Towards Geospatial Architectures of Participation Chris Holmes

Chris Holmes

The grassroots remapping can't be stopped Picking up where Schuyler left off Collaborative mapping can't be stopped But can we help it go a bit faster? Stallman started work in January 1984 2004 saw Weber's 'The Success of Open Source'

Picking up where Schuyler left off

Collaborative mapping can't be stopped

But can we help it go a bit faster?

Stallman started work in January 1984

2004 saw Weber's 'The Success of Open Source'

From Rebels to the Establishment It took 20 years for collaboratively built software to achieve mainstream success Open Street Map - started in 2004, amateurs (in the best sense of the word), hobbyists and 'true believers' 'The Success of Collaborative Mapping'? - a diverse commons of mapping data constantly updated by citizens, governments and the private sector

It took 20 years for collaboratively built software to achieve mainstream success

Open Street Map - started in 2004, amateurs (in the best sense of the word), hobbyists and 'true believers'

'The Success of Collaborative Mapping'? - a diverse commons of mapping data constantly updated by citizens, governments and the private sector

How to Speed things up Identify 'tipping points', places it will make economic sense to invest in collaborative mapping. Encourage innovation An Ecosystem of reusable tools, workflows, licenses and communities to evolve the most effective ways to map collaboratively on a wide variety of datasets Clear legal ambiguities

Identify 'tipping points', places it will make economic sense to invest in collaborative mapping.

Encourage innovation

An Ecosystem of reusable tools, workflows, licenses and communities to evolve the most effective ways to map collaboratively on a wide variety of datasets

Clear legal ambiguities

Tipping Points Collaborative approaches to digital good production are cheaper in the long run No owner to extract rents above the value of the good. Cut out the middle man. Every organization buying mapping data will have a point where it's cheaper for them to fund improvement to a collaborative map than it is to purchase from a commercial provider for the accuracy they need

Collaborative approaches to digital good production are cheaper in the long run

No owner to extract rents above the value of the good. Cut out the middle man.

Every organization buying mapping data will have a point where it's cheaper for them to fund improvement to a collaborative map than it is to purchase from a commercial provider for the accuracy they need

Tipping Points (cont)‏ BUT: the transaction cost of that investment must be low, must be immediate results Funding 'mapping parties' Great innovation by Open Street Map Quite cost effective Takes very enlightened, forward thinking funders - a leap of faith Like the early investors in open source, for most part ended up great investment, but hard for most to argue effectively for it.

BUT: the transaction cost of that investment must be low, must be immediate results

Funding 'mapping parties'

Great innovation by Open Street Map

Quite cost effective

Takes very enlightened, forward thinking funders - a leap of faith

Like the early investors in open source, for most part ended up great investment, but hard for most to argue effectively for it.

Potential Business models Decouple functions of commercial data providers so market competes on each Surveying/mapping - contracts to improve a certain area of a collab map Provide Guarantees of accuracy, perform QA ie someone to sue Services and Consulting - contributions to collaborative maps are the 'calling card' Accuracy evaluations of collaborative maps Answer the question of 'should I invest in collaborative mapping?'

Decouple functions of commercial data providers so market competes on each

Surveying/mapping - contracts to improve a certain area of a collab map

Provide Guarantees of accuracy, perform QA

ie someone to sue

Services and Consulting - contributions to collaborative maps are the 'calling card'

Accuracy evaluations of collaborative maps

Answer the question of 'should I invest in collaborative mapping?'

Micro Tipping Points Good enough for context Most Mashups just need a bit of context High quality in constrained areas Niche verticals Not all uses of maps need all the attributes Good enough for basic car navigation Introduces great feedback loops Services built on top that make money in alternate ways

Good enough for context

Most Mashups just need a bit of context

High quality in constrained areas

Niche verticals

Not all uses of maps need all the attributes

Good enough for basic car navigation

Introduces great feedback loops

Services built on top that make money in alternate ways

Bounty Navigation Car navigation with feedback loop When the system gets you lost you can log in the change right then Collects GPS data from all cars on the service, automatically extracts vectors and one way info Monthly fee for all, you can reduce your fee and even make money by correcting maps (on the fly or online processing raw tracks)‏ Real time bounties for accurate information requested by clients

Car navigation with feedback loop

When the system gets you lost you can log in the change right then

Collects GPS data from all cars on the service, automatically extracts vectors and one way info

Monthly fee for all, you can reduce your fee and even make money by correcting maps (on the fly or online processing raw tracks)‏

Real time bounties for accurate information requested by clients

Encourage Innovation Architecture s of Participation There's more to collaboratively map than streets Two big 'commons-based peer production' movements: Wikipedia and Open Source Will mapping look like one or the other? Something in between? Completely different?

Architecture s of Participation

There's more to collaboratively map than streets

Two big 'commons-based peer production' movements: Wikipedia and Open Source

Will mapping look like one or the other? Something in between? Completely different?

Wikipedia One project to rule them all. Works out quite well for a big collective work like an encyclopedia. Anyone can edit, but also easy to rollback But a bad edit doesn't break everything, like in software. Highly evolved mechanisms for watching areas and erasing vandalism Automated techniques to get rid of spam

One project to rule them all.

Works out quite well for a big collective work like an encyclopedia.

Anyone can edit, but also easy to rollback

But a bad edit doesn't break everything, like in software.

Highly evolved mechanisms for watching areas and erasing vandalism

Automated techniques to get rid of spam

Open Source An Ecosystem of approaches Different licenses, different languages, different sets of tools. Encourages alternative innovations, especially for niche areas Very few people can edit an individual project as 'breaking the build' is really bad Quite easy to start a new project Innovation in workflow: FSF was cathedral building until Linus came along and shook techniques up.

An Ecosystem of approaches

Different licenses, different languages, different sets of tools. Encourages alternative innovations, especially for niche areas

Very few people can edit an individual project as 'breaking the build' is really bad

Quite easy to start a new project

Innovation in workflow: FSF was cathedral building until Linus came along and shook techniques up.

Collaborative Mapping? We don't know.. Clear early leader with OSM May be healthy to have experimentation with niche maps, constrained areas ect. Different licenses? Vetting of contributors? More automation? Alternate tools? Work with governments? Different workflows?

We don't know..

Clear early leader with OSM

May be healthy to have experimentation with niche maps, constrained areas ect.

Different licenses?

Vetting of contributors?

More automation?

Alternate tools?

Work with governments?

Different workflows?

GeoServer: CVS for the GeoWeb Easy to install Connects to PostGIS, Oracle Spatial, DB2, ArcSDE, MySQL backends Outputs WMS, WFS, KML, Shapefiles, ect. Editing through WFS-T standard Extended standard for Rollbacks, Diffs, History, Commit comments Soon will have granular security settings

Easy to install

Connects to PostGIS, Oracle Spatial, DB2, ArcSDE, MySQL backends

Outputs WMS, WFS, KML, Shapefiles, ect.

Editing through WFS-T standard

Extended standard for Rollbacks, Diffs, History, Commit comments

Soon will have granular security settings

GeoServer Collaboration Features Automated validation engine Reject 'Chris Rulez!' over the 48 states Integrate with 'power tools' through WFS-T Many GIS professionals are already passionate about mapping But they want to use the tools they know 'Patches' - a GetDiff result is a WFS-T transaction, can apply it to another service

Automated validation engine

Reject 'Chris Rulez!' over the 48 states

Integrate with 'power tools' through WFS-T

Many GIS professionals are already passionate about mapping

But they want to use the tools they know

'Patches' - a GetDiff result is a WFS-T transaction, can apply it to another service

Future features Granular GeoRSS/email notification Watch a bounding box Version aware user friendly web and desktop tools with OpenLayers and uDig KML Superoverlay output (GS 1.5.1)‏ Branches/sandboxes/suggest changes? Easy license selection, machine readable Whatever you want, it's open source!

Granular GeoRSS/email notification

Watch a bounding box

Version aware user friendly web and desktop tools with OpenLayers and uDig

KML Superoverlay output (GS 1.5.1)‏

Branches/sandboxes/suggest changes?

Easy license selection, machine readable

Whatever you want, it's open source!

Legal Ambiguities No clear licenses for mapping data Software licenses don't work Creative Commons doesn't really apply to data Public domain or don't release? Or use complex contract law Open Licenses for Geodata? What is a derivative work for geodata? What can be copyrighted? Do we need contract law?

No clear licenses for mapping data

Software licenses don't work

Creative Commons doesn't really apply to data

Public domain or don't release? Or use complex contract law

Open Licenses for Geodata?

What is a derivative work for geodata?

What can be copyrighted? Do we need contract law?

Clearing Legal Ambiguities Clear terms of derivative rights from major mapping portals With approval from their data providers 'We think you can' isn't good enough for serious work Teleatlas/Navteq will not be pleased with people hand copying their roads What about wikimapia/geonames? Trouble later? Yahoo! is the clear early leader in enlightened approaches to derivative works

Clear terms of derivative rights from major mapping portals

With approval from their data providers

'We think you can' isn't good enough for serious work

Teleatlas/Navteq will not be pleased with people hand copying their roads

What about wikimapia/geonames? Trouble later?

Yahoo! is the clear early leader in enlightened approaches to derivative works

More clearing Set of licenses with clear terms about derivation and attribution Do whatever you like but don't sue me (BSD)‏ Don't sue me and give me credit (Apache)‏ Contribute back fixes to the data (LGPL)‏ All derived works must be collaborative (GPL)‏ Encourage different communities with different licenses and see what works If you're a lawyer let's talk!

Set of licenses with clear terms about derivation and attribution

Do whatever you like but don't sue me (BSD)‏

Don't sue me and give me credit (Apache)‏

Contribute back fixes to the data (LGPL)‏

All derived works must be collaborative (GPL)‏

Encourage different communities with different licenses and see what works

If you're a lawyer let's talk!

Thank You! The Open Planning Project: http://topp.openplans.org GeoServer: http://geoserver.org My blog: http://cholmes.wordpress.com cholmes@openplans.org This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.

The Open Planning Project: http://topp.openplans.org

GeoServer: http://geoserver.org

My blog: http://cholmes.wordpress.com

cholmes@openplans.org

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San Francisco, California, 94105, USA.