Using Google Street View to audit the built environment: inter-rater reliability results.

BACKGROUND Observational field audits are recommended for public health research to collect data on built environment characteristics. A reliable, standardized alternative to field audits that uses publicly available information could provide the ability to efficiently compare results across different study sites and time. PURPOSE This study aimed to assess inter-rater reliability of built environment audits conducted using Google Street View imagery. METHODS In 2011, street segments from St. Louis and Indianapolis were geographically stratified to ensure representation of neighborhoods with different land use and socioeconomic characteristics in both cities. Inter-rater reliability was assessed using observed agreement and the prevalence-adjusted bias-adjusted kappa statistic (PABAK). RESULTS The mean PABAK for all items was 0.84. Ninety-five percent of the items had substantial (PABAK ≥ 0.60) or nearly perfect (PABAK ≥ 0.80) agreement. CONCLUSIONS Using Google Street View imagery to audit the built environment is a reliable method for assessing characteristics of the built environment.