10 (Plus 1) Ways to Change the World With Computer Science

If truth be told, much of the work done by software developers is not that elevated. We fix business reporting and bills of lading, control washing machines and make angry birds happen. We oil the wheels of commerce which is important and worthwhile, but not, perhaps, noble. It is useful therefore, to occasionally remind ourselves of the difference we can make. Our skills are rare and can make big transformations in the world. We can change lives, we can alleviate suffering, we can feed the hungry. We should do just that.

Here, in this spirit, and by way of example, are 10 (plus 1) 'projects' that are worth the candle.

'Cure Cancer'. Cancer researchers produce vast amounts of data - distributed, in different formats, on different platforms, with different semantics and conventions, derived from different experimental protocols. The scale and heterogeneity act as significant blocks to our ability to advance the study of cancer. Can they be overcome?

'Bring Clean Water to the Poor'. Access to clean water and sanitation is the most important element of alleviating illness and the burden of poverty. Computing and particularly mobile technology can make a big difference to the very poorest in urban slums and small farming villages by enabling monitoring, gathering water quality data, optimisation, ensuring legal compliance, water saving and resource management, warning of pollution risks, tracking and visualisation. Can we rise to this challenge?

'Protect Children at Risk of Harm'. Children who have been abused or otherwise harmed by those entrusted with their care can be overlooked by the system. Yet often the signs are there, different observations are made by teachers, social workers, doctors, hospitals and the police. What is known however cannot be assembled partly for simple practical reasons, partly because of different schemes intended to protect the data subjects. If these observations were brought together they might identify risks and patterns of behaviour associated with harm. Can this be achieved whilst preserving the reasonable requirements of privacy and security?

'Coordinate Rescue in Natural Disasters'. When a natural disaster occurs much of the communications and other infrastructure is commonly destroyed inhibiting rescue and reconstruction. Rescuers must be able to rapidly establish communication and logistics. They must be able to record those who are missing, those subject to medical treatment, property and materials used. In effect, in extremely difficult operational conditions, they must establish from ground up an entire information systems environment. Speed is everything in order to alleviate suffering and save lives. Can we build this?

'Bring Learning to the Unschooled'. We have the technical elements to allow learning to be broadly shared and have demonstrated these through virtual learning environments and massive open online courses. We must extend these platforms in ways which would allow educational opportunity to be shared globally and particularly amongst the poorest, educating girls, who are frequently deprived of opportunity, and those who have no access to schooling. This requires new ways of thinking about distribution and content. Can we find the models to make it happen?

'Fight Disease'. Many of the major diseases, such as malaria, that kill those in the developing world can be tackled but effective treatment requires access to sophisticated laboratories and skilled analysts for tests and diagnostics. If these diagnostics can be made rapid and simple and could be brought to the places where the vulnerable populations live then hundred of thousands of lives could be saved. Computing and imaging technologies could play a key role in delivering this. Can we partner with the biomedical sciences to this end?

'Open Science'. Open access to science publications and data has gained considerable momentum from research funders and from universities. The result of greater open access could be a genuinely more open and global science community, but open access will not deliver this on its own. It is equally possible that the business model of research publication changes without much change in real accessibility. It will require new models and infrastructures to achieve this and to make data sharing meaningful. Are we open to this?

'Improve Urban Living'. Cities are efficient and effective places to live and do business. An increasing proportion of the worlds population reside in cities. The growth of cities however, yields problems of transport, pollution, housing and security. This is particularly true of the growing cities of the developing world with their shanty townships and favelas. 'Smart cities' that use sensors and large-scale data to improve the lives of citizens seem within technical reach but requires innovation and imagination to turn to social benefit. Are we capable of it?

'Make Sense of Climate Change'. Climate change and energy are the key global issues of our age. In order to understand this we depend upon computational models, the scenarios presented to these models and the results they yield. At the moment the models are crafted by experts and tied to particular data resources, the justification for particular choices is in the scientific literature. These models need to be opened up and made accessible to the broad range of stakeholders and to the public who will need to understand them. Rationale, provenance and robustness are all critical to informed political decision making. This is very much the realm of computer science. Can we help to make sense of it?

'Liberate from Tyranny'. Freedom of speech and the ability to highlight injustices and to challenge tyranny are enabled by computing and communications technology. Opressive governments seek to deprive their citizens of these rights through, amongst other things, technical means. The only way around this is to develop the tools that will allow open communication in the face of attempts to subvert it. Recognising the risks that this brings in its wake we have a responsibility to openness and democracy to enable the dissenting voice to be heard. Can we achieve this?

'Give People the Tools to Change Their Own Lives'. At the end of the day we can engage in the creative, socially constructive and responsible use of technology, but our principal goal should be to give people the tools that are cheap enough, flexible enough and usable enough to allow them to change their own lives and in the course of that change our lives too. We can do that, surely.