Here’s an interesting example of GIS, crowdsourcing, and public participation. The USGS is looking for volunteers to compare pre- and post-storm photos of the East Coast for Hurricane Sandy and Hurricane Joaquin. It takes 2-3 minutes per photo and does a good deed for US coastal science.
http://coastal.er.usgs.gov/icoast/index.php
Mapping and spatial data analysis at Wesleyan University
