A story about a survey research uses crowdsourcing method to collect a large amount of reliable and rich data for project prioritisation and implementation in its smart city initiative. The sharing provides you with steps and modifications of the methodology for your own projects that gain lots of rewards. The gains are lower costs, creative, nimble and replicable design, and flexible and collaborative deployment strategies. By Beth Massey & Long Pham. Presented at Crowdsourcing Week Global 2016. Learn more and join the next event: www.crowdsourcingweek.com

1. Collective Minds and Rich Data in
Smart Cities
Long Pham/Beth Massey
13 Apr 2016
1

2. Agenda
• CorkCitiEngage Project Overview
• Objectives of the CorkCitiEngage Data Collection
• Measured Indicators
• Crowdsourcing as the methodology
• Survey sets and survey methods
• Respondents and outcomes
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3. CorkCitiEngage Project Overview
3
• Cork Smart Gateway – Co-funding the
research; Co-owner of the project
• IERC – Co-owner and lead deployment
and research partner
• Stakeholders: University College Cork,
Cork Institute of Technology, Tyndall
National Institute, Volunteers, others…
• Crowdsourcing method
• Coverage area: Cork Metropolitan Area

4. Objectives
• Determine citizens/residents’ understanding of smart city projects
oCurrent practices and willingness to engage/participate in public issues
oDigital skills; preferred means of communications;
oAccess to and use of broadband internet and public transport
• Set up a baseline for Cork Smart Gateway initiatives prioritization
• Specify quantifiable indicators to develop relevant evidence-based interventions
and policies, and measure progresses/outcomes
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5. Measured Indicators
Public Participation
o Current understanding about smart city projects
in Cork
o Current practices and willingness to
engage/participate in public issues
o Current practices and willingness to volunteer
Public infrastructure access and usage
o Use of broadband, internet
o Use of public transport: buses, trains, bicycle hire
o Use of city’s open data
Digital skills
o Preferred means of communications (mobile, post,
social media, text message…)
o Current usages and using skills of numerous means
of communications
o Current usages of social media
Updated demographical data
o Time of stay in Cork
o Age
o Gender
o Education
o Ethnic background
o Employment
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6. Key considerations: costs, design, deployment mechanisms
• Innovative and multi-disciplinary approach
• Cheaper and more nimble method
• Utilise formal channels
• Sponsoring and sharing of responsibilities (financial and non-financial
contributions)
• Resource commitment upfront and ongoing
• High chance for good turn-out (many respondents)
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From facts to formation

7. Literature:
• Open innovation (citizens participation) for solutions and ideas to partners (ICT &
biz strategy) (Seltzer & Mahmoudi, 2012)
• Crowdsourcing rooted from democratic principle: every individuals possesses
some knowledge or talent that some other individual will find valuable (Howe,
2009)
• “Wisdom of the crowd”… groups are remarkably intelligent and often smarter
than the smartest people in them (Surowiecki, 2005)
• Gathering widest possible number of views, expert or not, could result in new
combinations of ideas that would yield unexpected and profoundly wise
outcomes (Hwang, 1996)
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Crowdsourcing-inspired method selected

8. • Pick the right model (collective intelligent/crowd wisdom; crowd creation,
some combination, crowdfunding…) => combination
• Pick the right crowd (cultivating, stewarding, sustaining, requiring interactive
participation) => stakeholder mapping
• Offer the right incentives (incentives work for specific audiences) =>
stakeholder mapping
• KISS (understandable parts): rightly defining problem and well crafting call =>
sale pitch
• The power of decider (decision maker(s)) is moral and persuasive, not absolute
(Howe, 2009) 8
Crowdsourcing action rules

9. • Identify the stakeholders
• Locate shared responsibilities & interests
• Engage and sell the project to the stakeholders
• Offer benefits and seek resources/help needed
• Articulate outcomes and impacts for individuals and
organisations
=> What the project can do for the crowd rather than what
the crowd can do for the project
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Stakeholders Mapping in CorkCitiEngage

10. 10
Stakeholders Mapping in CorkCitiEngage
• Cork City Council
• Cork County Council
• UCC related experts
• CIT expertise and resources
• Age Action
• Volunteer Ireland
• Community centres
• Day care centres
• Cork citizens and residents
• Tyndall National Institute
• UCC Careers Services/courses
• Student volunteers
• Central Statistic Office
• Secondary schools
• Youth reach centres
• Local biz communities

11. Survey sets and survey methods
1. Cork Have Your Say (REP)
2. Cork Have Your Say (NON-REP – Control
group)
3. Cork Have Your Say (Senior)
4. Speak up Youth (15-18 years old)
5. Work with Citizens/Residents (Officials
the two halls and their affiliates)
• Door-to-Door survey (student volunteers)
• On-line survey (email, social media, web
posts etc.)
• Face To Face survey (student volunteers)
• On-line survey (schools and youth reach
centres’ computer classes)
• On-line survey (internal email systems)
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12. 12

13. 13

14. Respondents
Survey No of respondents
Cork Have Your Say (REP) 950
Cork Have Your Say (NON-REP – Control group)
Mallow
1301
87
Cork Have Your Say (Senior) 141
Speak up Youth (15-18 years old) 768
Work with Citizens/Residents 352
TOTAL (600h x €9.15 = €5490) 3599
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15. Direct outcomes
• Cost: at least 3 times cheaper than using service providers
• Design: creative, nimble and replicable
• Deployment: flexible and collaborative
• High volume of reliable data for project prioritisation and implementation
Direct impacts
• Large amount of residents and citizens become aware of the CSG (20K on Twitter;
14K on LinkedIn; 2K+ f2f; 300 seniors f2f; 7K students)
• 100+ students trained in households interview skills => National Census
• Data and insights for general public articles, academic papers (jointly), practices
for replication in H2020 bid and for other cities.
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Crowdsourcing in CorkCitiEngage: it works!

16. LONG PHAM
E: Long.pham@iec.ie
T: +353 21 234 6940
16
Q&A

17. 17
Acknowledgments