Volunteered geographic information in natural hazard analysis: a systematic literature review of current approaches with a focus on preparedness and mitigation

Klonner, C., Marx, S., Usón, T., Porto de Albuquerque, J. and Höfle, B. (2016) Volunteered geographic information in natural hazard analysis: a systematic literature review of current approaches with a focus on preparedness and mitigation. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 5(7), 103. (doi: 10.3390/ijgi5070103)

Abstract

With the rise of new technologies, citizens can contribute to scientific research via Web 2.0 applications for collecting and distributing geospatial data. Integrating local knowledge, personal experience and up-to-date geoinformation indicates a promising approach for the theoretical framework and the methods of natural hazard analysis. Our systematic literature review aims at identifying current research and directions for future research in terms of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) within natural hazard analysis. Focusing on both the preparedness and mitigation phase results in eleven articles from two literature databases. A qualitative analysis for in-depth information extraction reveals auspicious approaches regarding community engagement and data fusion, but also important research gaps. Mainly based in Europe and North America, the analysed studies deal primarily with floods and forest fires, applying geodata collected by trained citizens who are improving their knowledge and making their own interpretations. Yet, there is still a lack of common scientific terms and concepts. Future research can use these findings for the adaptation of scientific models of natural hazard analysis in order to enable the fusion of data from technical sensors and VGI. The development of such general methods shall contribute to establishing the user integration into various contexts, such as natural hazard analysis.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Porto de Albuquerque, Professor Joao
• Authors: Klonner, C., Marx, S., Usón, T., Porto de Albuquerque, J., and Höfle, B.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information
• Publisher: MDPI
• ISSN: 2220-9964
• ISSN (Online): 2220-9964
• Published Online: 25 June 2016
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 The Authors
• First Published: First published in ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information 5(7): 103
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License