The Evolution of Volunteer Science in the USGS National Geospatial Program

Using crowd-sourcing techniques, the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) project known as “The National Map Corps (TNMCorps)” encourages citizen volunteers to collect and edit data... [ view full abstract ]

Using crowd-sourcing techniques, the US Geological Survey’s (USGS) Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) project known as “The National Map Corps (TNMCorps)” encourages citizen volunteers to collect and edit data about manmade structures in an effort to provide accurate and authoritative map data for the USGS National Geospatial Program’s (NGP) web-based The National Map. VGI is not new to the USGS, but past efforts have been hampered by available technologies. Over the past two decades, the USGS National Geospatial Technical Operations Center has sponsored various forms of volunteer map data collection projects. As valuable as the updates were, the technology was not yet available to take full advantage of the work done by volunteers. The transition from the database onto the USGS topographic maps remained problematic and continued to require a fair amount of USGS resources to process. In 2008, the program was suspended due to lack of resources. In 2011, improved technology, social media, and ever decreasing resources once again made crowd-sourcing an attractive option. Several pilot projects were launched to determine the viability of bringing back the volunteer mapping program. Building on lessons learned, today, The National Map Corps volunteers are successfully editing 10 different structure types in all 50 States as well as Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, including schools, hospitals, post offices, police stations and other important public buildings. Using National Agricultural Imagery Program (NAIP) images as the primary base layer, volunteers collect and improve structures data by adding new features, removing obsolete points, and correcting existing data. The success of TNMCorps has not been without challenges including lack of clear steps needed to implement citizen science programs, navigation of the Paper Reduction Act process, and personally identifiable information issues. This talk will discuss the evolution of volunteer science in the National Geospatial Program.