On the need for research on Citizen’s data, big and small | geosocialite
▻http://geosocialite.wordpress.com/2013/08/26/on-the-need-for-research-on-citizens-data-big-and-small
NB This post is not about Citizen Science, but about the data trail that each and everyone generates, willingly or not, volunteered or not. It’s also a bit longer than usual. And yes, of course I focus on geographic data.
Isn’t there already a “Big Citizen Data” research band wagon?
Yes, indeed, that’s true. There is a large and still rapidly growing body of research on the collection, analysis and utility of information from Citizens. The labels are just as diverse as the research, and include volunteered geographic information, neogeography, user-generated geographic content, or crowdsourced mapping – and that’s the geospatial domain only! The objectives range from improving humanitarian assistence for those in imminent danger and need, to improving your dinner experience by removing spam from peer rating platforms.
What I am missing, though, is research that explicitly aims to help Citizens in protecting their political rights and their ability to determine what information on them is available to whom. Call it critical geographic information science or counter mapping 2.0. (btw, I would be delighted by comments that prove me wrong on this one!).