crowdLabs

crowdLabs is a social visualization repository for the scientific workflow management system VisTrails.

It adopts the model used by social Web sites and that integrates a set of usable tools and a scalable infrastructure to provide an environment for scientists to collaboratively analyze and visualize data.

The system combines benefits of social Web sites and science portals while at the same time addressing their limitations. Similar to social Web sites, crowdLabs aims to foster collaboration, but unlike these sites, it was specifically designed to support the needs of computational scientists, including the ability to access high-performance computers and manipulate large volumes of data. By providing mechanisms that simplify the publishing and use of analysis pipelines, it allows IT personnel and end users to collaboratively construct and refine portals. This lowers the barriers for the use of scientific analyses and enables broader audiences to contribute insights to the scientific exploration process, without the high costs incurred by traditional portals. In addition, it supports a more dynamic environment where new exploratory analyses can be added on-the-fly.