Difference between revisions of "Geocrowdsourcing CitizenScience FOSS4G"

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'''Welcome to the GeoForAll VGI, Geocrowdsourcing, Citizen Science and FOSS4G page''' - GeoForAll GeoCrowd
 
'''Welcome to the GeoForAll VGI, Geocrowdsourcing, Citizen Science and FOSS4G page''' - GeoForAll GeoCrowd
  
GeoForAll GeoCrowd will be a central repository for tools, links, systems, ideas, papers and other materials related to the exciting and fast moving domain of  Volunteered Geographic Information, Geocrowdsourcing and Citizen Science. Of particular interest are VGI, Geocrowdsourcing and Citizen Science projects or examples which use Free and Open Source Software for Geomatics (FOSS4G). Essentially The GeoForAll GeoCrowd theme will attempt to answer the challenge of demonstrating and documenting how citizens (arranged in small groups, large groups or large geographically dispersed crowds) are generating, collecting, analysing, researching, managing geographic data and information. How are FOSS4G software technologies being utilised? Are citizens generating (and consuming) Open Data?
 
  
The citizen now has immense power to make a change and make a contribution to their society and a sustainable future in a natural environment protected and enhanced for this generation and those yet to come.  
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Today citizens, acting in groups or as individuals, are generating vast volumes of geographic data and information. Citizens now have the ability to actively or passively embedded or link a geographical coordinate, object or area to digitally generated content from their smartphones, social media, sensors such as cameras or GPS, sensor networks, software embedded in devices and the Internet of things. How can we take advantage, in a sustainable and efficient manner, of these oceans of geographic data and information? Free and Open Source Software For Geoinformatics (FOSS4G) can provide citizens, scientists, policy makers and industry with a means of generating, collecting, analysing, visualising and managing these data streams. The possibilities are only limited by our imagination.  Research into how to take advantage of this deluge of data can make a significant contribution to our society paving the way for a more sustainable future in a natural environment protected and enhanced for this generation and those yet to come.  
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There are three principal methodologies or epistemologies which best describe this current situation.
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'''Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI):''' Including the famous examples of OpenStreetMap, WikiMapia, Google Mapmaker, Geograph project, etc and then many smaller less well known examples. The citizen or the group of citizens are actively and physically involved in the task of data collection, data generation, data management, etc.
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'''Passive, Ambient, Involunteered Geographic Information, Geocrowdsourcing :''' This includes systems and services where the citizen or a group are not actively or physically involved in the task of generating, collecting, managing geographical data. This includes geocoded tweets in Twitter, images in Instagram, geolocated social media and media content. This can also include data and information generated by 'sensors' carried by citizens such as GPS-enabled smartphone technologies, wearable devices, etc. This geocoded or georeferenced online content can then be harvested or analysed by scientists, industry and others.
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'''Citizen Science:''' This is where citizens or groups of citizens are involved in scientific research usually with authoritative scientific organisations. There is usually a scientific question or task involved as the driver to this interaction.
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'''In summary the GeoForAll GeoCrowd theme is:'''  
 
'''In summary the GeoForAll GeoCrowd theme is:'''  

Revision as of 08:42, 31 August 2015

Welcome to the GeoForAll VGI, Geocrowdsourcing, Citizen Science and FOSS4G page - GeoForAll GeoCrowd


Today citizens, acting in groups or as individuals, are generating vast volumes of geographic data and information. Citizens now have the ability to actively or passively embedded or link a geographical coordinate, object or area to digitally generated content from their smartphones, social media, sensors such as cameras or GPS, sensor networks, software embedded in devices and the Internet of things. How can we take advantage, in a sustainable and efficient manner, of these oceans of geographic data and information? Free and Open Source Software For Geoinformatics (FOSS4G) can provide citizens, scientists, policy makers and industry with a means of generating, collecting, analysing, visualising and managing these data streams. The possibilities are only limited by our imagination. Research into how to take advantage of this deluge of data can make a significant contribution to our society paving the way for a more sustainable future in a natural environment protected and enhanced for this generation and those yet to come.

There are three principal methodologies or epistemologies which best describe this current situation.

Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI): Including the famous examples of OpenStreetMap, WikiMapia, Google Mapmaker, Geograph project, etc and then many smaller less well known examples. The citizen or the group of citizens are actively and physically involved in the task of data collection, data generation, data management, etc. Passive, Ambient, Involunteered Geographic Information, Geocrowdsourcing : This includes systems and services where the citizen or a group are not actively or physically involved in the task of generating, collecting, managing geographical data. This includes geocoded tweets in Twitter, images in Instagram, geolocated social media and media content. This can also include data and information generated by 'sensors' carried by citizens such as GPS-enabled smartphone technologies, wearable devices, etc. This geocoded or georeferenced online content can then be harvested or analysed by scientists, industry and others. Citizen Science: This is where citizens or groups of citizens are involved in scientific research usually with authoritative scientific organisations. There is usually a scientific question or task involved as the driver to this interaction.


In summary the GeoForAll GeoCrowd theme is:

  • Chaired by: Peter Mooney (Ireland) and Maria A Brovelli (Italy)
  • How do I become involved? Anyone interested in being part of this theme, subscribe here http://lists.osgeo.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/geoforall-GeoCrowd. Your participation is appreciated and needed! All ideas are welcome. All material posted will be helpful. If you would like to edit this Wiki page you shall need to create an account on OSGeo to give you access to Wiki editing.
  • We can be most successful with this theme if we are all happy to support the 'VGI, Geocrowdsourcing, Citizen Science and FOSS4G Guiding Principles:'
    • All material created is made available for everyone's use under an Open License
    • All material is carefully designed so that it can be extended by others
    • All participants aim to reuse, optimize, extend and add new components and information (in that order)
    • All members and participants of the theme will endeavor to keep the links and material on this Wiki page checked regularly so that broken links or changes can be detected quickly and rectified.


Who's Who Here in the GeoForAll GeoCrowd theme?

In this section we will maintain a list of people who are interested in the GeoForAll GeoCrowd theme. If you want to participate by collecting information, maintaining the page, posting ideas, links, materials, etc please add yourself to this page. This is very important to allow us to build an online community of people who are working and thinking together under the GeoForAll GeoCrowd theme.

To keep things brief please provide three pieces of information: (1) your name - you can hyperlink to your online profile page such as your homepage once it is openly accessible, (2) your current occupation, job or position and (3) one line describing your interest in the GeoForAll GeoCrowd theme.

  1. Peter Mooney
    1. Lecturer and Researcher - Maynooth University Ireland
    2. I have been working with VGI and Citizen Science for almost 10 years. I want to help citizens become involved in VGI and Citizens while spreading the messages of geocrowdsourcing, open data and FOSS4G.
  1. Maria A Brovelli
    1. Full Professor of GIS - Politecnico di Milano Italy
    2. VGI, Geocrowdsourcing and Citizen Science are themes I have been intersting and working since many years. I strongly believe that while in the past cartographers and geographers helped in discovering new worlds, now our challenge is to rediscover our common world with new augmented eyes of environmental-social-economic equity, sustainability and participation. On this purpose the synergy people-FOSS4G plays a vital role.
  1. Marco Minghini
    1. Researcher - GEOlab Politecnico di Milano

GeoForAll GeoCrowd 'Links to VGI, Geocrowdsourcing, Citizen Science and FOSS4G'

  1. VGI & Citizen Science - GEOlab Politecnico di Milano GEOlab examples, apps, publications. All the software developed are FOSS4G (checked August 2015)
  2. Skandobs The Scandinavian tracking system for lynx, wolverine, brown bear and wolf (checked August 2015)
  3. OpenTreeMap OpenTreeMap is a collaborative platform for crowdsourced tree inventory, ecosystem services calculations, urban forestry analysis, and community engagement (checked August 2015)
  4. Philly Tree Map PhillyTreeMap is a web-based map database of trees in the greater Philadelphia region. The wiki-style database enables non-profits, government, volunteer organizations, and the general public to collaboratively create an accurate and informative inventory of the trees in their communities.
  5. FixMyStreet.ie Ireland's version of FixMyStreet.com - Allow citizens to report, view or discuss local problems (like graffiti, dumping, broken pavements or street lighting)
  6. Mapping for Change Mapping for Change works with groups and organisations who want to understand, improve and produce information about the places that matter to them.
  7. mPing The United States' NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory is collecting public weather reports through a free app available for smart phones or mobile devices. The app is called mPING which stands for Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground.
  8. EveryAware Enhance Environmental Awarness through Social Information Technologies. All the software and the hardware developed in the framework of the EveryAware project are open and available for download (checked August 2015)
  9. Nature's Notebook Nature's Notebook is a national online program where amateur and professional naturalists regularly record observations of plants and animals to generate long-term data sets used for scientific discovery and decision-making.