Social Multimedia as Volunteered Geographic

Information:

Crowdsourcing What-Is-Where Through Proximate SensingShawn NewsamShawn Newsam

Associate Professor and Founding FacultyAssociate Professor and Founding FacultyElectrical Engineering & Computer ScienceElectrical Engineering & Computer Science

University of California at MercedUniversity of California at Merced

California Geographic Information AssociationCalifornia Geographic Information Association3rd Annual Geospatial Summit3rd Annual Geospatial Summit

UC MercedUC MercedApril 5, 2013April 5, 2013

Volunteered Geographic Volunteered Geographic InformationInformation

Wikipedia:Wikipedia: Volunteered Geographic Information Volunteered Geographic Information

(VGI) is the harnessing of tools to (VGI) is the harnessing of tools to create, assemble, and disseminate create, assemble, and disseminate geographic data geographic data provided voluntarily by provided voluntarily by individualsindividuals (Goodchild, 2007). (Goodchild, 2007).

VGI: OpenStreetMap – Sept. VGI: OpenStreetMap – Sept. 20092009 ““OpenStreetMap is a free editable OpenStreetMap is a free editable

map of the whole world. It is made map of the whole world. It is made by people like you.”by people like you.”

GoogleMaps – Sept. 2009GoogleMaps – Sept. 2009

VGI: FlickrVGI: Flickr 178,016,405 geotagged items (Mar. 14, 178,016,405 geotagged items (Mar. 14,

2012)2012)

VGI: FlickrVGI: Flickr

Social Multimedia as VGISocial Multimedia as VGI I stipulate that georeferenced social I stipulate that georeferenced social

multimedia can be considered as a multimedia can be considered as a form form of VGIof VGI.. Multimedia = images and videoMultimedia = images and video

It is a often a It is a often a serendipitousserendipitous form since form since its original purpose might not have its original purpose might not have been for geographic discovery.been for geographic discovery.

Research challenge is how to Research challenge is how to extractextract useful geographic information in an useful geographic information in an automated fashion.automated fashion.

Remote sensing: Remote sensing: using overhead images of using overhead images of distant scenes to derive geographic information.distant scenes to derive geographic information.

satellite image (Google Maps) National Land Cover Database (USGS)

Proximate sensingProximate sensing: use ground-level : use ground-level images of objects and scenes.images of objects and scenes.

Land Cover Map 2000(UK Centre for Ecology &

Hydrology)

?

community-contributed photos(Geograph Britain and Ireland project)

study area: 100x100 km region in southeastern UK

(region TQ in National Grid)

community-contributed photos(Geograph Britain and Ireland project)

Proximate sensing: use ground-level images of objects and scenes.

Image Analysis

Current Work: Land Use