Collaborative Mapping

Abstract

This chapter introduces the role of Web 2.0, Web 3.0, and data mashups in use cases of collaborative mapping in public health disease surveillance. Current advances in these geospatial technologies enable geographers both professional and citizen geographers to contribute, analyze and map data from anywhere in the world. The role of ``public participation GIS{''} and ``participatory GIS{''} are examined in the context of volunteered geographic information (VGI), and their application in understanding the role of place in affecting human health. This integration of spatial data, collaboration, and decision-making is known as collaborative spatial decisionmaking (CSDM). There are a number of challenges to incorporating collaborative tools in spatial decision-making e.g., a lack of interoperability with other tools commonly used by organizations, and a lack of generality to enable sustainable processes within a group accomplishing a specific task. A Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) presents a possible solution to these problems, as it promotes data sharing through data harmonization and standardization (thus avoiding unnecessary geospatial data duplication), at different organizational and geographical levels. Several organizations, such as the Association of American Geographers (AAG) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), are collaborating to address the role of spatial and spatiotemporal data analyses and geographic computing resources in health and science research.