Volunteered Geographic Information: Interpretation, Visualisation and Social Computing (VGIscience)

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. 2 o 5 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. 3 o 5 • 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. 4 o 5 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. 5 o 5 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.