{{Short description|Collaborative land cover mapping wiki project}} {{Infobox website | name = Geo-Wiki | logo = Geo wiki logo.jpg | logo_caption = A crowdsourcing tool for environmental and socio-economic monitoring. | founded = 2009 | country_of_origin = Austria | author = International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis | language = English | type = Scientific | industry = Citizen Science | url = https://www.geo-wiki.org | commercial = No }} '''Geo-Wiki''' is a platform for engaging citizens and experts in both environmental and socioeconomic monitoring, established in 2009 at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). It aids in both, the validation of existing geographical information and the collection of new geographical information through crowdsourcing<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.3390/rs1030345 |doi-access=free |title=Geo-Wiki.Org: The Use of Crowdsourcing to Improve Global Land Cover |year=2009 |last1=Fritz|first1=Steffen |last2=McCallum|first2=Ian |last3=Schill|first3=Christian |last4=Perger|first4=Christoph |last5=Grillmayer|first5=Roland |last6=Achard|first6=Frédéric |last7=Kraxner|first7=Florian |last8=Obersteiner|first8=Michael |journal=Remote Sensing |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=345–354 |bibcode=2009RemS....1..345F|url=http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/8836/1/remotesensing-01-00345.pdf }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.3390/ijgi5050055 |doi-access = free |title = Crowdsourcing, Citizen Science or Volunteered Geographic Information? The Current State of Crowdsourced Geographic Information |year = 2016 |last1 = See|first1 = Linda |last2 = Mooney |first2 = Peter |last3 = Foody|first3 = Giles |last4 = Bastin|first4 = Lucy |last5 = Comber|first5 = Alexis |last6 = Estima|first6 = Jacinto |last7 = Fritz|first7 = Steffen |last8 = Kerle|first8 = Norman |last9 = Jiang|first9 = Bin |last10 = Laakso|first10 = Mari |last11 = Liu|first11 = Hai-Ying |last12 = Milčinski|first12 = Grega |last13 = Nikšič|first13 = Matej |last14 = Painho|first14 = Marco |last15 = Pődör|first15 = Andrea |last16 = Olteanu-Raimond|first16 = Ana-Maria|last17 = Rutzinger|first17 = Martin |journal = ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information |volume = 5|issue = 5 |page = 55 |bibcode = 2016IJGI....5...55S|arxiv = 1511.03010 }}</ref> and citizen science.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783030582777 |title=The Science of Citizen Science |journal=<!---->|date=2021 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-58278-4 |doi-access=free |isbn=978-3-030-58277-7 |editor-last=Vohland|editor-first=Katrin|language=en|editor-last2=Land-zandstra|editor-first2=Anne|editor-last3=Ceccaroni|editor-first3=Luigi|editor-last4=Lemmens|editor-first4=Rob|editor-last5=Perelló|editor-first5=Josep|editor-last6=Ponti|editor-first6=Marisa|editor-last7=Samson|editor-first7=Roeland|editor-last8=Wagenknecht|editor-first8=Katherin}}</ref> Using data sources such as satellite imagery, geotagged photographs and the Internet, individual volunteers are able to contribute valuable in-situ data, either by validating existing data and comparing it with satellite imagery (through visual interpretation), or by collecting new information. Other methods for crowd-sourced data collection in Geo-Wiki include campaigns and games, used as incentives to motivate citizens. Collected data in the platform is freely available.
By 2020, Geo-Wiki had more than 15 000 registered contributors, and many successful citizen science campaigns, collecting data on topics such as global built-up surface validation, human impact on forests,<ref>{{Cite web |title=New Citizen Science Campaign on Human Impact on Forests - 2019 - IIASA |url=https://iiasa.ac.at/web/home/research/researchPrograms/EcosystemsServicesandManagement/event/190408-citizensciencecampaign.html |access-date=2020-11-05 |website=iiasa.ac.at}}</ref> global agricultural field-size data<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crowdsourced field data shows importance of smallholder farms to global food production - 2018 - IIASA |url=https://iiasa.ac.at/web/home/about/news/181122-field-size-crowd.html |access-date=2020-11-05 |website=iiasa.ac.at}}</ref> and more.
== Land cover validation == thumb|alt=Land cover disagreement|Land cover disagreement over Africa in croplands and forests available for analysis in Geo-wiki Global land cover validation exercises are feasible as images less than 2.5 meter resolution provide very detailed information on land cover with global coverage of at least 20%<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.3390/s8127973 |doi-access = free |title = Horizontal Positional Accuracy of Google Earth's High-Resolution Imagery Archive|year = 2008|last1 = Potere|first1 = David|journal = Sensors|volume = 8|issue = 12|pages = 7973–7981|pmid = 27873970|pmc = 3791001|bibcode = 2008Senso...8.7973P}}</ref> with more high-resolution, up to date images continuously being added. Internet tools such as Google Earth offer enormous potential for land cover validation.<ref>{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1038/439776a|doi-access=free|title = The web-wide world|year = 2006|last1 = Butler|first1 = Declan|journal = Nature|volume = 439|issue = 7078|pages = 776–778|pmid = 16482123|s2cid = 4406719}}</ref> The use of Volunteer Geographic Information for land cover validation studies seems even more relevant as Google Earth has been used for the recent validation of remote sensing derived products e.g., the European forest cover map<ref>{{Cite journal|doi=10.1016/j.isprsjprs.2008.09.004|title=Pan-European forest/Non-forest mapping with Landsat ETM+ and CORINE Land Cover 2000 data|year=2009|last1=Pekkarinen|first1=Anssi|last2=Reithmaier|first2=Lucia|last3=Strobl|first3=Peter|journal=ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing|volume=64|issue=2|pages=171–183|bibcode=2009JPRS...64..171P}}</ref> as well as the latest global land cover map GlobCover.<ref>Defourny, P.P.; Schouten, L.; Bartalev, S.; Bontemps, S.P.; Caccetta, P. et al., [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/40790615_Accuracy_assessment_of_a_300_m_global_land_cover_map_The_GlobCover_experience Accuracy Assessment of a 300 m Global Land Cover Map: The GlobCover Experience], January 2009, via www.researchgate.net, abstract accessed 27 October 2023</ref> Google Earth allows wider audience to be involved in a validation exercise.
Applications of Geo-Wiki go beyond simply improving land cover. An application helps to predict future deforestation in Central Africa,<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1038/news.2009.1100 |doi-access= |title=Model predicts future deforestation |year=2009 |last1=Nayar |first1=Anjali |journal=Nature }}</ref> combining five existing cropland data sets from sub-Saharan Africa to create a new map which has higher accuracy than existing maps. This should reduce uncertainty and improve predictions in land use, vegetation, climate change, and earth systems modeling. Scientists from several research institutions describe development of the map in Geophysical Research Letters, along with the application of Geo-Wiki.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Cropland for sub-Saharan Africa: A synergistic approach using five land cover data sets |year=2011 |doi=10.1029/2010GL046213 |doi-access=free |last1=Fritz |first1=Steffen |last2=You |first2=Liangzhi |last3=Bun |first3=Andriy |last4=See |first4=Linda |last5=McCallum |first5=Ian |last6=Schill |first6=Christian |last7=Perger |first7=Christoph |last8=Liu |first8=Junguo |last9=Hansen |first9=Matt |last10=Obersteiner |first10=Michael |journal=Geophysical Research Letters |volume=38 |issue=4 |pages=n/a |bibcode=2011GeoRL..38.4404F }}</ref>
== Gamification == The Geo-Wiki ecosystem comprises a number of applications, some of which use gamification mechanisms to attract and motivate citizen scientists and experts to participate in campaigns and make valuable contributions to science.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * [http://www.geo-wiki.org Geo-Wiki main page] * [http://laco-wiki.net/ LACO-Wiki] * [https://iiasa.ac.at/models-tools-data/geo-wiki Center for Earth Observation & Citizen Science] at IIASA
{{Volunteered geographic information}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Geo-Wiki}} Category:Collaborative mapping Category:Geographic data and information organizations Category:Wikis Category:Gamification