1. Participatory Modeling Methodology on the Geospatial Web
Timothy (Tim) Nyerges, Ph.D.
Department of Geography
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington USA
based on invited lecture given May 3, 2011
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

2. Outline
What is the GeoWeb and how do we characterize it as the convergence of realms such as Spatial Data Infrastructure, Online Participatory GIS, Volunteer Geographic Information?
How might we couple architectures for the GeoWeb, e.g. using service-oriented architecture?
What is and how might we make use of Participatory Modeling Methodology?
What are some future directions for Geospatial Information Services?

3. GeoWeb Realms of GIScience & Technology
Spatial Data Infrastructure (circa 1990)
Online Participatory GIS (circa 1999)
Volunteer Geographic Information (circa 2005)
Look at a brief overview of these realms…

4. Motivation within realms
SDI - increase data sharing
OPGIS - broaden public governance and community voice
VGI – enhance distributed information collection
All involve values, interests, and concerns, but perhaps from different perspectives…

5. US NSDI Spatial Data Infrastructure, e.g. three levels
12 Federal Agencies – geoplatform.gov
50 States (National States Geographic Information Councils)
Regional (e.g. Washington State Geographic Data Archive)

7. About the Geospatial Platform
Federal agencies and their partners collect and manage large amounts of geospatial data - but these data are often not easily found when needed or accessible in useful forms. The Geospatial Platform provides ready access to federally maintained geospatial data, services and applications. The content of all datasets and services demarcated with the Data.gov globe have been verified by the Agency to be consistent with Federal privacy, national security, and information quality policies. As an additional service to our users, we also provide access to data from our partners across State, Tribal, Regional and local governments as well as non-governmental organizations.

9. US Federal SDI – current architecture
Jerry Johnston, US EPA, presentation to NGAC “Status Update: Geospatial Platform”

10. US Federal SDI – next architecture
Jerry Johnston, US EPA, presentation to NGAC “Status Update: Geospatial Platform”

11. US – States SDI Level National State Geographic Information Councils GeoSpatial One-Stop Nodes; Metadata only

12. Regional SDI level Washington State Geospatial Data Archive (WAGDA) 1.0

13. Regional SDI level WAGDA 2.0 wagda.lib.washington.edu/geoportal

14. WAGDA 2.0 Architecture 14

15. Web Feature Service/Web Coverage Service
Acquiring Data
Data Access
Multiple services in development
● supported - ○ unverified - (blank) not supported - (grey) not preferred
Function
Direct Connection
Geodata Service
Image Service
Web Feature Service/Web Coverage Service
Web Mapping Service
Geoportal
Fast data view ● ○
Remote data analysis
Complete and ready metadata
Geodatabase versions
Exportable data
Interoperability
Modifiable access permission
Replication/Editing
Diagram of different connection methods.
Much of our work over the next few weeks will be to nail down which access methods are most appropriate for which tasks and to clarify limitations of each method. ESRI will help us here. 15 15

16. OPGIS
Online Participatory GIS
Widespread growth since 1999

17. OPGIS Niches

18. OPGIS example
Support provided by the National Science Foundation Grant No. EIA , funded through the Information Technology Research Program, and managed in the Digital Government Program.

19. VGI Volunteer Geographic Information
Wide array of developments since 2005

20. Mashups and Real-time feeds
VGI
Mashups and Real-time feeds
SMS

21. VGI - balloon sensor launch

22. Balloon trajectory

23. Volunteer Geographic Information accuracy comparison of geocoded addresses

24. Synthesis across SDI-OPGIS-VGI What is being valued?
SDI – people interested in efficient, effective, and equitable access to data
OPGIS – people interested in stakeholder public values, goals, and concerns
VGI – people interested in personal values, goals, concerns about what is important
Is their a convergence of “value” in light of geospatial information technology?

25. Shared interests? Common values?
All realms…
Engage participants
Enable participants
Structure participation
…as human-computer-human interaction
…for data, information, evidence, and knowledge production on the GeoWeb

26. Coupling SDI-OPGIS-VGIS enables distributed and participatory GeoDesign
GeoDesign – geography by design (Steinitz 2011)
For example, a regional stormwater runoff monitoring network to better understand and act upon non-point source pollution
GeoDesign can enable large-scale participatory monitoring designs using GIS
GeoDesign as sustainability management requires SDI, OPGIS, and VGI resources configured into regional enterprise GIS also called consortium of GIS

27. 2. Coupling SDI-OPGIS-VGIS
What architecture design(s) might help us couple SDI-OPGIS-VGI resources?
Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is an approach proposed by many
SOA – a collection of protocols and components for getting service resources to work together
SOA infrastructure connects…
Consumer services: User interface clients
Producer services: Data and software capabilities

28. Esri example of integration platform

29. Expansion of SOA Infrastructure, by example, for coupling SDI-OPGIS-VGI

30. Methodology Helps Guide Coupling of SDI-OPGIS-VGIS Resources
Coupling among three technology realms is a complex choice problem
Need systematic approach to help guide coupling strategies
Participatory Modeling Methodology brings diverse perspectives into play

31. 3. Participatory Modeling Methodology (PMM)
Approach that links system development, system use, and system evaluation to improve outcomes from systems.
Participatory interaction modeling explores the science of interaction design
Participatory interaction designs are intended to structure participation, while incorporating motivation and technology

32. What, Why, and How of Coupling?
What resources are to be coupled?
Why are resources to be couple?
How are resources to be coupled?

33. A Framework for Participatory Interaction Modeling
What coupling is needed? 1
Cyber-System Development
Monitor event logs of online activity
Improve development artifacts
How is coupling performing?
Why is coupling needed? 2
Cyber-System Use 3
Cyber-System Evaluation
Create and calibrate activity models
three roles in human-computer-human interaction: (1) developer, (2) user, (3) analyst

34. Three domains anchor the GeoWeb design loop
1) Cyber-Systems development incorporate participatory technologies
2) Cyber-Systems use by participants address pervasive complex problems
3) Cyber-Systems evaluation involve social-behavioral studies to improve designs

35. LIT OPGIS - Current Development

36. OPGIS - Future Development

37. System Use Time Space Client-server interaction “event”
User’s home location
or home zip code
Client-server
interaction “event”
Server location UW
Time
Space
System Use
System log: Client-server interaction “events” captured during decision making
occur in time and space

38. Entire Timeline:
245 registered users
120,396 client-server “events”
One Day:
81 users
7,272 “events”
October 18 – October 23, 2007
System Evaluation
Spatio-temporal Timeline: Three Counties around Seattle, WA, October 11 – November 25, 2007
What it suggests: Evolving structure of an analytic-deliberative network
constructed from client-server interaction “events”

39. Percent of Quota Subjects Still Actively Participating
Sub-Step 1b and 1c
30 minutes
October 15, 2007
October 22, 2007
October 25, 2007
November 1, 2007
November 7, 2007
November 13, 2007
Percent of Quota Subjects Still Actively Participating
Sub-Step 3c and 4a
15 minutes
Sub-Step 5a
Average Time Quota Subjects Spent Online
What it suggests: Participant activity contained peaks and valleys of intensity

40. the Participatory Design Loop among the Three Domains
Roles for Tightening
the Participatory Design Loop
among the Three Domains
Artifact
Abstraction Level
Developer
Role
User
Analyst
Use Case Narrative X
Class Diagram
Activity Model
Architecture Diagram
Mock-up
Prototype
Event Log
X = Produced by X = Consumed by

41. Design Loop Deliverables
Tightening the GeoWeb design loop improves outcomes for:
Participatory GeoWeb technology design
Effectiveness of complex problem solving
Participatory workflow patterns of knowledge production

42. Research Focus PMM on GeoWeb
PMM - linking system development, use and evaluation
…on the
GeoWeb - coupling of SDI, OPGIS, and VGI
…enables many research directions, but two in particular…
Spatio-temporal modeling for GeoDesign
Scaling participation

43. 1) Spatio-temporal Modeling for GeoDesign
How can we better couple SDI, OPGIS, and VGI services to enable geodesign of green infrastructure improvements for stormwater runoff management and monitoring of water quality in the Puget Sound region?

44. 2) Scaling participation
How can coupling services help us understand convergence of SDI, OPGIS, and VGI to scale participation?
Scaling involves:
a) down-up : scaling up moves the research toward topics about regional places
b) in-out : scaling out moves the research toward very large numbers of people participating
c) low-high : scaling high moves the research toward nuanced analyses and rich deliberative processes

45. 4. Conclusions
Cyberinfrastructure-enabled GeoWeb provides an opportunity to connect with others with similar interests more than ever before
Need systematic and robust, but at the same time comprehensive and flexible cyber-enabled frameworks, for participatory systems design
Synergistic activity among SDI, OPGIS, and VGI developments can help formulate consortium GIS for regional governance
Add a fourth realm, i.e., high-performance computing, perspective to characterize PMM for CyberGIS on the GeoWeb

46. Research Directions
Synthesize comparative architectures that lead to improved designs of GeoWeb solutions; computer-enabled case study synthesis
Tighten the design (feedback) loop characterized using metrics for development, use and evaluation
Focus on support for participatory geospatial thinking, learning and decision making using cyber-enabled tools characterized in terms of those metrics.
Adding a fourth realm focusing on high performance computing will expand this activity to CyberGIS

47. Comments / Questions? Acknowledgements
Much of this presentation was prepared while on sabbatical at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand (Spring 2011) on a William Evans Fellowship together with Dr. G. Brent Hall and Dr. Piotr Jankowski, San Diego State University. Thanks to both of them for interesting discussions.
LIT research supported by National Science Foundation Grant No. EIA , funded through the Information Technology Research Program, and managed in the Digital Government Program.
VCC Research funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Program Office, Sectoral Applications Research Program #NA07OAR
PIM Research funded by the National Science Foundation Grant No. BCS , Geography and Spatial Sciences Program
CyberGIS Research funded by the National Science Foundation Grant No. OCI Office of Cyberinfrastructure, Software Institutes, Cross-Directorate Active Programs, Geography and Spatial Sciences, and Method, Measure & Statistics Programs.
Researchers alone are responsible for any and all of the errors.