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A Classification of User Contributions on the Participatory Geoweb

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Advances in Spatial Data Handling and Analysis

Part of the book series: Advances in Geographic Information Science ((AGIS))

Abstract

“Volunteered geographic information” (VGI) is the term most widely used to describe a variety of user contributions on the participatory Geoweb. These contributions range from coordinate locations and geometries to categorical observations, attribute tags, numeric measurements, and content ratings, as well as complex narratives, photos, and videos. Although researchers are creating and studying Geoweb applications, different types of VGI, and the related phenomena of neogeography, citizen science, and crowd-sourcing, systematic characterizations of user-contributed local knowledge are scarce. In this paper, we propose criteria to distinguish types of user-generated data and contents, and relate these to types of Geoweb applications. The proposed classification provides a conceptual framework to examine the participatory Geoweb, facilitate the processing of user contributions, and identify possible gaps in the data/content types currently used. This approach could help improve the effectiveness of current Geoweb applications, and increase the uptake of the valuable geographic information they generate.

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Acknowledgments

This research was partially supported by the GEOIDE Network of Centres of Excellence, Project PIV-41on “Participatory Geoweb for Engaging the Public on Global Environmental Change”, and by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, with a Partnership Grant on “How the Geospatial Web 2.0 is Reshaping Government-Citizen Interactions”. We thank the co-investigators and students of both projects for inspiring discussions that have helped to frame this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada

    Claus Rinner & Victoria Fast

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  1. Claus Rinner
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  2. Victoria Fast
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Correspondence to Claus Rinner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Environment and Society, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

    Francis Harvey

  2. Dept. of Geography and Resource Management, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China

    Yee Leung

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Rinner, C., Fast, V. (2015). A Classification of User Contributions on the Participatory Geoweb. In: Harvey, F., Leung, Y. (eds) Advances in Spatial Data Handling and Analysis. Advances in Geographic Information Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-19950-4_3

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