Crowdsorsa vs VECMAP Helsinki

Crowdsorsa is a mobile game for crowdsourcing data collection and microtasks to improve the city environment. Players can earn money and compete against each other by participating in our fun and meaningful missions. The game is played by collecting or placing virtual objects on the map while taking photos or videos with your smartphone. Each object grows your earnings which you can request to be paid to your bank account whenever you want. Missions are organized only at certain times and in specific locations, to serve our clients’ needs and requirements. Players can, for example, photograph benches, bus stops and manhole covers, record videos of roads and cycling routes, or search and destroy invasive plants in their area. You will be instructed to each mission in the Crowdsorsa app. Following these instructions is very important to ensure that your photos and videos can be approved and rewarded to you. In case you need any help, you can easily contact us through the app. To create a Crowdsorsa user account and participate in the game, you need to be at least 18 years old or 13–17 years old with parental consent.

VECLIMIT Consortium led by Prof. Olli Vapalahti funded by the Academy of Finland for a special call on "Climate Change and Health" Vector-borne diseases (VBD) are posing an increasing threat to humans. Quantifying this risk is complicated as it arises from the interplay between multiple hosts, vector and pathogen species and the environment, including changing climate. This consortium (partners from Universities of Helsinki, Jyväskylä and Turku, Luke, NIHW, FFA and FMI) aims to estimate and predict these risks in relation to climate change in Finland. This will be achieved by integrating existing long-term human disease incidence data with data on host communities and environment using modern analyses tools, empirical field studies and modelling. The ultimate goal is to better quantify environmental and societal factors that drive VBD and provide essential information for intervention strategies. The main focus is on tick-borne diseases (Lyme borreliosis and tick-borne encephalitis), but the concepts and methods developed can be used in studying other VBDs affected by climate change.