Is Volunteere

d Geographi

c Informatio

n Sustainabl

e?Steven Feldman

Agenda• Sustainability• Participation• Motivation• Future Gazing

• How many of you contribute to OSM?– Frequently– Moderately– Once or twice

• How many of you earn a living or part from GI?

• Other IT?• Married?• Kids?

What do you want from a street map?

Complete

Known accuracy

Currency

Becoming sustainable?

Proce

ssPeopl

e

Growing numbers of contributors

Soaring to new heights

Past the tipping point?

Contributor Fatigue

Is there a VGI tail off?

North London

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

3500

4000

Long tail – Top 10 contributors out of

189 contributed 81%!

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

Oct

-05

Tot

al

Apr

-06

Tot

al

Jun-

06 T

otal

Aug

-06

Tot

al

Oct

-06

Tot

al

Dec

-06

Tot

al

Feb

-07

Tot

al

Apr

-07

Tot

al

Jun-

07 T

otal

Aug

-07

Tot

al

Oct

-07

Tot

al

Dec

-07

Tot

al

Feb

-08

Tot

al

Apr

-08

Tot

al

Jun-

08 T

otal

Aug

-08

Tot

al

Oct

-08

Tot

al

Dec

-08

Tot

al

Feb

-09

Tot

al

Apr

-09

Tot

al

Jun-

09 T

otal

Redlands, California

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

75% of contributions from 2 users

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

Belfast

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

84% of contributions from

4 people

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700M

ar-0

7 T

otal

May

-07

Tot

al

Aug

-07

Tot

al

Oct

-07

Tot

al

Nov

-07

Tot

al

Dec

-07

Tot

al

Jan-

08 T

otal

Mar

-08

Tot

al

Apr

-08

Tot

al

May

-08

Tot

al

Jun-

08 T

otal

Jul-0

8 T

otal

Aug

-08

Tot

al

Sep

-08

Tot

al

Oct

-08

Tot

al

Nov

-08

Tot

al

Dec

-08

Tot

al

Jan-

09 T

otal

Feb

-09

Tot

al

Mar

-09

Tot

al

Apr

-09

Tot

al

May

-09

Tot

al

Jun-

09 T

otal

Amsterdam

0500

100015002000250030003500400045005000550060006500700075008000850090009500

10000

76% of edits (exc AND) from 5

contributors out of 104

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Mar

-07

Total

Jun-

07 Tota

l

Sep-0

7 Tota

l

Nov-07

Total

Jan-

08 Tota

l

Mar

-08

Total

May

-08

Total

Jul-0

8 Tot

al

Sep-0

8 Tota

l

Nov-08

Total

Jan-

09 Tota

l

Mar

-09

Total

May

-09

Total

Jul-0

9 Tot

al

Observations• Most cities dependent upon small

number of contributors• Some evidence of user fatigue• Large cities attract new major

contributors, small ones don’t

Updates

OpenStreetMappers?

Values

Social

Un

ders

tan

di

ng

Protection

Fun

Ideology

• Values• Social• Understanding• Career

• Protective• Enhancement• Fun• Ideology

Top 4 motivations

1. Fun2. Ideology3. Values4. Understanding

What does this mean for OpenStreetM

ap?

Invite a Big Guy

Is Volunteere

d Geographi

c Informatio

n Sustainabl

e?

YES

Than

k You

Steven FeldmanKnowWhere

e: shfeldman@gmail.comw: http://GIScussions.blogspot.comt: http://twitter.com/stevenfeldman