Work

A Gamification Proposal to Support Crowdsourcing and Collaborative Mapping in Covid-19 Spatialization and Signaling

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Active community involvement in health initiatives is crucial for combating Covid-19, particularly in vulnerable urban communities where detailed geographic data is often scarce. This study presents a gamified solution to support participatory mapping and crowdsourcing, aimed at gathering spatial data on Covid-19 transmission predictors. Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), we evaluated the factors influencing platform adoption. The proposed design, based on the GAFCC model, incorporates game elements to motivate engagement. A user study with 20 young participants from a vulnerable urban community in Salvador, Brazil, revealed that ‘effort expectancy’ and ‘social influence’ were significant determinants of the behavioral intention to use the platform. These results suggest that gamified participatory approaches can effectively mobilize community efforts in public health crises, offering valuable insights for similar contexts.

Source: Journal on Interactive Systems

DOI: 10.5753/jis.2026.5440