An assessment of the contribution of volunteered geographic information during recent natural disasters

Abstract

In recent years, improved information communication infrastructure (primarily the internet), the growth publicly available spatially enabled applications (such as Google Earth) and accessible positioning technology (GPS) have combined to enable users from many differing and diverse backgrounds to share geographically referenced information. In an increasingly spatial enabled society, user generated or volunteered geographic information is now becoming the first point of response in the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster. With the prediction of more severe weather events in the coming decades, emergency response personnel must be prepared to react quickly and utilize the latest information and communication technologies where appropriate. Crowd source mapping platforms can be operation in a matter of hours of a natural disaster occurring and can utilize the information provided by citizens on the ground to collect timely and relevant information with respect to the disaster. Information can be contributed through multiple channels to inform others of the impact of the event. This paper examines the growth and development of volunteered geographic information over the recent years. The use of volunteered information and social networking in three natural disasters during 2011 are explored. The timeliness of the responses, the types of information volunteered and the impact of the information during and after the natural disasters are assessed. The relevance of these initiatives to the ongoing development of spatial data infrastructures and their contribution to formal response efforts and authoritative mapping is discussed.