Volunteered geographic information (VGI) is the harnessing of tools to create, assemble, and disseminate geographic data provided voluntarily by individuals (Goodchild, 2007). VGI is a special case of the larger Web phenomenon known as user-generated content. Some examples of this phenomenon are WikiMapia, OpenStreetMap, and Google Map Maker. VGI can also be seen as an extension of critical and participatory approaches to geographic information systems. VGI attracted concerns about data quality, and specifically about its credibility and the possibility of vandalism. These sites provide general base map information and allow users to create their own content by marking locations where various events occurred or certain features exist, but aren’t already shown on the base map.
Contents
One of the most important elements of VGI in contrast to standard UGC is the geographic element, and its relationship with collaborative mapping. The information volunteered by the individual is linked to a specific geographic region. While this is often taken to relate to elements of traditional cartography, VGI offers the possibility of including subjective, emotional, or other non-cartographic information. Geo-referenced data produced within services such as Trip Advisor, Flickr, Twitter and Panoramio can be considered as VGI.
Criticism of the term
The term VGI has been criticized for poorly representing common variations in the data of OpenStreetMap and other sites: that some of the data is paid, in the case of CloudMade's ambassadors, or generated by another entity, as in US Census data. Because it is gathered by individuals with no formal training, the quality and reliability of VGI is a topic of much debate. Some methods of quality assurance have been tested, namely, the use of control data to verify VGI accuracy.
Effects on users
While there is concern over the authority of the data, research has shown that VGI may provide benefits to the end user above and beyond that of traditional data sources, in part due to its ability to collect and present data not collected or curated by traditional/ professional sources. Additionally, VGI has been shown to provide positive emotional value to users, not only in functionality, but also in satisfaction, social connection, and ethics.