Abstract
A protocol for the collection of vector data in Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) projects is proposed. VGI is a source of crowdsourced geographic data and information which is comparable, and in some cases better, than equivalent data from National Mapping Agencies (NMAs) and Commercial Surveying Companies (CSC). However, there are many differences in how NMAs and CSC collect, analyse, manage and distribute geographic information to that of VGI projects. NMAs and CSC make use of robust and standardised data collection protocols whilst VGI projects often provide guidelines rather than rigorous data collection specifications. The proposed protocol addresses formalising the collection and creation of vector data in VGI projects in three principal ways: by manual vectorisation; field survey; and reuse of existing data sources. This protocol is intended to be generic rather than being linked to any specific VGI project. We believe that this is the first protocol for VGI vector data collection that has been formally described in the literature. Consequently, this paper shall serve as a starting point for on-going development and refinement of the protocol.
Highlights
Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) [1] is an important component in GIS research and in geomatics in general
We have described a plan for the design and implementation of a protocol for the collection of vector data in VGI projects
In contrast with mainstream and authoritative GI that is usually documented in terms of quality, VGI comes without any straightforward information about its quality and much of the on-going research on the field is devoted into revealing intrinsic data characteristics that can be used as quality indicators
Summary
Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) [1] is an important component in GIS research and in geomatics in general. While NMAs and CSC make use of robust and standardised protocols that govern and guide the collection of geographic data, VGI projects often lack protocols or they just provide loose guidelines and suggestions rather than strict specifications. This paper aims to be the first step towards providing a standardised and rigorous protocol for the collection of geographic vector data in VGI projects. This protocol is intended to be generic rather than linked to any specific VGI project. We have carefully studied mapping practices in bottom-up approaches (VGI for example) and top-down approaches (NMAs) In this way, we feel that this protocol is positioned in an intersection of the space between these two opposing approaches to the generation and collection of geographic information. Appendices A–C provide complete examples and use cases of the proposed protocol
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