Commentary: whither VGI?

For the most part, we find our way around the planet by tapping memory, perhaps by recalling past routes, or sometimes by accessing stored mental images that approximate maps. In other cases, however, we must rely on information collected and made available to us by others. People visiting strange cities need street maps to help them find their way around; planners need maps of wetlands and other constraints on development; pilots need air navigation charts; children need atlases and globes to learn about the Earth’s almost infinite variety; and emergency responders need maps to plan systematic recovery efforts. Geographic information, whether in the form of maps, images, driving directions, or guidebooks is increasingly essential to many aspects of human existence. As with many other forms of information, the process of acquiring, compiling, printing, and disseminating geographic information has been expensive. A topographic map costs the U.S. Geological Survey approximately $100,000 to produce, and publishers must make similar levels of investment in compiling and printing guidebooks. Mapmaking may involve the launching of satellites or leasing of aircraft; the use of photogrammetric machines costing more than $250,000 or elaborate surveying equipment; hiring and paying highly trained personnel to operate the equipment; and the expensive process of preparing material for printing. It follows that this process inevitably favored those geographic themes that were comparatively unchanging, allowing the information collected and disseminated to be valid for as long as possible; and favored those themes that had multiple applications, in order to maximize the potential interest in the product. Much of the traditional system of geographic information production, which tended to emphasize centralization in public-sector agencies, can thus be explained by simple arguments about scale economies and market size. Only central governments and a handful of publishers had the resources, mandate, and will to absorb the costs. This world of national mapping agencies, standardized map series, and established publishing houses is the background against which the phenomenon of VGI must be understood. It explains why VGI is so interesting, provokes such a strong reaction in many quarters, and stimulates the kinds of writing represented in this special issue. The rapid growth of VGI in the past few years is one more step in a lengthy process that began almost two decades ago, and will likely continue for some time to come. It is one part of a fundamental transition as society redefines its vision of the role of public information in the early years of the 21st century. This is an impressive collection of papers, and one of the first to tackle this expanding and timely topic. M. F. Goodchild (&) Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060, USA e-mail: [email protected]