Gamesourcing: Perspectives and Implementations

This chapter discusses game-based methods of problem solution and data processing, analysis, and information mining. Attention is mainly focused on swarm algorithm and principles used in the task of complex problem solving using computer games. We intensively discuss the interdisciplinary intersection between swarm systems dynamics and computer science, including a variety of data sources and examples. Possibilities of the new approach based on swarm algorithm used in a game or using principles of swarm algorithms to solve the problem are demonstrated here. More precisely, this chapter discusses modern methods of calculation and crowd use, so-called gamesourcing, i.e., game-driven crowdsourcing, from various points of view such as history, motivation, or paradigm and presents several examples of contemporary projects of this kind. Ideas, results, and methodologies reported and mentioned here are based on our previous results and experiments that are fully reported here for detailed study in the case of reader’s interest. Therefore, this chapter is an overview survey of our research

Working for (Virtually) Minimum Wage: Applying the Fair Labor Standards Act in Cyberspace

As more work enters cyberspace, takes place in virtual worlds, and collapses traditional nation-state barriers, we are entering a new era of “virtual work.” In this article, I use “virtual work” as an umbrella term to encompass work in virtual worlds, crowdsourcing, clickworking, even sweeping in, to some degree, the commonplace telecommuting and “mobile executives” that have become ubiquitous over the past decade.Are such new forms of “work” entitled to the minimum payment standards mandated under the FLSA? As the United States enters another economic crisis, and with advances in technology key to continued economic growth and stability, these questions demand serious consideration. The FLSA now faces a variety of new scenarios created by work in cyberspace, and there is a strong case that the economic and equitable purposes of the FLSA are best served by ensuring that the statute is construed broadly so that cyberworkers, clickworkers, and virtual workers receive the federal minimum wage. The advent of virtual work simultaneously provides immense promise and peril for workers in the new digital economy. New technology allowing collaboration can provide remarkable opportunities for workers and employers alike. Traditional limitations on collaboration - of travel, of meeting, of commuting - can be minimized or reduced. Employers can use virtual spaces to make contacts and recruit talent, without spending money on transportation. Simultaneously, virtual work presents many of the same enduring problems and races to the bottom that workers’ rights advocates have struggled with over the years. This Article begins, in Part One, with a brief background discussion of labor markets in cyberspace. The discussion here contains an in-depth description of the process of pounding the virtual pavement - looking for work in cyberspace - for the purpose of showing the special employment challenges in this context and thus why such work warrants the protection of the FLSA. With that background, Part Two discusses the application of the FLSA to work in virtual worlds, crowdsourcing, and clickworking. Finally, Part Three makes the argument that the purposes of the FLSA are best achieved by ensuring their application to virtual work in the United States. Finally, the conclusion offers some thoughts about the broader applications of this argument and some possibilities for further thought and study, to be developed in future work

Smart Cities at Play: Lived Experiences, Emerging Forms of Playfulness, and Problems of Participation

In recent years, the notion of smart cities has become the focus of a growing body of research. To date, much of this attention has revolved around the technical aspect, with related concerns including the creation and implementation of suitable smart city technologies. What is notably missing from these discussions, however, is a consideration of the lived experience of supposedly \u27smart spaces\u27 and the extent to which physical and digital environments are currently producing new forms of play and playfulness that can be contextualized within this field. With this in mind, the purpose of our workshop is as follows. First, to provide a platform for researchers and practitioners to engage with these issues that often remain hidden when discussions solely focus on technology. Second, to develop a draft research agenda for challenges that will serve as a primer for future studies examining the topic

Characteristics of Smartphone Applications for Nutrition Improvement in Community Settings: A Scoping Review

Reproduced by permission of Oxford University Press https://academic.oup.com Copyright © 2019 American Society for NutritionSmartphone applications are increasingly being used to support nutrition improvement in community settings. However, there is a scarcity of practical literature to support researchers and practitioners in choosing or developing health applications. This work maps the features, key content, theoretical approaches, and methods of consumer testing of applications intended for nutrition improvement in community settings. A systematic, scoping review methodology was used to map published, peer-reviewed literature reporting on applications with a specific nutrition-improvement focus intended for use in the community setting. After screening, articles were grouped into 4 categories: dietary self-monitoring trials, nutrition improvement trials, application description articles, and qualitative application development studies. For mapping, studies were also grouped into categories based on the target population and aim of the application or program. Of the 4818 titles identified from the database search, 64 articles were included. The broad categories of features found to be included in applications generally corresponded to different behavior change support strategies common to many classic behavioral change models. Key content of applications generally focused on food composition, with tailored feedback most commonly used to deliver educational content. Consumer testing before application deployment was reported in just over half of the studies. Collaboration between practitioners and application developers promotes an appropriate balance of evidence-based content and functionality. This work provides a unique resource for program development teams and practitioners seeking to use an application for nutrition improvement in community settings

Modernizing Millennia: 3D Models as Ethical Progress in Museum Practice

Practical knowledge of how to use digital technologies for archaeological purposes are rapidly becoming an in-demand skill set. Why we should use these technologies, however, is a subject of somewhat less discussion. Within the past decade cultural heritage management has seen a surge in tools that promise cheaper, faster and more precise data acquisition, as well as a host of software to enable easy and integrated access to this data. With increasing user expectations, what does this mean for museums which endeavor to integrate 3D modeling into their practice? This thesis will explore the chaîne-opératoire which museums progress through to adopt 3D models into their collections. Mission statements and points of ethical museum practice will be considered for each step in the process of implementing 3D model use, such as the motivations for inception, to funding, scale of implementation, maintenance, and results in the form of community support and access. The end-product is not the only valuable part of this process, nor is it the only one that can aid museums in engaging their community. By examining the ways in which 3D modeling impacts museum ethics and practice, perhaps a more enlightened justification than the technological superiority of new digital methods can be made for embracing it

Amplifying Quiet Voices: Challenges and Opportunities for Participatory Design at an Urban Scale

Many Smart City projects are beginning to consider the role of citizens. However, current methods for engaging urban populations in participatory design activities are somewhat limited. In this paper, we describe an approach taken to empower socially disadvantaged citizens, using a variety of both social and technological tools, in a smart city project. Through analysing the nature of citizens’ concerns and proposed solutions, we explore the benefits of our approach, arguing that engaging citizens can uncover hyper-local concerns that provide a foundation for finding solutions to address citizen concerns. By reflecting on our approach, we identify four key challenges to utilising participatory design at an urban scale; balancing scale with the personal, who has control of the process, who is participating and integrating citizen-led work with local authorities. By addressing these challenges, we will be able to truly engage citizens as collaborators in co-designing their city

Current Best Practices among Cultural Heritage Institutions when Dealing with Copyright Orphan Works and Analysis of Crowdsourcing Options

The purpose of this study is to establish the current state of best practices among Cultural Heritage Institutions (CHIs) when dealing with in-copyright orphan works in three countries: the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Italy. A baseline understanding of current practice provides a benchmark against which crowdsourcing (or any other proposal) to address the challenge posed by orphan works can be evaluated. The research team used a purposive sample to approach the ‘Big 3’ national libraries and film archives in each country, typically including the national library, the national archive and the national film archive. The researchers also aimed to include at least one institution from each jurisdiction that had used the EUIPO database, and one institution that digitized orphan works but opted not to use the database. 15 cultural institutions are included in the study. A semi-structured interview format was used to gather qualitative and quantitative data about the CHIs, their collections, their diligent search processes, the results of rights clearance for specific digitization projects, their thoughts on the potential of crowd-sourcing as a solution, and their views on the current legislative framework