Citizen Science: Harnessing the Power of the People in the Era of Big Data

As we enter an era where data is abundant, large imaging surveys (e.g. DESI’s Legacy Surveys, WISE) and catalogs containing billions of sources (e.g. Gaia, CatWISE2020) offer an unprecented opportunity for new discoveries in the quest for volume completeness. However, ensuring that we are fully utilizing these large datasets can be a challenge. I discuss, with a particular emphasis on the Backyard Worlds: Planet 9 project, how citizen science can be an antidote to the challenges of big data, giving scientists access to millions of science enthusiasts who can apply both manpower and their unique skills to the task. I show how they are effective at outlier detection, finding objects within the local volume outside our typical search criteria, and I present some original research, performed as a citizen scientist, that seeks to expand the census of objects in local young moving groups, the completeness of which directly informs our understanding of the initial mass function.