Role of Volunteered Geographic Information in Advancing Science: Quality and Credibility

In Conjunction With GIScience 2012
(The Seventh International Conference on Geographic Information Science)

18th September, 2012
URL Address: http://www.ornl.gov/sci/gist/workshops/2012/index.shtml

Abstract

Geographic data, describing objects and events, have been a fundamental component of scientific experiments and more importantly, in model calibration, verification, and validation for physical sciences.  Recent evolutions and advancements in geospatial and cyber technologies, combined with a population that is well informed and interested in global issues such as energy and climate, have cultivated an environment in which scientific research can potentially benefit significantly from the enormous volume of data that can be provided by citizens through their offering of volunteered geographic information (VGI).  However, the value of VGI is still largely limited to satisfying the intellectual curiosity of the common public.  The critical challenge that faces the research and operational communities is to understand and assess the authenticity, validity, and uncertainty of volunteered geographic information.  Progress towards rendering VGI as a valuable and usable component for scientific research will require development of appropriate reference frameworks, standards, and models for data and communication coupled with novel analytical approaches that allow uncertainty quantification.   Following from the very successful first workshop on the same topic at GIScience 2010, this workshop aims to bring leading researchers from the fields of geographic information science to discuss this important topic and to define and describe a set of preliminary research topics for the community to pursue.

Description of topics

  • Volunteered geographic information
  • Geographic data acquisition and dissemination methods
  • Uncertainty in geographic information
  • Geospatial data and interoperability standards
  • Spatiotemporal data mining
  • Cyber-GIS for dynamic data integration
  • Geographic exploration systems
  • Scientific knowledge generation
  • Spatial model calibration, verification, and validation
  • Geosensor networks

Format of workshop: Full day workshop