Valley raises...
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Big Data: Seizing Opportunities, Preserving Values
Each day, humans upload more than 500 million photographs documenting every aspect of their lives. But while striking, this statistic pales in comparison to the vast quantity of information created not...
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An Exploratory Study on Barriers
Barriers and Accelerators to Crowdsourcing and Citizen Science in Federal Agencies: An Exploratory Study Draft Summary for Discussion — September 5, 2014 The Commons Lab within the Wilson Center’s...
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Citizen Science & The Law: A New Web-Enabled Policy Tool
Navigating legal and administrative barriers while implementing citizen science and crowdsourcing projects at the federal level can be complex and confusing. The Commons Lab published a report earlier...
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Event Recap: Crowdsourcing, Citizen Science, and the Law
With the inherent role that open data and open science plays in crowdsourcing and citizen science, understanding how intellectual property rights (IP) and legal issues could impact federal citizen...
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4th USA Science & Engineering Festival Highlights Citizen Science
Video: Google Hangout recording at the USA Science & Engineering Festival of citizen scientist experts from across the country discussing how mobile technology can assist the growth of citizen...
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Obama’s Legacy in Science, Technology, and Innovation
Written by Christian Belcher, a Research and Social Media Intern with the Commons Lab at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. On Monday of this week, the White House Office of the...
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