Crowds & Machines

What is the impact of Covid-19 on food security and political stability? In cooperation with BlackShore and 52Impact, and supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), HCSS is about to answer that question in the most innovative and ambitious way possible:

through satellite imagery, crowdsourcing and machine learning.

Satellite Imagery, Crowdsourcing and Machine Learning

We live in an age where artificial intelligence is increasingly being deployed to interpret satellite imaging. But the methods deployed are still in their infancy and – very costly. What if we could develop a system that acts as a catalyst to enhance these methods that at the same time helps to tackle some of our great societal challenges?

Enter Crowds and Machines, a new project that uses satellite information in a unique way to support the development of more effective interventions to mitigate the negative impacts of events that can be observed and monitored from space.

Our starting point: Cerberus. Cerberus is an advanced gaming platform that uses crowdsourcing to interpret satellite imaging. It currently utilises the eyes of over 75,000 people to build advanced mapping products. The output: detailed maps that are better than Google.

How? Using trained players, the generated data is used to train AI and machine learning systems that can detect pre-identified objects and scale the original maps to much larger surface areas.

Crowds & Machines shows us how collaboration between man and machine can be used for good.

Using the crowdsourcing tools of Cerberus and the passion for gaming of people around the world together with the latest machine learning techniques, we mapped, monitored, and measured the rate of production of cereals and other crops in Ethiopia and Italy in the period 2016-2021.

Our aim: to observe whether the covid-19 pandemic impacted yields and harvesting potential under varying climate conditions and enhance our understanding of the causal pathways between food security and political stability.

Ultimately, the method can be used to complement ongoing field work that is often costly, time-consuming and reliant on fragmented information. Moreover, since the data can be collected, interpreted, and scaled remotely, it can be applied to regions that are far removed, difficult to reach, or dangerous to enter.

BNR podcast “De Strateeg”

Gaming als hulpmiddel tegen de gevolgen van corona en klimaatverandering

Kun je satellietbeelden, crowdsourcing en gaming technieken inzetten om de impact van Covid-19 op voedselzekerheid in kaart te brengen?

Laura Birkman, HCSS senior strategisch analist, en Hans van ‘t Woud, CEO en oprichter van BlackShore, vertellen alles over “Crowds & Machines” in de BNR/HCSS podcast “De Strateeg“.

Webinar | Crowds & Machines – The Next Phase

How can advanced data technologies like satellite imagery and machine learning support the development of climate change policies? On Wednesday, March 15th, Hans van ‘t Woud (BlackShore), Koen Verberne (52impact) and Laura Birkman (HCSS) took a deep dive into the unique approach developed by the Crowds & Machines consortium that combines game-driven crowd source analytics, machine learning, and strategic analysis. Rewatch the webinar here.

Related News

Rewatch | Webinar: Crowds & Machines, The Next Phase

March 23, 2023

How can advanced data technologies like satellite imagery and machine learning support the development of climate change policies? On Wednesday, March 15th, Hans van 't Woud (BlackShore), Koen Verberne (52impact) and Laura Birkman (HCSS) took a deep dive into the unique approach developed by the Crowds & Machines consortium that combines game-driven crowd source analytics, machine learning, and strategic analysis. Rewatch the webinar here.

Webinar | Crowds & Machines – The Next Phase

February 22, 2023

Join BlackShore, 52Impact and HCSS on Wednesday, March 15, from 14:00-15:30 for an online seminar on advanced data technologies to support policy and programming on climate change. This webinar provides insights into how advanced data technologies (e.g., satellite imagery, machine learning) can support the development of climate change policies. Specifically, the online panel will deep dive into the unique approach developed by the Crowds & Machines consortium that combines game-driven crowd source analytics, machine learning, and strategic analysis.

Crowds & Machines | Crowd generated data labels to understand threats for Europe and our planet with Cerberus

July 14, 2022

Lavender from the Provence, ruins in Greece, energy grids in Spain and mines in the Marche; all have something in common: These features are going to be mapped in an epic journey covering the past, the present and the future scope of the Mediterranean region of Europe in the context of climate change.

De Strateeg: Gaming als hulpmiddel tegen de gevolgen van corona en klimaatverandering

July 21, 2021

Deze week in De Strateeg op BNR Nieuwsradio: kunnen gamers helpen de gevolgen van corona en klimaatverandering in kaart te brengen? Paul van Liempt spreekt erover met HCSS analist Laura Birkman en Hans van 't Woud van BlackShore.

Trailer: Crowds & Machines

July 12, 2021

What is the impact of Covid-19 on food security and political stability? How can satellite imagery be used to map harvests and predict political instability?

Blog | The best of both worlds: Crowds & Machines

December 18, 2020

In a cooperation with BlackShore, 52Impact, The Hague…

Mapping the impact of Covid-19 on food security and political stability

November 13, 2020

What is the impact of Covid-19 on food security and political stability? In cooperation with BlackShore and 52Impact, and supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), HCSS is about to answer that question in the most innovative and ambitious way possible: through satellite imagery, crowdsourcing and machine learning.

CoP Meeting: Crowds & Machines

October 30, 2020

How can technologies like geodata, crowdsourcing intelligence, and machine learning contribute to resilience of food systems and communities during and after shocks like the Covid-19 crisis?

Our Partners:

This is a project created in cooperation with BlackShore, 52impact, and The Hague Centre for Strategic Studies and is supported by the European Space Agency.

For more information, and to learn more about this golden alliance between man and machine, check out BlackShore’s Cerberus website.

Our Partners

HCSS Crowds & Machines Team

Laura Birkman

Senior Strategic Analyst

Ninoslav Malekovic

Chief Data Scientist

Crowds & Machines