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Talks and Poster Presentations (with Proceedings-Entry):

G. Gartner, M. Jobst:
"Web Mapping 2.0 as participatory mapping";
Talk: Internat. Conference Cartographic Challenges, Bergamo (invited); 04-23-2009 - 04-24-2009; in: "Cartographic challenges: movement, participation, risk", (2009).



English abstract:
Web 2.0 can be characterized as the web with an "architecture of participation". In general this
describes the nature of systems that are designed to encourage user contribution. This "next
generation" networked services are delivered via the web, but the web site is used as a platform for
others to extend or edit the content or the services. Such websites are designed to work in a social
manner, they need people. By applying the ideas of web 2.0 computers are being used differently
for web mapping. Collaborative base map compilation projects like the open street map have found
high interest in the community. Hybrid web publishing applications offer feeds, blogs and
especially mash-ups. All of this new ways of using the web lead to changing conditions of web
mapping, including the way in which the information is accessed, the role of the user as a map
producer or the assembling of data from many discrete and dispersed sites as sources for various
visualization tools. As cartography deals with the efficient transmission of spatial information
questions like quality, integrity, design and aesthetics, privacy and potential influences of
goverments or commercial companies are key for the success of the communication process.
Further impact to a public driven geospatial communication processes can be observed by the factor
"significance" of content, applications and services. Therefore the power of modern visualization
methodologies, the expanding role of map producers as well as an increasing encouragement of user
contributions lead to an important question within the theoretical framework of semiosis: what is
the role of "significance" within the pragmatic dimension of participatory mapping? In general
significance at various levels, which reach from individual to public aspects and from informational
to cognitive dimensions, turns out to be one main driver for the success of modern geospatial
applications, Services and uses.
To date most academic cartographic research has focused on controlling the syntactical dimension
of communication, and trying to provide better maps by exploring useful semantic aspects of
semiosis. The new technical possibilities offered by Internet Cartography and the first generation of
Web Mapping had limited impacts on semiotic academic cartographic research. However the
collaborative and participative nature of Web Mapping 2.0 will lead to a change in research
priorities. Pragmatics is likely to receive much more attention. It is the userīs behaviour and
interests that determines the communication process in Web 2.0: semantics and especially symbol
and sign syntax are usually beyond the control of collaborative users. The question remains open,
however, whether modern cartography will be able to react to this challenge by offering
(automated) methods and techniques, which help to define syntactical and semantic issues as well.

Created from the Publication Database of the Vienna University of Technology.