Have you ever contributed to an online map or added a location tag to a social media post? If so, you’ve participated in Crowdsourced Geographic Information (CGI), a powerful tool for mapping our world. But what exactly is CGI, and how does it work?
Active and Passive Contributions
CGI is being collected in two forms: active and passive. Active collection involves a large number of people contributing willingly by providing location-specific information. This type of contribution is often called as Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI). Passive contributions, on the other hand, are coming from those who are unaware of their contributions, however, are supplying some sort of geographic information through their public posts on various social media platforms over the internet. Hence, these types of contributions are basically involuntary ones.
Quality Matters
Naturally, the quality of CGI data is crucial. There are two types of approaches for quality assessment of CGI data: intrinsic and extrinsic approaches. While the intrinsic approach takes into account certain indicators or parameters to judge on the quality, under the extrinsic approach, comparison of the CGI data is made with the data from a trusted source. To ensure a good quality of data, there may be chances of losing certain valuable local knowledge. Hence, there’s always a trade-off which comes into picture. Striking a balance is the key for any CGI based application.
Joining the Movement
Contributing to CGI is becoming easier than ever! Platforms like OpenStreetMap, Google Map Maker, and even Wikipedia offer ways to add your local geographic knowledge. Geotagging your photos and tweets also contributes valuable location data.
Insightful maps
CGI has evolved into a new dimension within citizen science, touching the geospatial industry. The market is growing with companies providing real-time insights derived out of location-tagged posts, such as tweets or photos. The applications of CGI range from city management to marketing trends, and even to disaster response.
In a nutshell, CGI has enabled a new source of information with “eyes on the ground”. It is fostering a new outlook of the world which is only possible through such participatory and collaborative mapping concepts.
References
Bai, A., Satarpour, M., Mohebbi, F., & Forati, A. M. (2024). Digital Crowdsourcing and VGI: impact on information quality and business intelligence. Spatial Information Research, 1-9.
Tavra, M., Lisec, A., Galešić Divić, M., & Cetl, V. (2024). Unpacking the role of volunteered geographic information in disaster management: focus on data quality. Geomatics, Natural Hazards and Risk, 15(1), 2300825.
