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The potential for location-based services and serious gaming to enhance participatory governance and education Britta Ricker, MSc Nick Hedley, PhD Department of Geography Simon Fraser University SPATIAL INTERFACE RESEARCH LAB SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY CANADA

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Outline <ul><li>To describe Location-Based Services, Volunteered Geographic Information, and Serious Games </li></ul><ul><li>To discuss how governments and educators can utilize these platforms to enhance communication and participation </li></ul><ul><li>To present areas for additional research for Location-Based Services and gaming for communication </li></ul>

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Research Context <ul><li>New opportunities to access and disseminate information </li></ul><ul><li>How can we leverage these platforms for education and public communication? </li></ul>

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Location-Based Services (LBS) Services that offer information about where a location aware device user is situated (Gartner, 2007).

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Environmental LBS

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Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) Geographic data that is offered voluntarily by individuals that can be used, assembled and disseminated freely ( Goodchild, 2007) .

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Building Blocks of a Successful VGI Project <ul><ul><li>Motivated citizens </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Sensing devices </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Back-end information </li></ul></ul>Port au-Prince Haiti OSM pre-earthquake December 2009 <ul><ul><li>( Gouviea et al ., 2008) . </li></ul></ul>Port au-Prince Haiti OSM post-earthquake April 2010 <ul><ul><li>Open Street Maps (OSM) </li></ul></ul>

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Serious Gaming Interactive computer game for one or multiple players that has been developed with the intention to be more than entertainment ( Ritterfield et al., 2009 ).

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Motivations for Playing Games <ul><li>Mental stimulation </li></ul><ul><li>Social interaction </li></ul><ul><li>Physical challenge </li></ul>(Whitton, 2010).

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Game Play Characteristics and Outcomes <ul><li>Interactivity </li></ul><ul><li>Narrative </li></ul><ul><li>Social use </li></ul><ul><li>Enjoyment </li></ul><ul><li>Experiential learning </li></ul><ul><li>Knowledge acquisition </li></ul><ul><li>Skill development </li></ul>

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LBS + VGI + Gaming: All about Me ! LBS to disseminate information VGI to collect information Gaming for engagement

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How are People Using LBS, VGI and Serious Games? Using games, game design and game mechanics for learning! “ Lo So”=Location based Social Networks

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“ Lo So” game recommendations for Governments and Educators <ul><li>Determine your goals </li></ul><ul><li>Learn from the platform </li></ul><ul><li>Establish visibility </li></ul><ul><li>Incentives for participation </li></ul><ul><li>Customize </li></ul>

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Chicago Tourism is Using foursquare

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Our focus: Research and Development SPATIAL INTERFACE RESEARCH LAB SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY CANADA <ul><ul><li>Design, develop and test a location based game for environmental learning </li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Partnering with British Columbia Ministry of Environment Green Schools initiative </li></ul></ul>

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Place-based Ecological Education Through the Use of LBS, VGI and Gaming British Columbia Green Schools Curriculum SPATIAL INTERFACE RESEARCH LAB SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY CANADA <ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Analyze interactions between human activity and the atmosphere with reference to global climate change </li></ul></ul></ul></ul><ul><ul><ul><ul><li>Assess the environmental impact of human activities, including: energy production and use, forestry, fishing, mining, agriculture, waste disposal, water use </li></ul></ul></ul></ul>

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Research Questions <ul><li>If we start using these devices and applications for more than entertainment, what educational outcomes will occur? </li></ul><ul><li>To what extent do location-based services and games impede or facilitate the users’ learning abilities? </li></ul><ul><li>Does the quality of experiential learning differ through the use of LBS versus a desktop computer at school? </li></ul>SPATIAL INTERFACE RESEARCH LAB SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY CANADA

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Implications <ul><li>To date, empirical data on LBS, VGI and Serious Gaming are limited </li></ul><ul><li>There is a need to identify how LBS, VGI and Serious Gaming influence communication and education </li></ul>

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Synopsis What Contributions to Education Benefits Drawbacks Location Based Services (LBS) Customized information available on demand Deliver information to users directly in the environment Don’t want to waste time, walk into something Serious Gaming Clear set of rules, attainable goals, competition, engagement Motivating, fun, challenging Frustration, disinterest Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) Distributed content, generated by autonomous individuals Sense of ownership, place-based information, room for two way interaction Privacy, bias, ontology

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[email_address] spatialinterfaceresearchlab.org SPATIAL INTERFACE RESEARCH LAB SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY CANADA Acknowledgements: Renee Sieber, PhD Sylvie Daniel, PhD Nick Hedley, PhD