Geoweb 2.0

A special issue of ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information (ISSN 2220-9964).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (18 July 2014) | Viewed by 47636

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Chair of GIScience, Department of Geography, Interdisciplinary Center for Scientific Computing (IWR), Heidelberg University, Berliner Str. 48, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Interests: geoinformatics; giscience; crowdsourcing geographic information; spatial data infrastructures; location based services
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
GIScience Research Group, Department of Geography, Heidelberg University, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Interests: people as sensors and collective sensing (VGI); web-based geo-analysis; standardized geo-sensor webs; sensor fusion; location-aware complex event processing

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Guest Editor
1. Department of Geoinformatics, University of Salzburg, 5020 Salzburg, Austria
2. Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Interests: human-centred geoinformatics; geospatial machine learning; urban geoinformatics; fusion of human and technical sensors; people as sensors and collective sensing (VGI); real-time and smart cities; crowdsourcing; digital health
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The advancement of Internet technology is constantly changing the way geographic information is being collected, managed, processed, analyzed, and used. While a first wave of innovation has transformed Geographic Information Systems into Geographic Information Services, a second paradigm shift has recently been observed. This paradigm deals with crowdsourcing and the collaborative generation of geographic information. Such collaboration includes volunteered information from Web 2.0 communities (such as OpenStreetMap), as well as the not necessarily "volunteered" traces users leave behind in a connected world, where physical and virtual activities blend more and more as a result of the increasingly ubiquitous mobile web. These new big data sources pose technical challenges that need to be addressed, but they also provide opportunities to analyze and use geographic data in unforeseen ways.
This special issue shall explore new trends in how the production and usage of geographic information are being transformed through the changes being induced by new Web technologies and their shifting usages. We are looking for original scientific contributions discussing how internet technologies relate to the way we create and handle geographic information, and how these relations are transformed into innovative applications. We encourage papers across disciplines and desire the presentation of different perspectives. Disciplines and topics include, for example, computer science or GIScience, as applied to the future of geographic information on the Web, as well as the potentials and challenges presented by such applications.

Prof. Dr. Alexander Zipf
Dr. Bernd Resch
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • geospatial social networks and geographic information in social media
  • user generated geographic information, volunteered geographic information (VGI), OpenStreetMap
  • combination and fusion of technical and human sensors
  • next generation GeoWeb: technologies, standards and emerging topics
  • processing and analysis of big geographic data on the web
  • merging of mobile and web-based GI handling and processing towards ubiquitous GIS and a spatial-aware internet of things (IoT)
  • computer science
  • GIScience

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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4773 KiB  
Article
Visual Overlay on OpenStreetMap Data to Support Spatial Exploration of Urban Environments
by Chandan Kumar, Wilko Heuten and Susanne Boll
ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2015, 4(1), 87-104; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4010087 - 13 Jan 2015
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6695
Abstract
Increasing volumes of spatial data about urban areas are captured and made available via volunteered geographic information (VGI) sources, such as OpenStreetMap (OSM). Hence, new opportunities arise for regional exploration that can lead to improvements in the lives of citizens through spatial decision [...] Read more.
Increasing volumes of spatial data about urban areas are captured and made available via volunteered geographic information (VGI) sources, such as OpenStreetMap (OSM). Hence, new opportunities arise for regional exploration that can lead to improvements in the lives of citizens through spatial decision support. We believe that the VGI data of the urban environment could be used to present a constructive overview of the regional infrastructure with the advent of web technologies. Current location-based services provide general map-based information for the end users with conventional local search functionality, and hence, the presentation of the rich urban information is limited. In this work, we analyze the OSM data to classify the geo entities into consequential categories with facilities, landscape and land use distribution. We employ a visual overlay of heat map and interactive visualizations to present the regional characterization on OSM data classification. In the proposed interface, users are allowed to express a variety of spatial queries to exemplify their geographic interests. They can compare the characterization of urban areas with respect to multiple spatial dimensions of interest and can search for the most suitable region. The search experience is further enhanced via efficient optimization and interaction methods to support the decision making of end users. We report the end user acceptability and efficiency of the proposed system via usability studies and performance analysis comparison. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoweb 2.0)
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4023 KiB  
Article
Measure of Landmark Semantic Salience through Geosocial Data Streams
by Teriitutea Quesnot and Stéphane Roche
ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2015, 4(1), 1-31; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi4010001 - 30 Dec 2014
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 11077
Abstract
Research in the area of spatial cognition demonstrated that references to landmarks are essential in the communication and the interpretation of wayfinding instructions for human being. In order to detect landmarks, a model for the assessment of their salience has been previously developed [...] Read more.
Research in the area of spatial cognition demonstrated that references to landmarks are essential in the communication and the interpretation of wayfinding instructions for human being. In order to detect landmarks, a model for the assessment of their salience has been previously developed by Raubal and Winter. According to their model, landmark salience is divided into three categories: visual, structural, and semantic. Several solutions have been proposed to automatically detect landmarks on the basis of these categories. Due to a lack of relevant data, semantic salience has been frequently reduced to objects’ historical and cultural significance. Social dimension (i.e., the way an object is practiced and recognized by a person or a group of people) is systematically excluded from the measure of landmark semantic salience even though it represents an important component. Since the advent of mobile Internet and smartphones, the production of geolocated content from social web platforms—also described as geosocial data—became commonplace. Actually, these data allow us to have a better understanding of the local geographic knowledge. Therefore, we argue that geosocial data, especially Social Location Sharing datasets, represent a reliable source of information to precisely measure landmark semantic salience in urban area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoweb 2.0)
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802 KiB  
Article
A Systems Perspective on Volunteered Geographic Information
by Victoria Fast and Claus Rinner
ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(4), 1278-1292; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3041278 - 04 Dec 2014
Cited by 41 | Viewed by 10810
Abstract
Volunteered geographic information (VGI) is geographic information collected by way of crowdsourcing. However, the distinction between VGI as an information product and the processes that create VGI is blurred. Clearly, the environment that influences the creation of VGI is different than the information [...] Read more.
Volunteered geographic information (VGI) is geographic information collected by way of crowdsourcing. However, the distinction between VGI as an information product and the processes that create VGI is blurred. Clearly, the environment that influences the creation of VGI is different than the information product itself, yet most literature treats them as one and the same. Thus, this research is motivated by the need to formalize and standardize the systems that support the creation of VGI. To this end, we propose a conceptual framework for VGI systems, the main components of which—project, participants, and technical infrastructure—form an environment conducive to the creation of VGI. Drawing on examples from OpenStreetMap, Ushahidi, and RinkWatch, we illustrate the pragmatic relevance of these components. Applying a system perspective to VGI allows us to better understand the components and functionality needed to effectively create VGI. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoweb 2.0)
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6213 KiB  
Article
Areal Delineation of Home Regions from Contribution and Editing Patterns in OpenStreetMap
by Dennis Zielstra, Hartwig H. Hochmair, Pascal Neis and Francesco Tonini
ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(4), 1211-1233; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3041211 - 03 Nov 2014
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 10603
Abstract
The type of data an individual contributor adds to OpenStreetMap (OSM) varies by region. The local knowledge of a data contributor allows for the collection and editing of detailed features such as small trails, park benches or fire hydrants, as well as adding [...] Read more.
The type of data an individual contributor adds to OpenStreetMap (OSM) varies by region. The local knowledge of a data contributor allows for the collection and editing of detailed features such as small trails, park benches or fire hydrants, as well as adding attribute information that can only be accessed locally. As opposed to this, satellite imagery that is provided as background images in OSM data editors, such as ID, Potlatch or JOSM, facilitates the contribution of less detailed data through on-screen digitizing, oftentimes for areas the contributor is less familiar with. Knowing whether an area is part of a contributor’s home region or not can therefore be a useful predictor of OSM data quality for a geographic region. This research explores the editing history of nodes and ways for 13 highly active OSM members within a two-tiered clustering process to delineate an individual mapper’s home region from remotely mapped areas. The findings are evaluated against those found with a previously introduced method which determines a contributor’s home region solely based on spatial clustering of created nodes. The comparison shows that both methods are able to delineate similar home regions for the 13 contributors with some differences. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoweb 2.0)
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Review

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927 KiB  
Review
Where 2.0 Australia’s Environment? Crowdsourcing, Volunteered Geographic Information, and Citizens Acting as Sensors for Environmental Sustainability
by Alister Clark
ISPRS Int. J. Geo-Inf. 2014, 3(3), 1058-1076; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi3031058 - 14 Aug 2014
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 7415
Abstract
Crowdsourcing, volunteered geographic information (VGI) and citizens acting as sensors are currently being used in Australia via GeoWeb 2.0 applications for environmental sustainability purposes. This paper situates the origins of these practices, phenomena and concepts within the intersection of Web 2.0 and emerging [...] Read more.
Crowdsourcing, volunteered geographic information (VGI) and citizens acting as sensors are currently being used in Australia via GeoWeb 2.0 applications for environmental sustainability purposes. This paper situates the origins of these practices, phenomena and concepts within the intersection of Web 2.0 and emerging online and mobile spatial technologies, herein called the GeoWeb 2.0. The significance of these origins is akin to a revolution in the way information is created, curated and distributed, attributed with transformative social impacts. Applications for environmental sustainability have the potential to be similarly transformative or disruptive. However, Web 2.0 is not described or conceptualised consistently within the literature. Australian examples implementing the GeoWeb 2.0 for environmental sustainability are diverse, but the reasons for this are difficult to ascertain. There is little published by the creators of such applications on their decisions, and Australian research is nascent, occurring across a variety of disciplinary approaches. While a substantial research literature emanates from North America and Europe, its transferability to Australia requires careful assessment. This paper contributes to this assessment by providing a review of relevant literature in the context of Australian examples for environmental sustainability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geoweb 2.0)
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