Here I am, there I go and now you know. My GPS told you so.

Expect crowd-based problem solving to fuel endless innovations in 2012, especially as for consumers, contributing will be more effortless than ever.

However the reality is that most consumers- while they might want to contribute- find that it a hassle. You can expect to see more IDLE SOURCING initiatives in 2012: products and services that make it simple to contribute to anything, from pinpointing roads in need of repairs to finding signs of extraterrestrial life.

Making this technological possible is the ubiquity of always-on, GPS and accelerometer-enabled smartphones. In 2012, consumers can and will increasingly broadcast data about where and what they are doing.

Two IDLE SOURCING examples that show the way:

Test launched back in March 2011, the Boston based Street Bump app takes advantage of the sensors on smartphones to give city officials a real-time map of road conditions. The Android app uses the accelerometers and GPS technology in users’ phones to register when and where the user’s car has experienced a pothole, which it logs and reports automatically.

Israeli crowd-sourced traffic navigation app Waze reached seven million users across 45 countries in October 2011. The app provides free turn-by-turn navigation alongside live information about road conditions, crowdsourced from other users. Users can also sign-in and view their friends’ locations.

GTXCorp continues to offer its patented 2-way GPS people finding solutions – including its life saving GPS Smart Shoe through Aetrex Worldwide – that instantly locates the victims of Alzheimer’s Disease that have eloped or wandered from their caregivers. Talk is that a kids version is on the drawing boards for a similar solution. Remember, dementia is not age biased.