Geo-wiki
Encyclopedia
In recent years the ability to collect spatial information from volunteers has greatly expanded through the combination of Google Earth, geo-tagged photos and the Internet. Current examples of volunteer geography range from applications which are open to all without the need to register, e.g., Wikimapia or those currently still under development, like OpenStreetMap, to a narrower target group requiring specific training, qualification or skill – e.g., The Globe Program, or Christmas Bird Counts, to even more specific applications like Mapaction or Species Occurrence Mapping (a very successful and well established site for biologists and people interested in biodiversity). Examples such as OpenStreetMap show the grassroots re-mapping activities and the promising potential which lies in volunteer contributions of geospatial created user content.
Applying the principle of volunteer geography, a Geo-Wiki has been created to aid in both the validation of existing spatial information and the collection of new information through the powerful resource of crowdsourcing. The Geo-Wiki Project is a global network of volunteers who wish to help improve the quality of global land cover maps. Since large differences occur between existing global land cover maps, current ecosystem and land-use science lacks crucial accurate data (e.g. to determine the potential of additional agricultural land available to grow crops in Africa). Volunteers are asked to review hotspot maps of global land cover disagreement and determine, based on what they actually see in Google Earth and their local knowledge, if the land cover maps are correct or incorrect. Their input is recorded in a database, along with uploaded photos, to be used in the future for the creation of a new and improved global land cover map.
]Global land cover validation exercises are now feasible as images less than 2.5 meter resolution provide very detailed information on actual land cover with global coverage of at least 20% with more high-resolution, up to date images continuously being added. It has been highlighted that internet tools such as Google Earth offer enormous potential for land cover validation. The use of Volunteer Geographic Information for land cover validation studies seems even more relevant as Google Earth has been used for the recent validation of remote sensing derived products e.g., the European forest cover map as well as the latest global land cover map GlobCover. Since Google Earth has proven to be a very useful resource, it opens up the opportunity to harness a wider audience involved in an actual validation exercise. We therefore propose that, in particular, information from Google Earth can be exploited in a much more refined way than currently done and volunteers can be more precisely guided towards providing essential information needed on land cover.
Furthermore, the Geo-Wiki has applications beyond simply improving land cover. One example is an application for helping to predict future deforestation in Central Africa. Additionally, by combining five existing cropland data sets from sub-Saharan Africa, researchers have created a new map which has higher accuracy than existing maps and should reduce uncertainty and improve predictions in land use, vegetation, climate change, and earth systems modeling. Scientists from several research institutions describe development of the map in Geophysical Research Letters, along with the application of Geo-Wiki.
Applying the principle of volunteer geography, a Geo-Wiki has been created to aid in both the validation of existing spatial information and the collection of new information through the powerful resource of crowdsourcing. The Geo-Wiki Project is a global network of volunteers who wish to help improve the quality of global land cover maps. Since large differences occur between existing global land cover maps, current ecosystem and land-use science lacks crucial accurate data (e.g. to determine the potential of additional agricultural land available to grow crops in Africa). Volunteers are asked to review hotspot maps of global land cover disagreement and determine, based on what they actually see in Google Earth and their local knowledge, if the land cover maps are correct or incorrect. Their input is recorded in a database, along with uploaded photos, to be used in the future for the creation of a new and improved global land cover map.
]Global land cover validation exercises are now feasible as images less than 2.5 meter resolution provide very detailed information on actual land cover with global coverage of at least 20% with more high-resolution, up to date images continuously being added. It has been highlighted that internet tools such as Google Earth offer enormous potential for land cover validation. The use of Volunteer Geographic Information for land cover validation studies seems even more relevant as Google Earth has been used for the recent validation of remote sensing derived products e.g., the European forest cover map as well as the latest global land cover map GlobCover. Since Google Earth has proven to be a very useful resource, it opens up the opportunity to harness a wider audience involved in an actual validation exercise. We therefore propose that, in particular, information from Google Earth can be exploited in a much more refined way than currently done and volunteers can be more precisely guided towards providing essential information needed on land cover.
Furthermore, the Geo-Wiki has applications beyond simply improving land cover. One example is an application for helping to predict future deforestation in Central Africa. Additionally, by combining five existing cropland data sets from sub-Saharan Africa, researchers have created a new map which has higher accuracy than existing maps and should reduce uncertainty and improve predictions in land use, vegetation, climate change, and earth systems modeling. Scientists from several research institutions describe development of the map in Geophysical Research Letters, along with the application of Geo-Wiki.
See also
- Collaborative mappingCollaborative mappingCollaborative mapping is the aggregation of web maps and user-generated content, from a group of individuals or entities, and can take several distinct forms.-Types:...
- Google EarthGoogle EarthGoogle Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
- Land coverLand CoverLand cover is the physical material at the surface of the earth. Land covers include grass, asphalt, trees, bare ground, water, etc. There are two primary methods for capturing information on land cover: field survey and analysis of remotely sensed imagery....
- CrowdsourcingCrowdsourcingCrowdsourcing is the act of sourcing tasks traditionally performed by specific individuals to a group of people or community through an open call....
- List of Wikis