Ph.D. dissertation defence at Technical University of Madrid (UPM). A Socio-Technical Design Approach to Build Crowdsourced and Volunteered Geographic Information Systems (VGIS) Leveraging the Crowds and Participatory Communities for Geoinformation Management.

1. A Socio-Technical Design Approach to
Build Crowdsourced and Volunteered
Geographic Information Systems (VGIS)
Leveraging the Crowds and Participatory Communities
for Geoinformation Management
School of Land Surveying, Geodesy
and Mapping Engineering
Technical University of Madrid
José Pablo Gómez Barrón Sierra
PhD Thesis Defence
Dr. Miguel Ángel Manso Callejo
Dr. Ramón Alcarria Garrido
Advisors:
Madrid, Spain March, 2021

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Curriculum Vitae

3. 3
Curriculum Vitae

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
• Introduction
—Background, Motivation, Research Goals, Working Hypotheses
• Research Methodology
—Research Design and Research Phases
• VGI System Design
—General Characterization
—Main Components: Project, Participants, Technological Infra.
—Methodological Approach
• Results
—VGIS Analysis and Design Framework: Contributions to the
main system components
• Conclusion and Future Works
Outline

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Information age, digital society,
Web 2.0, user-generated data, produsage…
Collaborative economy, distributed
power, social networks, online
platforms, crowdsourcing…
Crowdsourced data, information as an
organizational asset, open participation,
community engagement...
2006
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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Geography, geospatial revolution, places, space,
location, people, geospatial data…
Volunteered Geographic
Information
Data
Everything is
happening somewhere
GeoWeb, Neogeography…
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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Volunteered Geographic
Information
Interactions
Participants
Technology
Information
Infrastructure
Environment
Feedback
Data Aggregation
Collaboration
Rules/Norms
Culture
Motivation…
Goal-oriented Processes
Data
System
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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V.S.
Volunteered Geographic
Information?
GeoWeb, Neogeography…
Volunteered Geographic
Information System?
What are volunteered data and content for…
It is voluntarily made
available through the Web…
… and, where users explicitly
agree to share it and use it for a
common goal or shared purpose.
• Consensus building process
• Opt-in agreement
• Data agregation
+
(Harvey 2013; Haklay et al. 2014)
Spatiotemporal convergence of
the data when a crowdsourcing
approach is followed
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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VGIS offers so many opportunities to organizations
where geospatial data is critical…
• Geography is dynamic… processes, interactions, events, flows
— Environment, natural resources, climate change, natural disasters, human
activities, healthcare, security, mobility, infrastructures, utilities…
• Time-critical, up-to-date, cost-effective, scalable, on-demand…
— Based on a broad, dynamic and networked spatiotemporal distribution of
volunteers.
• Rapidly changing demands and emerging scenarios
— Data sometimes difficult to obtain by traditional ways of geoinformation
production: time-consuming, not always feasible, less level of detail…
• Unlock access to underutilized resources, idle or spare capacity
— New source of geoinformation enabled by processes focused on
volunteers’ abilities, analytical skills, and resources outside the organization.
• Billions of potential intelligent observers on Earth
— Reaching a large, distributed network of people. ‘Citizens as sensors’, ’as
processors’, plurality of perspectives, local knowledge and experiences…
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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Research on VGI Initiatives
as Information Systems is needed…
• To study and understand the systems and processes used in the different
initiatives, and their actions to obtain the data.
(Wilson and Graham 2013; Haklay et al. 2014)
• To better understand the processes that operate and drive its generation.
• To understand the context and scenarios in which participants contribute.
• To analyze the human and organizational factors that come into play and
are necessary for the success of projects.
(Coleman et al. 2009; Mooney et al. 2013; Haklay et al. 2014)
• To understand the overall aspect of volunteer involvement that leads to
the succeed of VGI initiatives. (Fritz et al. 2017)
• To expand our knowledge of the conditions that support and influence
data creation. (Fast and Rinner 2014)
• To allow the development of conceptual and theoretical frameworks that
would help formalize the more widespread application of different processes.
(Goodchild and Li 2012)
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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Research Motivation
Integrated study of the
interconnected aspects among
the key components and factors
involved in goal-oriented
production of VGI
Need for concepts, knowledge
frameworks, processes and design
tools to approach and understand
the production of VGI under a
systems perspective
…leading to a more systematic and methodological
information management and SYSTEM DESIGN
Structure, components, patterns
Processes, relationships
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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Research Goals: A Framework for VGIS
To develop a conceptual and methodological
framework for the study and practical design of
information systems for the creation of geographic
information products/services through the
implementation of online crowdsourcing processes.
Main Goal:
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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Objective #1
Define and characterize the different SOCIO-TECHNICAL
COMPONENTS of VGIS and the overall DESIGN FACTORS involved
in geoinformation management through web-mediated
crowdsourcing. Define the characteristics and operation of
CROWDSOURCING as the central information processing procedure
of VGIS.
Objective #2
Define guidelines and tools to CHARACTERIZE, DESIGN and
MANAGE different types of PROJECTS in relation to the
crowdsourcing strategies implemented in VGIS.
Create TOOLS AND METHODS TO DESIGN PARTICIPATION AND
ENGAGEMENT STRATEGIES that facilitate the conditions for
motivating involvement and contribution, and the growth and
retention of volunteers in relation to different project definitions. This
requires the study and use of established psychological theories,
principles and motivational factors (e.g. cognitive, social, human
needs, etc.) that influence human behaviour and volunteerism in order
to identify and propose different participation drivers, types of
volunteers and engagement actions in the context of VGIS.
Objective #3
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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Objective #4
Characterize the INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION AND
GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES that make up the TECHNOLOGICAL
INFRASTRUCTURE that supports the elements and functionalities
required for a VGIS to work properly. Identify and propose design
TOOLS and PATTERNS to PLAN, BUILD AND IMPLEMENT
TECHNOLOGY that is aligned with the characteristics, typologies and
profiles of projects and volunteers, and their particular requirements.
Objective #5
Extend the BODY OF KNOWLEDGE of geosciences and geography
concerning VGI, crowdsourcing of geoinformation and geographic
citizen science as connected fields of study. Contribute to fundamental
knowledge of these fields by proposing a novel research approach
in the under-explored and necessary area of VGIS with STRUCTURED
CONCEPTS, TYPOLOGIES, MODELS, THEORY, and DESIGN
FRAMEWORKS. The latter to help frame research activities and
discuss VGI production in general. But also, to serve as a basis for
teaching, discussing, learning, comparing and modelling specific
design decisions and their impact, facilitating the analysis of the
numerous and diverse VGIS that are constantly being developed, by
having a COMMON LANGUAGE.
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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Working Hypotheses
Hypothesis #1: Understanding as a whole organizations,
participants and technology is necessary for the creation
of a holistic framework for VGIS research, theory and
design, that can assist in the effective goal-oriented VGI
production.
Hypothesis #2: VGIS design has to be socio-technical in
order to function and properly connect organizational,
technological, personal (e.g. cognitive) and community
(e.g. social) requirements, their interdependent aspects,
and their operational flows.
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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P #1
P #2
P #3
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
80 VGIS
9 VGIS

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Initial General*
VGI Systems Characterization
*A more complete characterization is further developed.
INPUTS PROCESSES OUTPUTS

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
VGI System: Formal Definition
A special case of Information System
that creates a geospatial product/service for internal
or external users (i.e., employees, customers/users,
produsers) through a crowdsourcing process
(i.e., a process that is carried out by online volunteers
who perform a specific task in a distributed way,
creating and offering value and benefits for the
community and the organization).

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VGIS
Main
Components
Community of volunteers, performing processes and
activities, and purposely working on specific
crowdsourcing tasks in order to produce VGI and co-create
value.
Organization: immediate environment of
information systems; it plans, designs and
implements the system through the definition
and execution of a project. The project defines
the required characteristics of information, and
designs the crowdsourcing process to
accomplish organizational goals.
Technology elements, mechanisms, processes, data
management and workflows, etc. for community building
and orchestrating online participation, supporting
interaction, and creation and exchange of data-driven
value within the system.
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

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Methodological Design Approach: 10 Steps
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
(Design-Development
feedback loops)

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Development Process: 9 Phases
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Pending (Future W.)
Developed (Thesis)
VGI System Design
and Development
+
+
+

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
VGI Systems Analysis
and Design Framework
=
Crowdsourcing process
5 tools…
5 tools…
3 tools…
3 tools:
• Characterization
• Definition
• Design Process

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Project Component: Goals Typology
Long-term creation of topographic base maps or basic thematic
maps including land cover, natural resources or environmental
information, etc.
Tasks aimed at keeping authoritative, public or open data sets
up-to-date. Updating national geographical databases,
commercial and public geo-data, etc.
Policy advocacy, policymaking, e-government, e-democracy, e-planning,
improving public health and educational services, spatial planning, participatory
budgeting, popular consultations, participatory monitoring, evaluation and
reporting, ideation and problem-solving processes, etc. (based on a location or
geographical reference)

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Project Component: Goals Typology
Participatory monitoring, evaluation and
reporting to improve products and services,
ideation, innovation and collective solutions
to business problems, etc. (based on a
location or geographical reference)
Obtaining or creating new spatial
locations/places and geo-referenced
attributes for particular thematic of interest
to an individual or group, etc.
Crisis mapping, crisis management, crisis or
disaster response, tactical mapping, natural
disaster preparedness, tracking and reporting
on or coordinating relief efforts in civil
conflicts and natural disasters, tracking human
rights abuses and violence, etc.
Weather, climate and
hydrological data gathering and
modelling, ecosystems and
environmental monitoring, fauna
tracking, flora and species
identification, conservation and
biodiversity studies, public health
research, social and human
behaviour and interactions, socio-
political processes, etc.

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Project Component: Levels of Participants’
Engagement and Modes of Organization

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Project Component: Online Participation
Characteristics in VGI (”The opposites”)
Crowd-based: Community-driven:
Contributory (non-collaborative) Collaborative or participatory process
More passive (or less active)
contribution
More active (and sometimes
pro-active) contribution
Greater control of the
organization/system
Less control of the
organization/system
Isolated participants
Low interaction among participants
Groups and relationships
High interaction among participants
Lower degree of
participant autonomy
Higher degree of
participant autonomy-
Implicit connection among
participants
Explicit connection among
participants

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Project Component: Online Participation
Characteristics in VGI (”The opposites”)
Crowd-based: Community-driven:
More independent
contributions/individualistic tasks
More interdependent
contributions/collectivistic tasks
More homogeneous contributions
(e.g., data, measurements)
More heterogeneous contributions
(e.g., opinions, ideas, knowledge)
Tasks usually require
less effort
Tasks can require more effort
or are more complex
Less specialized knowledge/abilities,
less learning/training
Heavily reliant on the use of
technology
Often more specialized knowledge/
abilities, more learning/training
Heavily reliant on community
interaction and coordination
Tasks usually require low use of
cognitive skills
Tasks require medium/high levels of
cognitive skills usage
Motivated by individual interest
and needs
Motivated by individual interest and
social needs (sense of community)

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Project Component: Central Crowdsourced
Processing Unit and Strategy in VGI

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Project Component: Interdependent Aspects
in VGI Management and Production
Data Flow Interaction
(one-way, two-way, n-way)

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
VGI Systems Analysis
and Design Framework

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component:
VGI and Human Needs as Motivators
Human needs as motivators in VGI
Physiological
needs
Safety
needs
Belonging
needs
Esteem
needs

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component:
VGI and Human Needs as Motivators
Human needs as motivators in VGI
Cognitive
needs
Aesthetic
needs
Self-actualization
needs
Transcendence
needs

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: VGI Project Goals in
Relation to The Human Needs
Safety
needs
Self-esteem, self-
actualization needs
Belonging
needs
When collecting critical information related to the
protection of people, assets and resources.
e.g. crime reports, traffic information, accidents.
When volunteers demonstrate their technical
abilities, apply their spatial knowledge, mapping
skills, inputs from their unique local experience.
When involves community-driven participation with
collaboration and active human interaction.
Cognitive
needs
When exploration and curiosity to understand less
known phenomena are involved.
Aesthetic needs Cartography as an enjoyable form of art, viewing
satellite images, landscape, nature-based photos.
Transcendence
needs
When information is openly shared to benefit
others within a network or help to solve a spatial
problem.

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: VGI Project Goals in
Relation to The Human Needs
Physiological
needs
Self-esteem, self-
actualization needs
Belonging
needs
Many services and apps around the basic or more
individualistic needs: Exercise, Running, Fitness,
Food Discovery, Travel, etc.
Apps frequently focus their design on boosting user
self-confidence, e.g., in hobbies, sports and leisure
activities, as well as self-promotion, social
comparison and identity formation.
Based on social networking functionalities, creating
a communities of interest.
Users feel seen and supported by others.
In addition to those of the previous group, with the goal of
capturing a wider market...

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: VGI Project Goals in
Relation to The Human Needs
Transcendence
needs Self-actualization
needs
Belonging
needs
Safety
needs
Physiological
needs
Concerning common
goods, community
identity and welfare.
Main motivators for affected in situ populations, e.g.,
to guarantee local food supply, water, shelter,
other basic life needs under threat (natural
disasters). Protection from danger (e.g., fires, riots)
or gain social stability (crisis response).
Remote/virtual volunteers motivated by altruistic,
humanitarian, and self-fulfilment motives.
Transcendence,
Self-actualization

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: VGI Project Goals in
Relation to The Human Needs
Self-transcendence
needs
Cognitive
needs
Self-esteem
needs
Belonging
needs
Physiological and
Safety needs
Contribution to scientific knowledge, helping
others: public health-related projects, wildlife and
nature in biodiversity monitoring or environmental
conservation projects. Learning, skills development.
Social needs are also met, primarily through
community-driven participation.
Volunteers involve as a result of threats to basic needs,
e.g., tracking pollution and other environmental and
health-related problems. Outdoor activities to
improve their health through exercise.
Aesthetic needs
Enjoyment and appreciation of nature, outdoors.

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: A Framework for
Participation and Engagement Strategies in VGI

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: Core Drivers of VGI
Physiological
needs
Safety
needs
Sense
of Control
Autonomy
Belonging and love
needs
Self-esteem / esteem
needs
Self-actualization
needs
Sense
of Identity
Cognitive
needs
Cognitive
Arousal
Competence
Sense of
Autonomy
Transcendence
needs
Profit and
Professional Return
Self-transcendent
Purpose
Sense of Relatedness
and Community
Sense of Competence
and Mastery
Sense of Progress
and Accomplishment
Relatedness
Meaning / Purpose

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: Core Drivers of VGI
Sense
of Identity
Cognitive
Arousal
Sense
of Control
Have information, understanding, knowledge; clarity of project goals;
increasing self-efficacy, self-confidence, task/goal progress; provide consistency,
certainty, predictability.
Project/social values; social comparison, recognition, praise; awards, positive
feedback; social profiles to manage personal identity, skills and achievements.
Novelty and diversity of tasks, interesting and creative tasks, achievable
challenges, competition; uncertainty, unpredictability.
Examples of supporting conditions
Sense of Competence
and Mastery
Options, openness of tasks; have autonomy over what, when (time), how
(technique), with whom (team) and to what extent to perform a task (effort),
encourage self-initiating and proactive behavior, support volunteer’s
exploration; provide necessary tools/resources.
Sense of
Autonomy
Mastery goals; tutorials, training; positive feedback, communicating progress in
mastering skills, and achievements; acknowledgement and praise people’s work,
knowledge and abilities; ranking systems of participants, competition;
participation in new, special, challenging tasks.
Core Driver

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: Core Drivers of VGI
Self-transcendent
Purpose
Sense of Progress and
Acomplishment
Sense of Relatedness
and Community
Improve community values; interdependence, crowdsourcing based on
collaborative and participatory processes, facilitating interaction and
communication; nonzero-sum competition; building trust and reciprocity; peer
recognition.
Organization/Project mission, vision and goal; a meaningful project rationale,
clear understanding of why is important to contribute.
Monitoring and feedback of project and personal results, performance and
progress over time; mechanisms for visible progress like dashboards, statistics,
outcomes reports, task progress level (remaining, accumulated); facilitating
closure, completion and achievement by splitting long tasks into smaller actions;
recognition and acknowledgement of accomplishments at project and task
level.
Open data, access and exploitation of project data for externalized value
creation (e.g., routing, or geocoding services); providing tools such as platform
services, open-source applications; money, physical prizes; personal profile to
show off (professional) skills and task domain.
Profit and Professional
Return
Examples of supporting conditions
Core Driver

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component:
Participant Types of VGI
Keepers
Builders
Adventurers
Freelancers
Sense of Control
Sense of Identity
Cognitive Arousal
Sense of Autonomy
• Managers
• Protectors
• Rangers
• Advocates
• Creators
• Placemakers
• Architects
• Intellectuals
• Discoverers
• Geographers
• Scientists
• Learners
• Explorers
• Pioneers
• VGI projects that facilitate the understanding and
control of a geographic space.
• Bringing stability, safety, order and positive
change through management of social and
natural elements.
• VGI projects committed to transforming our
environment and places we live in.
• Shaping community identity, sense of place.
• Co-creating more livable and sustainable places.
• Mental stimulation of tasks and curiosity.
• Challenges that provide intellectual entertainment.
• Application of knowledge and creativity
• Discovering new things.
• Self-expression and self-direction.
• Liberty to choose different tasks
• Taking diverse and creative paths in finding
solutions.
• Free experimentation and exploration of tasks
(e.g., open tasks, uncharted territories)
Driven by…

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component:
Participant Types of VGI
Achievers
Sense of Competence
and Mastery
Sense of Relatedness
and Community
Self-transcendent
Purpose
Socializers
Altruists
Profit and Professional
Return
Profit-Chasers
• Masters
• Expertise-
seekers
• Heroes
• Champions
• Co-tasksers
• Community-
builders
• Helpers
• Humanitarians
• Self-transcenders
• Workers
• Reward-chasers
• System-
exploiters
• Tasks leading to skills development, improvement
and mastery.
• Wanting to be the best.
• Standing out to demonstrate one’s worth through
accomplishing difficult tasks (e.g., campaigns that
require advanced or expert skills).
Driven by…
• Social bonding and relatedness.
• Feel connected with others or to a place, and
interested in strengthening the community.
• Collaborative projects that facilitate
communication, interaction and exchange of
knowledge and ideas
• Meaningfulness or importance of the project
purpose.
• Altruism and contributing to community shared
goals.
• Being part of something with a greater social
impact, collectivistic or transcendent cause
• Monetary incentives, rewards, data and
cooperation that can be transformed into profit or
professional benefit.
• Maximizing career advantages and opportunities.

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component:
Engagement Process in VGI
The three key questions, which are directly related to motivation
1. Why do people decide to do
something and then take action?
2. What is the level of skill and
effort required?
3. How long are people willing to
sustain the activity?
Create project awareness and demonstrate its value to the participants.
Understanding different volunteer motivations and meeting human
needs.
Reduce effort needed to pursue the activity, skill level required.
Communicate the demands (i.e., skills, time, effort) required to contribute,
Manage task demands, simplifying actions and increasing participant
abilities to initiate, ease and grow their contributions.
Motivate participants to continue performing the tasks.
Recognize their progress over time through feedback systems and
retention mechanisms that continually encourage them.
(Dörnyei, 2001):

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
VGI Systems Analysis
and Design Framework

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Technological Infrastructure Component:
VGIS General Architecture
VGI Systems aim to:
• Process and manage data
and geographic
information
• Connect the participants
with the organization and
its resources
• Build an online ecosystem
that enables value
creation interactions
By successfully…
Offering and delivering value to people or a perceived
benefit (e.g., functional value, solving a problem, getting
a job done, creating an experience, etc.) that incentivizes
and attracts them to become system users
Matching participants to tasks and data handled in the
system that are relevant for them, to improve and
optimize their experience, involvement, and motivation
Providing a central technological infrastructure on which
the participants interact, and create and exchange value
(i.e., data, ideas, knowledge, etc.) with the system
Attraction
Connection
Toolbox

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Technological Infrastructure Component:
VGIS General Architecture
Main and essential layer: Without a network of participants
a VGIS fails to create value. Value creation due to the
participants contributions: active vs. passive.
Value exchange: Community connecting explicitly vs.
implicitly with no direct interaction.
IT infrastructure and resources that supports and facilitates
the creation of value at the intersection of the community
actions and the front-end resources and internal processes
of the system. Supported by this layer, the volunteers
manage and carry out a crowdsourced task. Contributions
are collected and processed by the participants on top of
this layer.
Together with the previous, processes are implemented here
to assist the participants’ actions and improve their
experience. In VGIS with data-intensive configurations value
creation is done mainly (if not exclusively) in this layer due to
data aggregation, benchmarking, statistics, and other
network-level insights. Data, information, process and
algorithms to improve performance, user experience,
results: contribution patterns, user activity, behaviors,
interests, data provenance, analytics, metrics, logs,
campaign discovery, recommendation engines.

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Technological Infrastructure Component:
VGIS Functional Components
Facilitate the procedures for participation and data
management within the system by implementing a set of
processing tasks and functions accessible via an interface
to fulfil a particular system objective.

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Frontstage
PHYSICAL
EVIDENCE
PARTICIPANT
ACTIONS
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
ACTIONS
Line of
Interaction
Backstage
Line of
Visibility
INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
ACTIONS
SUPPORT
PROCESSES
Line of Internal
Interaction
Crowdsourcing Task Interactions
Open App
and Turn on GPS
GPS/GNSS and
Mobile Data
Networks
Request
Route
Mobile app Location
Access View
Get device's
real­time geolocation
Display user
location
Start
Driving
Post destination
address collected
from user
Display basemap and
get optimal route
Process
optimal route
Database
Management System
Web mapping and
location­based APIs
(Google Maps/Roads/Places)
Dynamic routing
algorithm
(Computing Server)
Start (voice)
turn­by­turn
navigation and alerts
Transmit real­time
geolocation
and speed
Process device's
real­time data
Aggregate data from
all local crowd
contributions
Calculate average
speed, check errors,
improve road layout
Update road
information, improve
maps and navigation
Display traffic
condition alerts
to the user
Send
Report
Fix a Map
Issue
Allocate
driving points
Update Waze level
and rank
Achieve­
ment?
yes
Allocate points
Database
Management System
Gamification
mechanics/dynamics
Tag as "Not
there"/
"Thumbs Up" a
Report Alert
(View)/Comment
a Report
Mobile app
Navigation View
Mobile app Request
Route View
Add a Place
to Map
Mobile app Add
Place View
Mobile app Send
Report View
Mobile app Map
Issue View
Mobile app
Report View
Mobile app
Comment View
Display
report types
Display form
for selected type
Collect values,
geolocation and
Post report
Retrieve report types
and data fields for
selected type
Create
report
Display map
issue types
Collect selected type,
additional comment
and geolocation
Post map issue with
suggested changes
Create
map issue
Enable in­app camera
and collect photo
Collect category,
address details
and Post data
Collect new name or
selected from nearby
listings to geocode
Create
place
Database
Management System
Map
near reports
Post report ID
and data
Update report
comments
Collect
selected tag
Post report ID
and data
Create
feedback
Update confidence
score of the report
Aggregate all
feedback from
crowd reactions
Web mapping and
location­based APIs
(Google Maps & Places)
Display on­road alert
with feedback tags
Collect selected
report ID and user
comment
Create
comment
Retrieve map
issue types
PARTICIPANTS ACTIONS
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACTIONS - Frontstage
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ACTIONS - Backstage
SUPPORT PROCESSES

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Technological Infrastructure Component:
VGIS Functional Components
Definition of a data structure, its
characteristics, relationships, and data
elements. The data model is a key design
element for the crowdsourcing strategy, its
process, and the use of technology.
Design of a set of actions, methods, and tools
to capture, validate, and enter information
into the system on targeted variables of the
data model. Considers the crowdsourcing
strategy and the selection of appropriate
Geoweb technologies. Also, the development
of documentation, training, and other learning
resources to facilitate task completion, normally
providing an interactive help to participants.
Operations and functions to store, query, and
manipulate data to produce geographic
information and knowledge.
Project team manual procedures.
External processing services.
Automatic crowdsourced data aggregation
and analysis.
Individual contributions that converge within a
geographic area are combined through
qualitative or quantitative processing, producing
also a collective value derived from
complementarity, or emerging from the
relationships among data.

50. 50
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Technological Infrastructure Component:
VGIS Functional Components
Processes to enable the use and
dissemination of the data and
information of the system.
Tools such as interactive web maps,
graphs, statistics, etc., for visualization,
exploration, analysis, and reporting.
Functionalities to publish, share, and
download data to be used externally.
Give back to participants: benefits,
services, solutions, or functional value
driven by the information.
Processes and tools designed to
facilitate, motivate, and increase
participation.
Motivation strategies, game-design
elements, communication and
coordination tools, social networking,
etc., including the use of incentives,
rewards, status, and acknowledgments,
together with feedback elements to
follow up on user activity, achievements,
results, progress, etc.

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Technological Infrastructure Component:
Typology of Tasks in VGIS
• Observations, physical variable or attribute (qualitative and quantitative data)
• Through forms or questionnaires.
• Running automatically in the background
• Data gathered using on-board sensors
• Volunteer participation is easy and minimal (e.g., passive crowdsourcing)
• Digital creation of new geometric objects (as coordinates in points, lines, or polygons)
• Web mapping tools for digitization process, with base maps or satellite images as reference
• Multimedia files, unstructured digital content and social media sharing
• Adding geospatial metadata to georeference them
• Comments spatially linked to a new or existing geometric object
• Discussions, interactive dialogue, arguments, stories, narratives, concerns, etc.
• Maps and activity feeds: confluence for community feedback, collective intelligence
• Participants select and assign structured values or attributes to the different geodata char.
• Defines which parts of a dataset belong to which category or type.

52. 52
VGI Systems
Complete Characterization
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works

53. 53
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
VGI System
1
CrowdsourcingStrategy
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
DataProcessingComponent
Organization
Project
excutes
1..*
1..*
designs
1 1
<<CommunityLayer>>
Participant
performs
1..*
1
TechnologicalInfrastucture
is supported by
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
DataModellingComponent
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
DataCollectionComponent
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
Task
1
1
<<TechnologyLayer>>
InteractiveHelp
<<TechnologyLayer>>
GeowebTechnologies
1..*
1..*
Location-basedReporting
BackgroundGeodataSampling WebMapDigitizing
GeotaggedMediaSharing
Map-basedCommunityFeedback
DataTagging
1
1..*
1
0..*
1..*
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
ParticipantEngagement
<<InformationLayer>>
MotivationStrategy
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
GamificationStrategy
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
SocialNetworkingComponent
0..*
encourages
1
1
1
1..*
1
1
1
0..*
0..*
0..*
0..*
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
DataAccesComponent
1..*
0..*
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
ParticipationFeedback

54. 54
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
VGI System
1
CrowdsourcingStrategy
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
DataProcessingComponent
Organization
Project
excutes
1..*
1..*
designs
1 1
<<CommunityLayer>>
Participant
performs
1..*
1
TechnologicalInfrastucture
is supported by
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
DataModellingComponent
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
DataCollectionComponent
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
Task
1
1
<<TechnologyLayer>>
InteractiveHelp
<<TechnologyLayer>>
GeowebTechnologies
1..*
1..*
Location-basedReporting
BackgroundGeodataSampling WebMapDigitizing
GeotaggedMediaSharing
Map-basedCommunityFeedback
DataTagging
1
1..*
1
0..*
1..*
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
ParticipantEngagement
<<InformationLayer>>
MotivationStrategy
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
GamificationStrategy
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
SocialNetworkingComponent
0..*
encourages
1
1
1
1..*
1
1
1
0..*
0..*
0..*
0..*
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
DataAccesComponent
1..*
0..*
<<InformationLayer, TechnologyLayer>>
ParticipationFeedback
Article: Volunteered Geographic
Information System Design: Project
and Participation Guidelines
Article: Volunteered Geographic
Information Systems: Technological
Design Patterns
Article: Needs, Drivers, Participants and
Engagement Actions: A framework for
Motivating Contributions to Volunteered
Geographic Information Systems

55. 55
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
VGIS Analysis
and Design
Framework

56. 56
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Conclusions
• Systems perspective: Is useful to understand VGIS and to create methodological design frameworks.
• Holistic thinking: Organizational, individual, cognitive, social, informational and technological aspects,
considered interdependently facilitate effective solutions for the socio-technical design of VGIS.
• Helps different organizations, looking to organize information and design decisions about their
project/participants/technology fit, based on systems thinking and socio-technical design guidelines.
The framework for VGIS analysis and design:
• Supports a methodological process for building and improving VGIS by
a) clearly analyzing and describing each of the VGIS components,
b) making available guidelines with which to experiment and create design strategies.
• Contributes to a common language of VGIS as a foundation for analysis and practice, to formulate and
exchange design experiences, decisions and strategies, to understand successful implementations.
• Provides a groundwork for the improvement, expansion and construction of new knowledge. The
development, proposal and dissemination of good practices, principles, processes and new design
methodologies and tools.

57. 57
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
What’s next?
• Process thinking research:
• Processes within the components and their sub-elements at a lower detailed level to further
characterize their actions and logical sequences.
• Typologies of processes guiding low-level design in connection to the strategies and patterns
introduced.
• Data processing strategies in relation to the type of contributions, crowdsourced tasks and data
collection mechanisms identified.
• Product/service management strategies for the technology development, deployment
and maintenance.
• Monitoring, control and system performance strategies. Key performance indicators,
quality metrics, usability, participation analytics, engagement metrics, system logs analysis…
• Development of modular software components to easily design and implement on-demand VGIS:
Crowdsourcing Campaign Plan
Crowdsourcing Publisher
Engagement Strategy Plan
Participation Analytics Engine
Engagement Engine
VGIS web platforms as
digital marketplaces
Add-ins/plug-ins for GIS
desktop software
Applications (clients)
Modules
Submodules (APIs)

58. A Socio-Technical Design Approach to
Build Crowdsourced and Volunteered
Geographic Information Systems (VGIS)
Leveraging the Crowds and Participatory Communities
for Geoinformation Management
School of Land Surveying, Geodesy
and Mapping Engineering
Technical University of Madrid
José Pablo Gómez Barrón Sierra
PhD Thesis Defence
Dr. Miguel Ángel Manso Callejo
Dr. Ramón Alcarria Garrido
Advisors:
Madrid, Spain March, 2021
Thank You! J
Questions?

59. 59
VGIS Analysis
and Design
Framework

60. 60
Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: Core Drivers of VGI
Sense
of Identity
Cognitive
Arousal
Sense
of Control
Have the skills, knowledge or
resources to cope with external
changes and challenging situations.
Obtain and support safety, protection
and health; gain control of our
surroundings; prevent and mitigate
environmental and external risks;
manage resources; ensure social
stability, norms, justice, power.
Belonging and attachment to a
community or place; shape, reaffirm,
improve personal (self-perception,
sense of pride), collective and place
(sense of place, pride of place)
identities; self-expression, feeling
valuable, confidence.
Esteem of others, recognition, social
status, reputation; making achievements;
sense of ownership, accumulation of
valuable items, possessions.
Seek mental stimulation, fun, enjoyment,
avoid boredom, thinking, curiosity;
learn, improve understanding, apply
one’s skills and creativity.
Intellectual challenges, problem-
solving, discovering new things,
entertainment.
External Factors Internal Factors
Core Driver

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: Core Drivers of VGI
Sense of Competence
and Mastery
Sense of Relatedness
and Community
Sense
of Autonomy
Free to make your own decisions, act
with choice, responsibility; freedom to
express, create and explore; self-
direction; self-concordance.
Be free from external constraints.
Learn, develop and master skills and
abilities, improve in a task, create
expertise, self-efficacy; be effective,
capable, be good and successful in what
you do, self-esteem.
Mastering challenges.
Feeling connected to people, places,
or similar events related to our identity;
wanting to share, collaborate and create
social bonds with others; building a
collective identity with common
interests and goals.
Care and social support from others.
External Factors Internal Factors
Core Driver

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
Participants Component: Core Drivers of VGI
Sense of Progress and
Accomplishment
Profit and Professional
Return
Self-transcendent
Purpose
Being part of something greater than
ourselves, serving and contributing to
something personally important or
beyond self-interest to make a difference
or benefit others, altruism.
Purpose and values of the project and
of society.
Goals achievement, perceive and make
progress on tasks and goals, overcome
challenges and obstacles; feelings of
self-efficacy, personal effectiveness;
psychological well-being, finding
meaning.
Project and tasks milestones and goals.
Comparison with other contributors.
Networking.
Tangible and monetary rewards; career
improvement, professional experience,
networks, and opportunities, hired works;
competitive business advantages, free
tools and software.
External Factors Internal Factors
Core Driver

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Introduction Methodology VGI System Design Results Conclusion Future Works
VGI System: Formal Definition
Information Systems?
• Based on the general concept of “work system” (i.e., the natural unit of
analysis to approach systems within organizations)…
• Information system is “a system in which human participants and/or
machines perform a work (i.e., processes and activities) using information,
technology and other resources to produce informational products and/or
services for internal or external customers (i.e., people who receives and
use whatever the system produces).”
• Activities and processes are dedicated to information processing, which
involves a set of procedures to capture, transmit, store, retrieve,
manipulate, and display information.
(Alter, 2008; Avison, Wood-Harper, & Antill, 1990)
(Alter, 2008)
(Alter, 2008)