MoleMapper: an application for crowdsourcing mole images to advance melanoma early-detection research

Advancements in smartphone technologies and the use of specialized health care applications offer an exciting new era to promote melanoma awareness to the public and improve education and prevention strategies. These applications also afford an opportunity to power meaningful research aimed at improving image diagnostics and early melanoma detection. Here, we summarize our experience associated with developing and managing the implementation of MoleMapper™, a research-based application that not only provides an efficient way for users to digitally track images of moles and facilitate skin self-examinations but also provides a platform to crowdsource research participants and the curation of mole images in efforts to advance melanoma research. Obtaining electronic consent, safeguarding participant data, and employing a framework to ensure collection of meaningful data represent a few of the inherent difficulties associated with orchestrating such a wide-scale research enterprise. In this review, we discuss strategies to overcome these and other challenges leading to the implementation of MoleMapper™.