Geoinformatics in Citizen Science

The book features contributions that report original research in the theoretical, technological, and social aspects of geoinformation methods, as applied to supporting citizen science. Specifically, the book focuses on the technological aspects of the field and their application toward the recruitment of volunteers and the collection, management, and analysis of geotagged information to support volunteer involvement in scientific projects. Internationally renowned research groups share research in three areas: First, the key methods of geoinformatics within citizen science initiatives to support scientists in discovering new knowledge in specific application domains or in performing relevant activities, such as reliable geodata filtering, management, analysis, synthesis, sharing, and visualization; second, the critical aspects of citizen science initiatives that call for emerging or novel approaches of geoinformatics to acquire and handle geoinformation; and third, novel geoinformatics research that could serve in support of citizen science

User-driven geo-temporal density-based exploration of periodic and not periodic events reported in social networks

International audienceIn this paper we propose a procedure consisting of a first collection phase of social net- work messages, a subsequent user query selection, and finally a clustering phase, de- fined by extending the density-based DBSCAN algorithm, for performing a geographic and temporal exploration of a collection of items, in order to reveal and map their latent spatio-temporal structure. Specifically, both several geo-temporal distance measures and a density-based geo-temporal clustering algorithm are proposed. The approach can be applied to social messages containing an explicit geographic and temporal location. The algorithm usage is exemplified to identify geographic regions where many geotagged Twitter messages about an event of interest have been created, possibly in the same time period in the case of non-periodic events (aperiodic events), or at regular timestamps in the case of periodic events. This allows discovering the spatio-temporal periodic and aperiodic characteristics of events occurring in specific geographic areas, and thus increasing the awareness of decision makers who are in charge of territorial planning. Several case studies are used to illustrate the proposed procedure

SIRENE: A Spatial Data Infrastructure to Enhance Communities' Resilience to Disaster-Related Emergency

Abstract Planning in advance to prepare for and respond to a natural hazard-induced disaster-related emergency is a key action that allows decision makers to mitigate unexpected impacts and potential damage. To further this aim, a collaborative, modular, and information and communications technology-based Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) called SIRENE—Sistema Informativo per la Preparazione e la Risposta alle Emergenze (Information System for Emergency Preparedness and Response) is designed and implemented to access and share, over the Internet, relevant multisource and distributed geospatial data to support decision makers in reducing disaster risks. SIRENE flexibly searches and retrieves strategic information from local and/or remote repositories to cope with different emergency phases. The system collects, queries, and analyzes geographic information provided voluntarily by observers directly in the field (volunteered geographic information (VGI) reports) to identify potentially critical environmental conditions. SIRENE can visualize and cross-validate institutional and research-based data against VGI reports, as well as provide disaster managers with a decision support system able to suggest the mode and timing of intervention, before and in the aftermath of different types of emergencies, on the basis of the available information and in agreement with the laws in force at the national and regional levels. Testing installations of SIRENE have been deployed in 18 hilly or mountain municipalities (12 located in the Italian Central Alps of northern Italy, and six in the Umbria region of central Italy), which have been affected by natural hazard-induced disasters over the past years (landslides, debris flows, floods, and wildfire) and experienced significant social and economic losses

Quality control in Volunteered Geographic Information: analysis, representation and proposals for its assessment

Questo lavoro analizza i contributi geografici volontari come particolare sorgente di informazione in applicazioni di carattere scientifico o professionale, approfondendone la principale criticità: la qualità. Dopo aver fornito un quadro introduttivo, si illustrano le componenti di qualità nelle informazioni geografiche volontarie, si descrivono con schemi ed esempi i principali approcci al controllo della qualità, e si introduce una metodologia per stimare l’efficacia delle strategie di controllo qualitativo sui contributi.This work takes into account geographical voluntary contributions as a particular source of information for scientific or professional applications, deepening the main critical issues: quality. After providing an introductory framework we illustrate the components of quality in volunteered geographic information. We then describe the main approaches to quality management with diagrams and examples, and introduce a methodology for estimating the effectiveness of strategies for quality control

Infrastruktura prostornih podataka koja razvija platformu informacija i znanja za poljoprivredni sektor

The paper reports a case study on the design and development of an Information and Knowledge-based Platform (IKP), whose core is a Geospatial Data Infrastructure (GDI). The IKP aims to support the agriculture sector in the Lombardy region of Italy. The main novelty of the present work is related primarily to the management of geospatial data sets and time series from heterogeneous data sources. Authoritative bodies provide access to databases of agricultural declarations, agronomic cadastral maps, and real-time meteorological data. Research institutions produce geospatial data sets and time series by processing and analysing remote sensing images, both multispectral optical and SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) images. Finally, citizens and volunteers, such as farmers, or on-field operators belonging to agricultural associations, report in situ observations using smart technologies. The technological framework presents a novel approach related both to the workflow management of geospatial data sets and time series of heterogeneous sources, and the integrated processing of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) within a GDI. The paper describes a prototype IKP, which provides a feasible solution that can be used for technology transfer in the real implementation of the IKP in regional and national agriculture sectors.U radu se izvještava o studiju slučaja o planiranju i razvoju Platforme utemeljene na informacijama i znanju (Information and Knowledge-based Platform – IKP), čiju jezgru čini Infrastruktura geoprostornih podataka (Geospatial Data Infrastructure – GDI). Platforma je namijenjena podržavanju poljoprivrednog sektora u Lombardiji u Italiji. Glavna novina u ovom radu odnosi se na upravljanje skupovima prostornih podataka i vremenskih serija iz heterogenih izvora podataka. Tijela vlasti omogućuju pristup bazama podataka poljoprivrednih deklaracija, agronomskih katastarskih karata i meteoroloških podataka u stvarnom vremenu. Istraživačke ustanove proizvode skupove geoprostornih podataka i vremenske serije obradom snimaka dobivenih daljinskim istraživanjima, i to multispektralnih optičkih i slika SAR-a (Synthetic Aperture Radar). Konačno, građani i dobrovoljci, kao što su farmeri i poljoprivredni radnici na terenu izvješćuju o opažanjima in situ upotrebom pametnih tehnologija. Tehnološki okvir predstavlja novi pristup upravljanju geoprostornim skupovima podataka i vremenskim serijama heterogenih izvora te integriranoj obradi dobrovoljnih geoinformacija (Volunteered Geographic Information – VGI) u okviru infrastrukture geoprostornih podataka. Rad opisuje prototip IKP-a koji omogućuje ostvarljivo rješenje koje se može primijeniti pri prijenosu tehnologije u stvarnoj provedbi IKP-a u državnim i regionalnim poljoprivrednim sektorima

Towards an automated approach to map flooded areas from Sentinel-2 MSI data and soft integration of water spectral features

Abstract In this work we propose an approach for mapping flooded areas from Sentinel-2 MSI (Multispectral Instrument) data based on soft fuzzy integration of evidence scores derived from both band combinations (i.e. Spectral Indices - SIs) and components of the Hue, Saturation and Value (HSV) colour transformation. Evidence scores are integrated with Ordered Weighted Averaging (OWA) operators, which model user's decision attitude varying smoothly between optimistic and pessimistic approach. Output is a map of global evidence degree showing the plausibility of being flooded for each pixel of the input Sentinel-2 (S2) image. Algorithm set up and validation were carried out with data over three sites in Italy where water surfaces are extracted from stable water bodies (lakes and rivers), natural hazard flooding, and irrigated paddy rice fields. Validation showed more than satisfactory accuracy for the OR-like OWA operators (F-score > 0.90) with performance slightly decreased (F-scor

A Geospatial Data Infrastructure Deploying an Information and Knowledge Platform for the Agriculture Sector

U radu se izvještava o studiju slučaja o planiranju i razvoju Platforme utemeljene na informacijama i znanju (Information and Knowledge-based Platform – IKP), čiju jezgru čini Infrastruktura geoprostornih podataka (Geospatial Data Infrastructure – GDI). Platforma je namijenjena podržavanju poljoprivrednog sektora u Lombardiji u Italiji. Glavna novina u ovom radu odnosi se na upravljanje skupovima prostornih podataka i vremenskih serija iz heterogenih izvora podataka. Tijela vlasti omogućuju pristup bazama podataka poljoprivrednih deklaracija, agronomskih katastarskih karata i meteoroloških podataka u stvarnom vremenu. Istraživačke ustanove proizvode skupove geoprostornih podataka i vremenske serije obradom snimaka dobivenih daljinskim istraživanjima, i to multispektralnih optičkih i slika SAR-a (Synthetic Aperture Radar). Konačno, građani i dobrovoljci, kao što su farmeri i poljoprivredni radnici na terenu izvješćuju o opažanjima in situ upotrebom pametnih tehnologija. Tehnološki okvir predstavlja novi pristup upravljanju geoprostornim skupovima podataka i vremenskim serijama heterogenih izvora te integriranoj obradi dobrovoljnih geoinformacija (Volunteered Geographic Information – VGI) u okviru infrastrukture geoprostornih podataka. Rad opisuje prototip IKP-a koji omogućuje ostvarljivo rješenje koje se može primijeniti pri prijenosu tehnologije u stvarnoj provedbi IKP-a u državnim i regionalnim poljoprivrednim sektorima.The paper reports a case study on the design and development of an Information and Knowledge-based Platform (IKP), whose core is a Geospatial Data Infrastructure (GDI). The IKP aims to support the agriculture sector in the Lombardy region of Italy. The main novelty of the present work is related primarily to the management of geospatial data sets and time series from heterogeneous data sources. Authoritative bodies provide access to databases of agricultural declarations, agronomic cadastral maps, and real-time meteorological data. Research institutions produce geospatial data sets and time series by processing and analysing remote sensing images, both multispectral optical and SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) images. Finally, citizens and volunteers, such as farmers, or on-field operators belonging to agricultural associations, report in situ observations using smart technologies. The technological framework presents a novel approach related both to the workflow management of geospatial data sets and time series of heterogeneous sources, and the integrated processing of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) within a GDI. The paper describes a prototype IKP, which provides a feasible solution that can be used for technology transfer in the real implementation of the IKP in regional and national agriculture sectors

Alpine Glaciology: An Historical Collaboration between Volunteers and Scientists and the Challenge Presented by an Integrated Approach

European Alpine glaciology has a long tradition of studies and activities, in which researchers have often relied on the field work of some specialized volunteer operators. Despite the remarkable results of this cooperation, some problems in field data harmonization and in covering the whole range of monitored glaciers are still present. Moreover, dynamics of reduction, fragmentation and decline, which in recent decades characterize Alpine glaciers, make more urgent the need to improve spatial and temporal monitoring, still maintaining adequate quality standards. Scientific field monitoring activities on Alpine glaciers run parallel to a number of initiatives by individuals and amateur associations, keepers of alternative, experiential and para-scientific knowledge of the glacial environment. Problems of harmonization, coordination, recruitment and updating can be addressed with the help of a collaborative approach—citizen science-like—in which the scientific coordination guarantees information quality and web 2.0 tools operate as mediators between expert glaciologists and non-expert contributors. This paper gives an overview of glaciological information currently produced in the European Alpine region, representing it in an organized structure, functional to the discussion. An empowering solution is then proposed, both methodological and technological, for the integration of multisource data. Its characteristics, potentials and problems are discussed

A Simple Fusion Mehtod for Image Time Series Based on the Estimation of Image Temporal Validity

High-spatial-resolution satellites usually have the constraint of a low temporal frequency, which leads to long periods without information in cloudy areas. Furthermore, low-spatial-resolution satellites have higher revisit cycles. Combining information from high- and low- spatial-resolution satellites is thought a key factor for studies that require dense time series of high-resolution images, e.g., crop monitoring. There are several fusion methods in the bibliography, but they are time-consuming and complicated to implement. Moreover, the local evaluation of the fused images is rarely analyzed. In this paper, we present a simple and fast fusion method based on a weighted average of two input images (H and L ), which are weighted by their temporal validity to the image to be fused. The method was applied to two years (2009-2010) of Landsat and MODIS (MODerate Imaging Spectroradiometer) images that were acquired over a cropped area in Brazil. The fusion method was evaluated at global and local scales. The results show that the fused images reproduced reliable crop temporal profiles and correctly delineated th e boundaries between two neighboring fields. The great est advantages of the proposed method are the execution time and ease of use, which allow us to obtain a fused image in less than five minutes