How sustainable is OpenStreetMap? Tracking individual trajectories of editing behavior

Abstract

ABSTRACT OpenStreetMap (OSM) has been playing increasingly important roles in location-based services, urban planning, tourism, and disaster management. In this paper, we examine a fundamental issue: can OSM reliably provide its services in the long run? To address this sustainable issue, we propose (1) inner cycle of career stages (i.e. activity levels) for monitoring the sustainable status of OSM and (2) critical mass theory for identifying driving factors that make OSM sustain. These new tools are used to track individual trajectories of editing behavior in 2005–2021. Our results suggest that OSM has been self-sustaining up to now and does not show a sign of decline yet. This is supported by the ever-decreasing turnover time and stabilized turnover rate. Together with the finding that most contributors transitioned to a higher career stage within a month, we identify an accelerated socialization process within OSM. We find further that it is the critical mass of people rather than content that makes OSM sustain. This contrasts with the common wisdom: recruiting more people with small contributions is far more important to the long-term growth of OSM than relying on a group of core members with large contributions. Implications and recommendations are critically discussed.