Citizen Science and Disasters: The Case of OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap (OSM), often called the "Wikipedia of maps," is a global project to collaboratively create a free and open map of the world. Since 2009, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team has coordinated the OSM community to... [ view full abstract ]

OpenStreetMap (OSM), often called the "Wikipedia of maps," is a global project to collaboratively create a free and open map of the world. Since 2009, the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team has coordinated the OSM community to support situational awareness of humanitarian agencies during a wide range of disasters around the world. During the 2013 Typhoon Yolanda emergency for example, over 1600 distributed volunteers from over 80 countries worked to digitize high resolution satellite imagery, mapping the location of critical infrastructure and damage to roads and buildings. The data created by these volunteers supported the relief efforts of the Red Cross and other responding organizations. Organizations like the World Bank and The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have also sought to utilize OSM in partnership with at-risk communities to collect data to inform disaster preparedness and mitigation activities. This panel will feature both scholars as well as practitioners involved in some of these projects. Following a series of brief presentations that introduce relevant case studies, the panelists will seek to questions such as:

What are the characteristics of OSM that have led to its adoption in humanitarian response events?
Has non-experts’ participation in OpenStreetMap changed scientific practices of disaster risk and impact assessment? If yes, how?
What are the barriers to incorporate OSM data into official disaster management workflows?
What strategies are being taken to help OSM volunteers produce more accurate and trustworthy data?
How can we improve our current approaches to OSM for enhancing its citizen’ ownership?

This will be an interactive session with significant time set aside for audience contribution.