Volun ee ed Geog aphic In o ma ion:
In e p e a ion, Visualisa ion and Social Compu ing
(VGIscience)
Di k Bu gha d ,a Wol gang Nejdl,b Jochen Schiewe,c and Monika Ses e d
a Technical Uni e si y D esden, I K, D esden, Ge many, di k.bu gha d @ u-d esden.de
b Leibniz-Uni e si y Hanno e , L3S, Hanno e , Ge many, [email protected] e .de
c Ha enCi y Uni e si y Hambu g, g2lab, Hambu g, Ge many, jochen.schiewe@hcu-hambu g.de
d Leibniz-Uni e si y Hanno e , IKG, Hanno e , Ge many, monika.ses e @ikg.uni-hanno e .de
Abs ac : In he pas yea s Volun ee ed Geog aphic In o ma ion (VGI) has eme ged as a no el o m o use -gene a ed
con en , which in ol es ac i e gene a ion o geo-da a o example in ci izen science p ojec s o du ing c isis mapping
as well as he passi e collec ion o da a ia he use ’s loca ion-enabled mobile de ices. In addi ion he e a e mo e and
mo e senso s a ailable ha de ec ou en i onmen wi h e e g ea e de ail and dynamics. These da a can be used o a
a ie y o applica ions, no only o he solu ion o socie al asks such as in en i onmen , heal h o anspo ields, bu
also o he de elopmen o comme cial p oduc s and se ices. The in e p e a ion, isualisa ion and usage o such
mul i-sou ce da a is challenging because o he la ge he e ogenei y, he di e ences in quali y, he high upda e
equencies, he a ying spa ial- empo al esolu ion, subjec i e cha ac e is ics and low seman ic s uc u ing.
The e o e he Ge man Resea ch Founda ion has launched a p io i y p og amme o he nex 3-6 yea s which will
suppo in e disciplina y esea ch p ojec s. This p io i y p og amme aims o p o ide a scien i ic basis o aising he
po en ial o VGI- and senso da a. Resea ch ques ions desc ibed mo e in de ail in his sho pape span om he
ex ac ion o spa ial in o ma ion, o he isual analysis and knowledge p esen a ion, aking in o accoun he social
con ex while collec ing and using VGI.
Keywo ds: Volun ee ed Geog aphic In o ma ion, use -gene a ed spa ial con en , geog aphic in o ma ion ex ac ion,
geosocial- isual analy ics, isual communica ion, social con ex
1. In oduc ion
Du ing he las yea s he a ailabili y o spa ial da a has
apidly de eloped, in pa icula h ough he di usion o
social ne wo ks, Web 2.0 pla o ms and a ailabili y o
sui able senso echnologies. A clea indica ion o his
end is he pa icipa ion o use s o he p oduc ion o so
called "Volun ee ed Geog aphic In o ma ion”, sho ly
VGI, due o he as use o sma phones and mobile
de ices. In he cu en in o ma ion socie y e a, hese da a
enable a a ie y o applica ions, no only o he solu ion
o socie al challenges such as in en i onmen , heal h o
anspo ields, bu also o he de elopmen o
comme cial p oduc s and se ices.
Goodchild (2007) in oduced in conjunc ion wi h VGI he
concep o “humans as senso ”. The eby he da a
gene a ion is ypically ca ied ou sepa a ely om a
p o essional con ex and wi hou he equi emen o
o mal quali ica ions. The collec ed da a a e eely
a ailable and can p o ide al e na i e, subjec i e
pe spec i es. The concep o human senso s has been
ex ended wi h he e ms “collec i e sensing” and “ci izen
science”. While he i s case is ela ed o he analysis o
agg ega ed anonymised da a coming om collec i e
ne wo ks, he second e m desc ibes he u ilisa ion o
local expe iences and knowledge om in e es ed
membe s o he gene al public.
In addi ion he e a e mo e and mo e senso s a ailable ha
inspec ou en i onmen in an always g ea e spa ial and
empo al le el o de ail. Such senso da a a e desc ibed a
leas pa ially wi h explici seman ic, such as he alues
o a empe a u e senso o he posi ion o a ehicle.
Howe e , hey also con ain implici in o ma ion e.g.
abou a ic conges ion. Bo h senso da a and use da a
may be a ailable in he o m o da a s eams wi h a local
e e ence. Fu he mo e his da a a e ypically e en
d i en – i.e. hey p o ide e idence ha some hing
happened.
Thus, VGI a e e y up- o-da e da a a ailable wi h high
spa ial esolu ion, which con ain in o ma ion abou he
local en i onmen and he beha iou o use s in an
implici o m. The usabili y o hese da a se s in hei aw
o m ne e heless is limi ed because o he immense
deg ee o he e ogenei y, he pa ially unknown seman ics
and he a ying quali y. Fu he mo e he p o ec ion o
p i acy mus be ensu ed in o de o enable sus ainable
use. In o de o unleash he la ge alue and he ichness
o he da a, a cus om da a p ocessing needs o ake place,
i.e. he da a mus be app op ia ely p eselec ed, ex
p ocessed, in e p e ed and possibly seman ically
anno a ed. He e, use and ask o ien ed analysis and
isualisa ion o da a se s is o pa icula impo ance in
o de o communica e in o ma ion and suppo decision
making.
P oceedings o he In e na ional Ca og aphic Associa ion, 1, 2017. This con ibu ion unde wen single-blind pee e iew based on
submi ed abs ac s | h ps://doi.o g/10.5194/ica-p oc-1-15-2017 | © Au ho s 2017. CC BY 4.0 License.
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The u ilisa ion o VGI and analysis o use gene a ed
spa ial con en equi es conside a ion o social con ex as
well as he cha ac e is ics and in e ac ions o he use s.
The e o e app oaches om he new esea ch ield o
Social Compu ing a e bene icial. Social Compu ing is an
a ea o Compu e Science looking a he in e aces
be ween social beha iou and compu e sys ems; and
dealing wi h me hods and sys ems ha suppo collec i e
acquisi ion, p ocessing and display o use gene a ed
con en .
Fo hese easons, he Ge man Resea ch Founda ion has
es ablished a p io i y p og am, which will suppo basic
esea ch on he opic „VGI: In e p e a ion, Visualisa ion
and Social Compu ing“ in he coming yea s.
Fig. 1. P io i y p og amme “VGIscience” wi h esea ch a eas
and po en ial applica ion ields
This pape lis s esea ch ields and ques ion in
summa ised o m, which a e aken om he unde lying
esea ch p oposal. Sec ion 2 iden i ies esea ch p ojec s
wi h a hema ic connec ion wi h he p io i y p og amme
and Sec ion 3 desc ibes majo esea ch opics.
2. Rela ed esea ch p ojec s
The e a e a numbe o applica ion-speci ic p ojec s
ela ed o he ex ac ion and in e p e a ion o geog aphic
in o ma ion, including:
• Geog aphic P i acy-awa e Knowledge
Disco e y and Deli e y (GeoPKDD, EU p ojec ,
unding 2005 un il 2008): The aim o he p ojec
was he de elopmen o heo ies, me hods and
sys ems o he ex ac ion o geog aphic
in o ma ion wi h conside a ion o p i acy
aspec s. The ocus was se on he analysis o
mo ing objec s and ajec o y da a on he
example o ca mobili y.
• WeSenseIT: Ci izen Obse a o ies o Wa e (EU
p ojec , unding since 2012): The esea ch
p ojec s udied he e ogeneous senso ne wo ks
consis ing o physical and social senso s, which
we e u ilised o hyd ological modelling, as well
as decision making in he a ea o wa e
managemen . The e o e da a we e conside ed
om social ne wo ks such Twi e and
Facebook.
• E en P edic ion and Decision Suppo based on
Huge Da a om Physical-Social Sys ems
(EPPICS; EU p ojec , unding 2014 un il 2017):
Wi hin his p ojec me hods we e de eloped o
modelling, moni o ing and p edic ion o e en s,
h ough he ex ac ion and combina ion o da a
and in o ma ion om physical and social
senso s. Applica ion domains will be he e en
managemen o ci ies as well as lood
moni o ing and managemen .
• Visual Linguis ics: Theo y and Applica ion o
Visualiza ion in Linguis ics (SNF p ojec ,
unding 2015 un il 2018): Aim o he p ojec is
he de elopmen o a “ isual linguis ic
amewo k”. The e o e isualisa ion me hods
om ela ed disciplines should be e alua ed as
well as hei po en ial ela ed o isual analyses
o big (linguis ic) da a.
• Ci izen Obse a o y Web (Cobweb, EU p ojec ,
unding 2012 un il 2016): In his p ojec a
sys em will be de eloped ha will make i easie
o ci izens o collec en i onmen al da a, e. g.
h ough he usage o mobile de ices. A special
ocus will be se on he in eg a ion o ci izen-
sou ced da a wi h e e ence da a om public
au ho i ies.
The men ioned p ojec s deal pa icula ly wi h echnical
and legal aspec s (e.g. p i acy, compu e linguis ic, isual
linguis ic), which ce ainly need o be aken up in u u e
esea ch (e. g. o he usion o di e en da a sou ces) –
bu in a new con ex – he p ocessing and in e p e a ion
o VGI da a o wide ange o applica ions – and
he e o e also wi h an in eg a ed pe spec i e.
VGI da a o en ha e cha ac e is ics o big da a ( olume,
he e ogenei y, unce ain y, e c.). Thus he e a e also
hema ic in e sec ions wi h ela ed p ojec s, such as:
• IN elligen Syn hesis and Real- Ime Response
using Massi e S eaminG o HeTe ogeneous
Da a (INSIGHT, EU p ojec , unding 2012 un il
2015): In his p ojec a p o o ype has been
de eloped o he as si ua ion assessmen o
eme gency si ua ions based on he analysis o
s eaming da a. Da a sou ces a e he e ogeneous
anging om wi e o a ic low sensing as
well as mobile phone da a.
• Algo i hms o Big Da a (DFG-SPP 1736,
unding since 2013): This p io i y p og amme
will de elop im- p o ed so wa e ools and da a
s uc u es o big da a se . Applica ions will deal
o example wi h 3D image analysis, e icien
seman ic sea ch, p ocessing o ime se ies,
explo a ion o la ge ne wo ks e c.
The ocus o he big da a p ojec s is gi en ei he on
gene al amewo ks o e y isola ed me hod
de elopmen s. Less a en ion has been paid on use
gene a ed spa ial da a as well as he in e sec ion wi h he
ield o social compu ing.
In he con ex o isual communica ion o VGI also
app oaches om isual analy ics will be e y ele an –
he e o e he ollowing p ojec s p o ide impo an inpu :
P oceedings o he In e na ional Ca og aphic Associa ion, 1, 2017. This con ibu ion unde wen single-blind pee e iew based on
submi ed abs ac s | h ps://doi.o g/10.5194/ica-p oc-1-15-2017 | © Au ho s 2017. CC BY 4.0 License.
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• Scalable Visual Analy ics: In e ak i e isuelle
Analysesys eme ü komplexe
In o ma ionswel en (DFG-SPP 1335, unding
2008 un il 2014): This p io i y p og amme deal
wi h he heo e ic ounda ions o isual analysis
algo i hms, he de elopmen and p ac ical
implemen a ion o scalable isual analysis
echniques as well as hei in eg a ion and
e alua ion.
• Visual Analy ics o sense-making in C iminal
In elligence Analysis (VALCRI, EU p ojec ,
unding 2014 un il 2017): Aim o he p ojec is
he de elopmen o an in e ac i e p o o ype o
c ime analysis o Eu ope based on di e en da a
sou ce ( ex , image, ideo).
• Visual Analy ics o Secu i y Applica ions
(VASA, unding 2011 un il 2014): The aim o
hese ge man-ame ican join p ojec was he
de elopmen o isual analy ics me hods and
p ocesses o imp o e disas e p e en ion and
c isis esponse wi h ocus on c i ical
in as uc u es, digi al ne wo ks and powe g ids.
Visual analy ics app oaches om he men ioned p ojec
will ha e g ea po en ial o be applied also on use
gene a ed spa ial con en . Focus o u u e de elopmen s
will be gi en on social, hema ic, spa ial, and empo al
aspec s.
Rela ed o Social Compu ing he ollowing p ojec s
p o ide ele an insigh s:
• Enhance En i onmen al Awa eness h ough
Social In o ma ion Technologies (E e yAwa e;
EU p ojec , FET Open, unding: 2011 un il
2014): Wi hin his p ojec a pla o m was
de eloped o in eg a e low-cos senso
echnologies, ne wo k applica ions and da a
p ocessing which will help ci izens o cap u e,
sha e and unde s and hei en i onmen .
Applica ions ocused on noise and ai pollu ion
da a. Addi ional esea ch was ca ied ou in he
p ojec o examine he p ocesses o opinion
o ma ion and hei in luence on beha iou
changes.
• Mul i-Objec i e Decision Making Tools h ough
Ci izen Engagemen (Consensus, EU p ojec ,
unding 2013 un il 2015): Aim o he p ojec is
he de elopmen o ools which will suppo
policy make s wi h high le el esul s based on a
numbe o ele an c i e ia. The e o e wo eal
wo ld use-cases we e implemen ed: one dealing
wi h Bio uels and Clima e Change (EU
Renewable Ene gy Di ec i e), and he o he
dealing wi h he T ans-Eu opean T anspo
Ne wo ks (TEN-T).
3. Resea ch ques ions and speci ic challenges
3.1 Resea ch ques ions on geog aphic in o ma ion
ex ac ion om use -gene a ed spa ial con en
3.1.1 Ex ac ion o he spa ial, empo al and hema ic
e e ence
While a la ge numbe o use gene a ed con en con ains
e e ences o loca ion, only small pe cen age has explici
geo-coo dina es. Thus geopa sing wi h oponym
ex ac ion om na u al language and geocoding wi h
assignmen o la /long coo dina es is equi ed. A majo
challenge is o esol e ambigui ies, which can be caused
o example h ough he usage o iden ical names o
di e en places. Fo u he use o he da a, i is also
necessa y o iden i y empo al e e ences. I no
imes amp is a ailable, his has o be in e ed om
con ex ual in o ma ion. Besides explici a ailabili y o
spa ial and empo al e e ence he au oma ed selec ion,
ca ego isa ion and in e p e a ion o da a con en is
equi ed. To his end me hods om compu e linguis ics
and da a mining can be u ilised such as opic modelling,
clus e ing, classi ica ion, ules, decision ees, co ela ion
e c.
A lo o esea ch has been ca ied ou on e en de ec ion,
hus nex s ep migh be a mo e in-dep h analyses o e en
e olu ion o e ime and iden i ica ion o co ela ed
e en s. Ano he s eng h o use gene a ed con en is he
implici ly con ained in o ma ion abou he impac o
e en s on people and hei beha iou . Possible esea ch
ques ions a e, which social g oups eac o an e en - how
and whe e? Amongs o he s, his equi es he analysis and
isualisa ion o he eac ions o people in e ms o
judgemen s, esponses, a i udes and emo ions. Rela ed
esea ch migh deal wi h he de elopmen o me hods o
analyse he p ocess o in o ma ion sp eading and opinion
o ming and o unde s and he empo al e olu ion o
people´s ela ion and in e ac ion wi h hei physical
con ex s. All componen s should p o ide quali y
measu es. The subjec i i y and possible delibe a e
alsi ica ion o da a equi es special me hods o
e alua ion and de i a ion o con idence measu es. This
will be he basis o ensu e ha om use -gene a ed da a
eliable conclusions can be d awn and e o s o
miss a emen s be iden i ied and minimised.
3.1.2 Fusion o da a om a ious sou ces and
empo al and spa ial esolu ion
The he e ogenei y and di e si y o VGI da a ep esen s a
unique sou ce o in o ma ion bu also p o ides a lo o
challenges. Me hods o da a usion, as hey exis o
s uc u ed geoda a a e no applicable di ec ly, ins ead
app oaches ha e o be de eloped which can in eg a e da a
o a ying le el o abs ac ion and in e p e a ion. The
he e ogeneous spa ial and empo al dis ibu ion equi es
he de elopmen o measu es o quan i y comple eness
and consis ency, bu also app oaches ha pe o m he
e alua ion based on compa able si ua ions. Fu he mo e
me hods o in e pola ion and ex apola ion ha e o be
de eloped o adap ed, e.g. h ough u ilisa ion o sui able
geos a is ical app oaches.
P oceedings o he In e na ional Ca og aphic Associa ion, 1, 2017. This con ibu ion unde wen single-blind pee e iew based on
submi ed abs ac s | h ps://doi.o g/10.5194/ica-p oc-1-15-2017 | © Au ho s 2017. CC BY 4.0 License.
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VGI da a a e o en spa ially e e enced by poin loca ions
such as images, mic oblogging con en o POIs. In o de
o associa e app op ia e spa ial and seman ic con ex
in eg a ion wi h opog aphic e e ence da a can be
bene icial. Thus, me hods o da a ma ching a e needed,
which a e able o ake cons ain s and seman ics in o
accoun . Pa icula ly challenging is he in eg a ed
ea men o da a om di e en sou ces ei he use -
gene a ed o au ho i a i e, bu also om mul iple scales,
which migh equi e ma ching a highe le els o
agg ega ion.
3.1.3 Iden i ica ion o co ela ions and pa e n wi hin
la ge amoun o da a and da a s eams
News and eedback in social media o en p o ide insigh
in o opinions and poli ical o ien a ion, which could be
ex ac ed by me hods om he ield o sen imen analysis.
This de i ed in o ma ion can be co ela ed wi h e e ence
da a, addi ional hema ic in o ma ion (e.g. om news
channels) as well senso da a (e.g. abou noise, ai o
wa e quali y) o iden i y po en ially impo an ac o s
ha ha e impac on quali y o li e and de elopmen o
egions. The combina ion and compa ison o da a om
u ban de elopmen , epidemics and poli ical
de elopmen s on one hand and in o ma ion om social
media on he hand migh p o ide inpu o p edic i e
models (e. g. h ough echniques o machine lea ning o
ime se ies analysis) and can suppo he c ea ion o ea ly
wa ning sys ems.
Scope, quali y and bias o da a p o ided by he use in he
con ex o social web and ci izen science, a e highly
dependen on hei in en ions and p edisposi ions.
The e o e, a p ima y goal is o iden i y hese in en ions.
Based on ha he ela ionships be ween subjec i e
in en ions, opinions, moods e c. and ac ual in o ma ion
espec i e senso y
da a can be analysed.
P ocessing o la ge da a s eams equi es cus omised da a
s uc u es and algo i hms. They ha e o gua an ee
e icien access and scalabili y. Fu he mo e hey should
suppo p oblem o ien ed agg ega ion hie a chies and
isual inspec ion in op-down app oaches. Fo his
pu pose me hods can be ex ended om model and
ca og aphic gene alisa ion.
3.2 Resea ch ques ions ela ed o geo isualisa ion and
ca og aphic communica ion
3.2.1 De elopmen o inno a i e, adap i e isualisa ion
me apho s
The special cha ac e is ics o use -gene a ed spa ial da a
equi es u he de elopmen o classic ca og aphic
p esen a ion me hods, as well as unde lying concep s and
modelling app oaches. Va ying quali y and he e ogenei y
o da a, di e en spa ial esolu ion and seman ic s uc u e
o pe manen empo al changes equi e he de i a ion o
isualisa ion me apho s, which a e able o e lec hese
cha ac e is ics and he me a-in o ma ion associa ed wi h
he use -gene a ed da a. An example o a new
isualisa ion me apho , which suppo s analyses and
p esen a ion o less s uc u ed da a a e geo e e enced
wo d clouds. The e is a need o de elop also me hods o
he isualisa ion o a iabili y in addi ion o me hods o
unce ain y isualisa ion. Al e na i e p esen a ion
me hods a e equi ed o he in eg a ion o di e en
media ypes ( ex , image, ideo and audio) o example in
he o m o pa chwo k maps. Conc e e esea ch ques ions
a e: How can geo isualisa ion me hods be adap ed o he
cha ac e is ics o use -gene a ed da a? How can
subjec i i y and a ying quali y in da a isually
ep esen ed?
3.2.2 Real- ime isualisa ion, abs ac ion and
in e ac i e use in e aces
Since VGI is subjec o high upda e a es, a majo
challenge ela e o he de elopmen o eal- ime
isualisa ion me hods. The e o e dynamic, anima ed
isualisa ion has o combine au oma ion and in e ac i i y.
Ca og aphic p esen a ion me hods a e equi ed which a e
based on au oma ed p ocessing, bu also suppo
adap a ion o ask and use equi emen s. Di ec isual
eedback also encou ages mo i a ion in he gene a ion o
use -gene a ed da a. Thus he ollowing esea ch ques ion
has o be answe ed: how can au oma ed ( eal- ime)
isualisa ion be combined wi h in e ac i e isual
analysis? How can anima ed ep esen a ions isualise
da a s eams, which a e subjec o pe manen changes?
3.2.3 Empi ical e i ica ion and u he de elopmen o
heo e ical ounda ions
A challenge is o in ol e di e en use g oups in he
exchange o in o ma ion h ough VGI as well as on he
pa icipa ion in decision making p ocesses. The e o e
empi ical s udies should examine he sui abili y o
di e en in e ac i e isualisa ion me hods in dependence
o asks and use g oups – wi h he aim o ex ending
heo e ical ounda ions o ca og aphy and
geo isualisa ion. Resea ch ques ions a e o example: To
wha ex en do classical equi emen s on legibili y and
minimal dimension emain? Do iny objec s (e.g. in web
maps o pe spec i e iews) ep esen dis u bing noise o
a use ul indica o o zoom and pan in e ac ion? How can
classical ca og aphic me hodological knowledge be
applied o ex ended o in e ac i e, dynamic isualisa ion
o use -gene a ed da a?
3.3 Resea ch ques ion on social con ex
The acquisi ion and also he usage o VGI da a a e
ca ied ou wi h di e en mo i a ions and based on
a ious applica ions – hus showing a di e en use
con ex . In pa icula da a gene a ion is dependen on
language and dialec o he pe son which gene a es he
da a. This esul s in a numbe o ele an esea ch
ques ions:
3.3.1 Quali y and gene alisabili y o in o ma ion:
subjec i e classi ica ion s. gene al on ologies
One issue conce ns he e alua ion o he subjec i e
in o ma ion o indi idual use s in combina ion wi h
in o ma ion om o he use s. Exempla y esea ch
ques ions a e: which conclusions can be d awn om
(la ge o smalle ) a iabili y o he same si ua ion? How
P oceedings o he In e na ional Ca og aphic Associa ion, 1, 2017. This con ibu ion unde wen single-blind pee e iew based on
submi ed abs ac s | h ps://doi.o g/10.5194/ica-p oc-1-15-2017 | © Au ho s 2017. CC BY 4.0 License.
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can unce ain in o ma ion be deal wi h and coope a i e
con ol mechanism be ins an ia ed?
Rela ed o ha i is la gely unsol ed, which cons an s a e
exis ing o he desc ip ion o spa ial condi ions. Fo
example, he es ima ion o absolu e alues s ongly
di e s om one ano he while ela i e alues a e
e alua ed much mo e consis en ly and uni o mly.
Resea ch subjec is he e o e he iden i ica ion o o he
such cons an s and hei usage o in e p e a ion,
e alua ion and quali y assessmen o use da a.
Fu he impo ance should be gi en o s udies ha
iden i y he ele ance o da a: ypically he ele ance is
de e - mined h ough s a is ical me hods, howe e his is
no sui able o e e y applica ion. The e o e i is
necessa y o de elop new measu es ha wo k wi h small
samples and he e ogeneous da a and can in eg a e social
con ex .
3.3.2 Con ex dependency o da a acquisi ion,
abs ac ion and in e ac ion
The g anula i y o VGI da a is highly dependen on he
con ex and he objec i es ha exis ed du ing cap u ing.
Speci ic use -gene a ed da a o en con ain mo e use ul
in o ma ion han hose ha ha e been acqui ed o
gene al pu poses. The ask d i en acquisi ion akes place
a a ce ain le el o abs ac ion, which is subjec i e,
in luenced by he a ge g oup and in luenced by local
knowledge and con ex (e. g. he anno a ion o
compa able images wi h ei he “pho o om Canada” s.
“pho o om down own To on o”). Thus a ques ion migh
be how con ex o can be iden i ied and classi ied o he
analysis o use in en ions du ing da a acquisi ion.
Fu he mo e, i is o in e es how can g aphical use
in e aces can be designed o encou age and suppo da a
collec ion beyond cu en usage pu pose wi hou
unaccep able o e head. The e o e he complexi y o he
da a acquisi ions p ocess should be kep away as a as
possible om he use . He e he usage o app op ia e
on ologies can be o eseen which migh gene a e mo e
gene al usable da a wi hou he explici in e en ion o
he use .
3.3.3 Mo i a ion and in en ion o pa icipa ion,
p i acy and us wo hiness
I in o ma ion should be p oduced speci ically o ce ain
applica ions, he mo i a ion o he use migh be subjec
o in es iga ion as well as he mechanism o engage
pa icipa ion. Mo i a ion may a ise because o
p o essional expe ience, a “g een/social conscience”, he
aim on elimina ion o sho comings, e c. In addi ion he
sui abili y o incen i es can be analysed e.g. as pa o
gami ica ion and possible side e ec s on he gene a ed
da a should be in es iga ed as well.
Since he da a gene a ion is ca ied ou di ec ly by he
indi iduals, a di ec e e ence is gi en o he indi idual
pe sonali y. This applies pa icula ly o use posi ion,
which can be acked o e space and ime. The e o e
mechanisms a e equi ed o abs ac and gene alise
p i acy ela ed da a in o de o ensu e anonymi y. Going
e en u he , decen alised p ocessing me hods migh be
applied. Finally social g oups can ensu e ha ce ain
in o ma ion is known only wi hin he g oup and will be
passed o he ou side only in agg ega ed o m.
4. Conclusions
In an in o ma ion socie y, which is con on ed wi h mo e
and mo e da a s eams, la ge amoun s o da a and social
ne wo ks, o ms “seeing he basis o unde s anding”.
Thus he in e play o analy ical p ocesses wi h in e ac i e
isual (map) ep esen a ions suppo s discussions and
solu ion inding o space- ime ela ed ques ions ela ed o
en i on- men al change, a ic conges ion, popula ion
g ow h o mig a ion all wi h local and global ele ance.
The u ilisa ion o use -gene a ed spa ial da a opens
po en ials a egional and local le el by p o iding
de ailed, cu en , on-si e in o ma ion. Addi ionally, VGI
can be seen as an exp ession o global ne wo king we e
olun ee s gene a e collabo a i ely up- o-da e
in o ma ion e.g. o suppo humani a ian o ganisa ions
wi h eal- ime c isis mapping and si ua ional awa e- ness
suppo . As a ision i may be possible o wo k on
socie al challenges wi h ocus on sus ainabili y h ough
in e - play o au ho i a i e in o ma ion p o ide and
communi y ini ia i es o olun ee s.
5. Acknowledgemen s
This wo k was suppo ed by he Ge man Resea ch
Founda ion as pa o he p io i y p og amme
“Volun ee ed Geog aphic In o ma ion: In e p e a ion,
Visualisa ion and Social Compu ing” (VGIscience, SPP
1894).
6. Re e ences
Goodchild, Michael F. (2007). Ci izens as senso s: he
wo ld o olun ee ed geog aphy. GeoJou nal 69(4):211-
221. DFG p io i y p og amme “Volun ee ed Geog aphic
In o ma ion: In e p e a ion, Visualisa ion and Social
Compu ing”
(VGIscience) h ps:// giscience.o g/
P oceedings o he In e na ional Ca og aphic Associa ion, 1, 2017. This con ibu ion unde wen single-blind pee e iew based on
submi ed abs ac s | h ps://doi.o g/10.5194/ica-p oc-1-15-2017 | © Au ho s 2017. CC BY 4.0 License.