# Predictor@home

> BOINC based volunteer computing project to predict protein structure

**Wikidata**: [Q902260](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q902260)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictor@home)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/predictor-home

## Summary
Predictor@home was a BOINC-based volunteer computing project that used donated computer resources to predict protein structure. Launched on June 9, 2004, it is noted as the first BOINC-based project and was dissolved on June 10, 2009.

## Key Facts
- Predictor@home was launched on 2004-06-09 and is cited as the first BOINC-based project.  
- The project was dissolved (web site and forums ceased functioning) on 2009-06-10.  
- Purpose: science — specifically protein structure prediction using volunteer computing.  
- Platform: Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing (BOINC) volunteer computing project.  
- Operator: Scripps Research.  
- Country: United States.  
- Official website (historical): http://predictor.chem.lsa.umich.edu/ (site start: 2004-06-09; archived snapshot: 2008-11-08; site end: 2009-06-10).  
- Instance of: software; volunteer computing; Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing projects.  
- Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Predictor.png  
- Identifiers: BabelNet ID 00269565n; Freebase ID /m/049zqj.  
- Wikipedia title: Predictor@home; available in languages: en, es, fi, it, pl, pt, uk, zh.  
- Sitelink count: 8.

## FAQs
### Q: What was Predictor@home?
A: Predictor@home was a volunteer computing project that ran on the BOINC platform to predict protein structures using donated computing resources.

### Q: Who operated Predictor@home?
A: The project is listed as being operated by Scripps Research.

### Q: When did Predictor@home run?
A: Predictor@home launched on June 9, 2004, and its web site and forums ceased functioning on June 10, 2009.

### Q: What platform and model did Predictor@home use?
A: Predictor@home used the BOINC volunteer computing platform, a system where users donate computer resources to contribute to research.

## Why It Matters
Predictor@home is significant for its role in applying the volunteer computing model to computational biology problems. As the first BOINC-based project (launched 2004-06-09), it demonstrated how distributed volunteer resources could be mobilized to tackle protein structure prediction, a computationally intensive scientific task. The project linked volunteer participants worldwide to a research workflow, illustrating the practical use of BOINC for scientific software and community-driven computation. Operated under Scripps Research and based in the United States, Predictor@home ran an official web presence from 2004 until mid-2009, leaving a record as an early example of BOINC projects dedicated to biological sciences. Its existence contributed to the broader class of Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing projects and helped establish patterns for later volunteer scientific computing efforts.

## Notable For
- Being cited as the first BOINC-based project, launched on June 9, 2004.  
- Applying volunteer (BOINC) computing specifically to protein structure prediction.  
- Having an operational period with a public website from 2004-06-09 to 2009-06-10.  
- Being operated by Scripps Research and listed as a BOINC project instance in multiple language Wikipedias.

## Body

### Overview
- Name: Predictor@home (alias: Predictor@Home).  
- Primary function: prediction of protein structure via distributed computation.  
- Platform: BOINC (Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing).  
- Classification: software; volunteer computing project; BOINC project.

### Purpose and Scope
- Main scientific use: protein structure prediction.  
- Use classification: science.  
- Volunteer computing context: participants donated computing resources to perform distributed calculations.

### Technical Platform
- Ran on the BOINC infrastructure, which coordinates volunteer-contributed computing resources for research applications.  
- Instance of Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing projects and volunteer computing software.

### Timeline and Operation
- Inception/Launch date: 2004-06-09.  
- The project is referenced as the first BOINC-based project at launch.  
- Website start_time recorded as 2004-06-09.  
- Archived website snapshot noted from 2008-11-08.  
- Dissolved / ceased functioning: 2009-06-10 (web site and forums ceased to function and appear to have been shut down).

### Organization and Country
- Operator: Scripps Research.  
- Country of operation: United States.

### Online Presence and Identifiers
- Official (historical) website: http://predictor.chem.lsa.umich.edu/ (site active 2004-06-09 to 2009-06-10; archived link available).  
- Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Predictor.png  
- BabelNet ID: 00269565n.  
- Freebase ID: /m/049zqj.  
- Wikipedia: article titled "Predictor@home" with language editions in en, es, fi, it, pl, pt, uk, zh.  
- Sitelink count: 8.

### Related Classes
- Related to the volunteer computing class: a system where users donate computer resources to contribute to research.  
- Part of the class of Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing projects (BOINC projects).

## References

1. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
2. BabelNet