Library Data
But, while geospatial crowd-sourcing tools are an appealing new way to accumulate large datasets, they also raise questions. Apps such as Leaf Watch are not particularly complex in terms of the geospatial technology underpinning them – they could be seen as the electronic equivalent of putting pins on a map. This makes them attractive to the lay user – they are simple and fun to play with – but it may also have an impact on the kind of data that is submitted. How useful are the results for the academic community? Do researchers have the skills to manage and work with this kind of crowd-sourced data, which may vary widely in quality, provenance and accuracy? The question of how academic rigour can be combined with ease of use is a critical one. ‘We started in the 1970s seeing GIS (geographic information system) used mainly by developers but in 2011 we have general users engaging with these tools,’ said Patricia Carbajales, geospatial manager of Stanford University, USA, at a recent JISC geo programme meeting. ‘We are moving to a place where there are hundreds or thousands
‘As people look to do more with less, this sort of citizen science, crowd- sourced project will be
happening a lot more’ Dave Kilbey
of geospatial data users who really don’t care that much about the quality of the data and we have to give them the basic technology to understand and use the tools and data. And we are also looking at how those results impact our environment and our society.’ GIS skills are particularly important when combining datasets from different sources that may use different spatial areas and granularity. Misleading and erroneous statistics can result if the datasets are not combined correctly. At Stanford University, Carbajales and
her library colleagues teach ‘basic mapping know-how’ and encourage ‘thinking with maps’ – the bread and butter skills of
ANALYSIS
working with geospatial data. Their goal is to establish ‘a geospatial foundation for our learners’. Geospatial tools and training are being fully embedded in the curriculum, via the library, while undergraduate students are engaged with the research process at an early stage through initiatives such as the Spatial History Project. Similarly, in the UK, projects such as Locating London’s Past demonstrate how geographical analysis is being used by researchers in the humanities and social sciences. It allows anyone to explore fully geo-referenced detail using Google maps technology to reveal the distribution of crimes, wealth and poverty, mortality, archaeological finds, voting records and much more.
But, for more researchers to make full and effective use of the potential of sites, services and tools like this, the geospatial skills gap needs to be bridged. JISC is planning work to help do just that.
Matthew Dovey is programme director for digital infrastructure at JISC
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FEB/MAR 2012 Research Information
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