In theory, anyone with Windows and an internet connection can now look inside my living room. For this week’s assignment, I created a photosynth of my apartment (I had considered taking photos in the sculpture garden, but the torrential downpour was too big of a deterrent), which is now publicly available online—my personal contribution to the world of volunteered geographic information (VGI). While the 3D recreation of my living space is now part of the public domain, which raises issues of privacy and what people should be able to access online, I chose to not to include its broader context or actual geographic coordinates, so even if a stranger were to view it, they would have no idea where the room is located. In that aspect, my Photosynth does not fulfill the function of a map, as it provides no real geographic information. However, as Goodchild’s reading discusses, my Photosynth can be used to share personal information, as I employed imagery and the site’s mapping technology to create connections across space (Mom and Dad, now you can see where I live!).
Exploring the world of Photosynth, which is heavy on synths of statues, historic squares and parks, I saw the most potential for tourism and travel guides, applications which Goodchild mentions in his article. Rather than buy a guidebook that may be a few years old, people can now turn to things like Photosynth to view sites in 3D and plan their travels using maps from GoogleEarth and by consulting Wikimaps. In these examples, the geographic information supplied by people highlights the role of ‘citizens as sensors,’ a concept that Goodchild explores. These images and maps are created by people attempting to show their corner of their world, or to showcase places they have visited and the sights they have seen. While Goodchild focuses on self-promotion as the main motivating force behind VGI, I do think that there is a certain altruism inherent to the creation of free, easily accessible maps. I like to think, and while this may seem naïve and a shade idealistic, that it is the desires to share where we have been, to explain our world by labeling the geographic features of our neighborhoods and to use images to capture the places important to us—that it is these human tendencies behind the proliferation of VGI as mapping technologies become increasingly available for the everyday internet user.
That being said, VGI does have its pitfalls. When there are no standards, regulations or strict methods for verifying accuracy, people should exercise caution when relying on user generated maps and images. There is potential for deliberate misrepresentations, even the option that people might exploit VGI for malicious purposes, such as the planning of terrorist attacks. But I also think that realistically, errors in VGI are most likely unintentional. In the article, Goodchild mentions an inaccuracy in GoogleEarth’s satellite imagery of Santa Barbara to illustrate the room for mistakes in the world of VGI. While this misrepresentation is an error, it does not have real negative implications for most users. At the same time, it does show the potential for a general decline in mapping accuracy, as mapping technologies advance and more people participate in adding content to the realm of VGI. In the coming years it will therefore be interesting to see how VGI continues to evolve, what new applications users will find for mapping technologies and if regulations and quality filters emerge to govern the accuracy maps and imagery posted to the internet.
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