Crowdsourcing VGI: An Elegant Solution to a Thorny Problem

Ronald Cannarella
DLNR/Division of Forestry & Wildlife, Honolulu, HI

GIS for Citizen Engagement
Wednesday March 7, 2012 - 10:45 am to noon

GIS is but one of the major innovations in the last 20 years. The internet is another. The World Wide Web has evolved to "Web 2.0", shorthand for social media apps such as facebook and twitter. Smart phones eliminated "long distance" charges, and video enabled cell phones have toppled mighty armies.

Meanwhile, we expect our government to do more with less. Hawaii, once the most isolated place on Earth is now a desired dream destinations for millions. Visitors are struck with the beauty of our islands, but have no knowledge of the hazards in paradise. People get injured, and the State gets sued for not putting a warning sign. Consumers import pets and plants that escape into the wild and wreck havoc with our environment. How can we hope to maintain our watersheds, our economy, and our lifestyle?

By "crowdsourcing" Volunteer Geographic Information (VGI). Crowdsourcing is "broadcasting the need for assistance to an unknown group of participants". VGI is information about a place at a specific time. By combining these technologies everyone can become part of the solution to protect the `aina. NOAA has already created the "Marine Debris Tracker" app for iPhone/Android. Good timing; a huge patch of debris from Japan is headed our way.

GIS geeks, think of the possibilities! We need data, the community wants services. We all love Hawaii. We'll continue this topic at the unconference on Wednesday in cooperation with the real Web 2.0 experts; The Social Media Club of Hawaii. Chocolate, meet peanut butter.