Presentation given at the 3rd Data Usability Workshop - Southampton

1. An Exploration
of VGI in Use
Christopher J. Parker
3rd Workshop on Data Usability
10th November 2010

2. 2

3. 3

4. Aims of Study
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 Highlight the different stages in the process life cycle of the
users’ activities where information is utilised with benefit to the
user.
 Understand what makes volunteered information different from
professional information when used in a real world situation.
 Determine how using volunteered or professional information
affects on the outcomes of activities it when it is used.
 Explore under what conditions volunteered information may
provide unique opportunities to the user over and above that of
professional information.

5. Selecting Group
5
Hill Walkers Surfers Kayakers
Utilises geographic information as central to the activity Yes Yes Yes
Use of ‘dynamic information’ - Yes Yes
Requires information not covered by ‘traditional’ cartography - Yes Yes
Use a wide variety of information sources Yes Yes Yes
Cover a wide variety of experience levels and abilities Yes Yes Yes
Good inter-community links and shares information with
community (e.g. web forums)
Yes Yes Yes
Has the potential for VGI to enrich their activity above and
beyond professional information
Unknown Unknown Unknown
Consists of a number of different activities rather than one
phenomenon
- - Yes
Work in social groups rather than solo pursuit of activity Yes - Yes
Easy access to groups, active activities within 50 miles of
Loughborough
- - Yes

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7. 7

8. 8
Loughborough

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10. 10

11. 11 http://www.waier.org.au/forums/2001/mccarthy.html
Relevance:
•Depth
•Accuracy
•Clarity
•Currency
•Tangibility
•Quality of source
•Accessibility
•Availability
•Verification
•Affectiveness
(Barry, Schamber 1998)
•Source
•Planning process
•Types of information
•Data usability
•Role in activities
•Role in outcome
•Dynamic/ static
information

12. 12

13. How To Not Get Distracted By ‘Interface’
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 Asked about what sources and how they are used
 Mainly focused on how information makes a
difference
 Delivery method of interest
 How are Volunteered delivery methods different to
professional
 Trust is a relationship between provider and consumer
 Did not focus Axial coding on interface

14. 14

15. 15

16. Currency, Depth & Scope and Quality of the information are the three
most relevant factors when searching for information.
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17. Data usability has a clear geographical element (i.e. both time and place
are important).
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18. The data needs, and the usefulness of data to individuals is dependent on
the level of experience that the end users had with the kayaking
application domain.
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19. 19
(Preece et al., 2002)

20. Usable data often has a temporal aspect, such that the usefulness of data
often ‘decayed’ within a time window of opportunity. A good example of
this is water levels affecting the ‘paddleability’ of the river.
20
What maps and guidebooks don’t
give you is up to date information.
Just because it was a good guide to the
river five years ago doesn’t mean it’s
a good guide to the river now.

21. When questioned about professional and volunteered sources,
participants tended to refer to sources they perceive as reliable and
respectable as professional, despite their volunteer contribution base.
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22. Future Research
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 Study 3
 Ethnographic Research
 Exploratory to support
discussion of Study 2
findings
 Discussion & Theory
Generation
 Study 4
 Testing Theory
 Disabled Travellers (?)

23. www.UserGeneratedDesign.co.uk
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24. References
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Barry, C.L. & Schamber, L. 1998, "Users' criteria for
relevance evaluation: a cross-situational comparison",
Information processing & management, vol. 34, no. 2-
3, pp. 219-236.
Goodchild, M. F. (2007). Citizens as sensors: The world
of volunteered geography. GeoJournal, 69(4), 211-221.
Preece, J., Rogers, Y., & Sharpe, H. (2002). Interaction
design: Beyond human-computer interaction. United
States of America: John Wiley & Sons.