Human Sensors Redefine the World of Geospatial Information
I recently read an article in Government Computer News (GCN) that discusses how a shift is taking place in the way that geospatial tools are being used by non-traditional federal government employees, such as program officers.
GIS has always been a great asset to “in the field” government employees such as emergency response officials, law enforcement agents and civil engineers, but more and more the convergence of geospatial imagery and data toolsets is being used to help senior staff at HQ make informed decisions.
Jerry Johnston, GIO for the Environmental Protection Agency, for example, discusses how his agency is redefining how GIS is used, he envisions a time in the near future when “…all of our grants, funding programs and budget formulation will be expressed in map form.” This program-based scenario is quite different from what the traditional GIS user does.
In parallel to the increase in GIS data use by non-traditional employees, there has also been a rise in constituents and non-GIS experts taking the lead in adding data, as opposed to those typically charged with this job function.
This emergence of “volunteer human sensors”, (who are uploading a variety of digital spatial information to Web-based databases and maps -- from pothole locations to disaster reports), has resulted in a huge explosion in the sheer volume of data that GIS specialists must manage.
Take, for example, the City of Portland, Oregon. PDX Reporter, an Android Application that allows Portland’s mobile users to report public works issues around Portland. But who’s to say the data being provided is 100% accurate? Perhaps the biggest challenge ahead for these GIS specialists, is making sure people can trust the integrity of this “constituent-generated” data they are using.
Apps like PDX Reporter do a great job of lessening the burden on city governments to find, catalog and repair issues but also provide challenges of their own. The increase in place-based GIS data will need to correspond with an increase in GIS data management systems and accountability tools to help cross-functional teams verify the accuracy of the data they are working with.
To read the full article visit: Geospatial maps path to geospatial data visit: http://gcn.com/articles/2010/03/05/the-rise-of-spatially-enabled-government.aspx
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