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Analysing Building Shapes Quality of Collaborative Mapping 93 Analysing Building Shapes Quality of Collaborative Mapping Dr. Maythm Al-Bakri Lecturer Department of Surveying College of Engineering University of Baghdad Baghdad - Iraq Abstract The very fast developments of web and data collection technologies have enabled non- experts to collect and disseminate geospatial datasets through web applications. This new type of spatial data is usually known as collaborative mapping or volunteered geographic information VGI. There are various countries around the world could benefit from collaborative mapping data because it is cost free data, easy to access and it provides more customised data. However, there is a concern about its quality because the data collectors may lack the sufficient experience and training about geospatial data production. Most previous studies which have outlined and analysed VGI quality focused on positional and linear features. The current research has been conducted to investigate the quality of another feature type such as polygons (buildings) of collaborative mapping data. Two different VGI data sources have been tested: Google Maps and WikiMapia services. The VGI data was compared with reference data extracted from high resolution aerial image which was provided from General Directorate of Surveying. The suggested methodology based on applying several metrics and methods such as surface distance method, compactness, elongation, and ratio of areas computation. The polygon shape accuracy was analysed by comparing conventional statistical values such as mean, median, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum. The results indicated that there is no big difference between the shape similarities of collaborative mapping polygons. Hence, it can be used for several applications such as spatial data infrastructures (SDI) and urban planning. Key words: google maps; wikimapia; shape accuracy; polygons; collaborative mapping 1. Introduction system. Crowdsource refers to the way that large number of distributed As a technology has evolved; the people can work on the same project Internet permits people not only to in a very powerful manner, creating gain information but also allows something where the whole is more users to create new content and new than sum of the parts. The online knowledge. This includes encyclopaedia Wikipedia is a good community based websites which is example of Crowdsource technique. usually called the crowdsource Maythm Al-Bakri Association of Arab Universities Journal of Engineering Sciences NO. 2 Volume. 24 Year. 2017 94 Wikipedia is approach where in be due to the fact that in many principle anybody with a computer developing countries, there is a need can edit or submit content. In for free geospatial data because Wikipedia there is no peer review, authoritative data are not existing or and the material is subject to editing not complete. These countries lack by any user [3]. The concept of the financial or technical conditions to web as platform was also adopted by produce spatial data in digital geographers to establish the formats. Therefore VGI can provide volunteered geographic information a rich source for spatial which can (VGI) [9]. support a wide range of applications such as monitoring environment, The VGI is collaborative web-based disaster management, tourist efforts to collect, produce and services [7]. In addition, the disseminate free geospatial data authoritative data is expensive and provided voluntarily by individuals. map production is costly in most The VGI sites allow user to share countries around the world [4]. The their own contribution by defining VGI data can be captured using locations where certain features handheld GPS-devices or any smart exist. Nowadays, there are a wide phones, and it can be also digitised variety of programs exist to display from free aerial images. online maps on mobile phones. Furthermore, gaining benefits from Amongst supported devices are free software. It becomes possible to nearly all phones that can run Java use or download open source GIS for mobiles, as well as platforms software to produce and upload free such as Android, the iPhone, vector datasets. However, due to the Windows Mobile. The various VGI data are produced by volunteers programs distinguish themselves from different background, the according to key features like if they quality of VGI data is not use raster maps or vector maps, if standardised and needs to be they need an Internet connection or assessed [10]. can be used offline, if they support address search or advanced features Different approaches are being like routing, thus creating for a large developed by spatial researchers to number of different needs for assess VGI quality. For example, viewing maps. Some examples of [11] presented different techniques VGI phenomenon are WikiMapia, to measure the OSM building Google Maps Maker, completeness in Germany. The OpenStreetMap (OSM) [15]. comparison involved reference data from national mapping agencies. During the last decade, the amount Their results showed that the of VGI data sources continues to completeness of OSM data in grow on the Internet [6]. This may Maythm Al-Bakri Association of Arab Universities Journal of Engineering Sciences NO. 2 Volume. 24 Year. 2017 95 Germany in the federal states of Google Maps (GM) services. North Rhine-Westphalia were 25% WikiMapia is a web site enabling and 15% in Saxony in November collective annotation of geographic 2011. In a study undertaken by [5] satellite imagery, and is analysed the OSM building representative of similar efforts such footprints. The evaluation involved as Google Earth and mash-ups position, completeness, shape and created with web application semantic accuracy. The OSM data programming interface (API) to was compared to German Authority mapping services. It is allowing Topographic–Cartographic users to add information in the form Information System as official of a note to any location on Earth. datasets. The main results from the Although registration is not required paper indicated that the semantic to edit or add data to WikiMapia, accuracy and completeness have over 2,500,000 users from around high quality. Also, the shape of the world currently are registered OSM building footprints is very [16]. All content uploaded by users close to official data. However there becomes the intellectual property of is a difference four meters in WikiMapia and available for non- positional accuracy of OSM data. comercial use through WikiMapia Most recently [6] assessed the API [15]. completeness of OSM buildings data in UK. Three different study areas WikiMapia allows any contributor to were tested: London, Leeds and add a tag (placemark) to any location Sheffield / UK. Their findings by marking out a polygon around the proved that the quality of OSM location and then providing a default buildings is variable and inconsistent language, title, description and one within UK cities. or more categories. Location tagging is fully multi-lingual, meaning that In most of the existing studies, the there is no need to create separate OSM buildings were evaluated using tags for different languages. official dataset. The study reported WikiMapia also enables users to add here compares the polygons different map features such as (buildings) quality of other buildings, roads, railroads and rivers. collaborative mapping datasets such The interface allows specifying the as WikiMapia (Wiki) and Google size of features and providing a brief Maps (GM). description and coordinates about them, as explain in Fig. 1 [15]. In 2. Data Sources this study, the coordinates of tested features are displayed and recorded Two different datasets from manually from the main window of collaborative mapping projects have WikiMapia. been tested: WikiMapia (Wiki) and Maythm Al-Bakri Association of Arab Universities Journal of Engineering Sciences NO. 2 Volume. 24 Year. 2017 96 Google map is another geospatial The overlay features are specified in dataset that has been investigated terms of their location within the and analysed in this research. Google Maps environment [1]. Google map is one of the webs mapping service which was Additional information is usually launched in 2005. The main basic displayed in an information window, interface of Google Maps is which is a sort of speech bubble that incredibly intuitive and is overlaid on the map. The straightforward. Users can select a information window usually appears map, move it around, and zoom in in response to the user selecting a and out to find particular area that, marker, either by clicking the marker as shown in Fig. 2. Google Maps in the map or by clicking a separate shows country, state, and county list of markers that is also displayed boundaries when available; regions on the page. Google Maps also offer and locations; country names. It also coordinates for places found in provides street-level and building Google map [1]. The positional data maps. The Google Maps enable you coordinates can be extracted directly to overlay lines and polygons objects from the interface of Google Map onto a map through Google Map service which is usually in World Maker service. This information can Geodetic System (WGS84). be used to provide additional detail about the location that looking for. Fig 1. Screen shot of Wikimapia service, showing online information including map, place name, coordinates (http://wikimapia.org), Date: 20-07-2016. Maythm Al-Bakri Association of Arab Universities Journal of Engineering Sciences NO. 2 Volume. 24 Year. 2017
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