Research Project
LandSense: A Citizen Observatory and Innovation Marketplace for Land Use and Land Cover Monitoring
The overall aim of the LandSense project is to build an innovative citizen observatory in the field of LandUse LandCover(LULC), which collects data both actively (through citizens) and passively (from authoritative, open access, and other citizen-based initiatives) and integrates them into an open platform that provides valuable quality-assured in-situ data for SMEs, larger businesses, government agencies, NGOs and researchers. There is currently no single marketplace that brings together the demand for such in-situ data (i.e. ground-based data collection coupled with interpretation of remotely-sensed data) for LULC monitoring, and could potentially attract a vast community of users across numerous disciplines and sectors. LandSense will also provide multiple pathways for citizen empowerment that go beyond simple data collection by providing a range of engagement tools that will allow the voices of citizens to be heard.
The taks of GIScience Heidelberg will mostly deal with realizing the following objectives
- To implement the LandSense Citizen Observatory and its services in demonstration cases such as cost reduction and data conflation in monitoring land change
- To acquire and consolidate feedback from citizens and user-groups for the demonstration cases
- To evaluate (lessons learned and guidelines) on the uptake and engagement of citizens and determine upscaling potential of the demonstration cases
- To assess the quality control/assurance methods available for the demonstration cases,
- To source and process authoritative data for each demonstration case for validation purposes including authoritative ground reference data against which citizen-contributed data can be compared
- To source and process additional, complementary crowdsourced data streams from citizens (e.g. Flickr, OpenStreetMap) using openly available data mining methods, which could benefit each demonstration case
- To adapt and advance the COBWEB quality assurance service and quality workflows to fit the requirements of the demonstration cases
- To apply and iteratively refine the LandSense quality control and assurance service in order to validate citizen contributed data arising from the three demonstration cases
- To establish operational workflows for integrating data contributed by citizens into authoritative systems
- To establish protocols and benchmarking standards for quality assurance of citizen-contributed data in the area of LULC monitoring
Funding
EU Horizon 2020 Citizen Observatory Call
- Project Duration 2016-2020
OSMlanduse.org Our WebService providing LULC information derived from OpenStreetMap. (global)
OSMatrix Our WebService providing quality realted Metadata maps for OpenStreetMap (Europe only)
News
Join us at Impact Day on May 15th in the foyer of the Neue Universität, organized by the Heidelberg University! The event will showcase the university’s knowledge and technology transfer, spotlighting projects across four focal areas: socially relevant, industrial, sustainable and tangible. The “Socially Relevant” island addresses pressing social issues, while the “Industrial” island highlights […]
“Geographic Information Science for a Sustainable Future” – The theme of this year’s conference held by the Association of Geographic Information Laboratories in Europe (AGILE) in Glasgow, UK, on 4-7 June 2024. Attendees of the AGILE 2024 conference will explore the crucial role of geographic information science (GIS) in the relationships between the environment, society, […]
The 2024 Fachtagung Katastrophenvorsorge (Disaster Risk Reduction Symposium) centered around the theme “On the Edge? Disaster risk reduction in uncertain times.” Held in a hybrid format on April 22 and 23 at the Tagungswerk Berlin, this conference served as a platform to address the challenges, opportunities, and current developments in disaster prevention and management amidst […]
During GeoNight 2024, HeiGIT partnered with Mannheimer Mapathons to host a mapathon together. Mapathons are events where volunteers come together to map crucial features like roads, buildings or waterways on OpenStreetMap, often in response to specific needs or crises, such as post-earthquake or post-flood scenarios. We were privileged to connect with volunteers from OSM Ghana, gaining insight into […]
Excited to announce the CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS! Are you passionate about mapping with communities? Join us at the “Mapping with communities: Contemporary approaches and challenges” workshop at AGILE 2024 conference on June 04. Share your experiences, methodologies, and digital innovations in engaging communities with geospatial data. Submit your extended abstract by May 20 to mappingwithcomm@glasgow.ac.uk.
Our next Mapathon is just around the corner, and this time, we’re joining forces with OpenStreetMap Ghana to improve coverage and to help disaster risk assessment.Join us and be a part of the GeoNight 2024 to celebrate geography together in all its forms and facets! Everyone is welcome and no previous knowledge is needed!Do bring your laptop and preferably […]
The research team of the transdisciplinary project HEAL (Heat Adaptation for Vulnerable Population Groups), focusing on providing heat adaptation measures for vulnerable groups in Heidelberg, has published a research paper titled “How to assess the needs of vulnerable population groups towards heat-sensitive routing? An evidence-based and practical approach to reducing urban heat stress”. The paper […]
The HeiGIT gGmbH (Heidelberg Institute for Geoinformation Technology) team has just released a version 2.0 of the Sketch Map Tool, a low-tech solution for participatory sketch mapping through offline data collection, digitization and georeferencing of local spatial knowledge. Thanks to continuous support from the German Red Cross and financial support by the German Federal Foreign Office, the HeiGIT tool has undergone significant enhancements. These updates introduce new features aimed […]
We’re proud to share our recent conference experience with you! Our HeiGIT Product Owners for Big Data and Smart Mobility, Benjamin Herfort and Julian Psotta, had the privilege of attending the FOSSGIS 2024 conference, where they contributed valuable insights and expertise. The results of an exciting six years of joint work and shared projects between HeiGIT and the Federal Agency for Cartography […]
OhsomeNow stats makes it possible to monitor contributions to OpenStreetMap (OSM) in real time. We developed this new dashboard as part of our long-term cooperation with the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT), an international organization dedicated to humanitarian action and community development through open mapping. This dashboard has replaced the Missing Maps Leaderboard with a comprehensive overview […]
We’re thrilled to announce the release of openrouteservice (ors) version 8.0, designated “Wilfried”, as a tribute to Prof. Dr. Wilfried Juling, whose steady support and advice fundamentally shaped the growth and success of HeiGIT since its beginning. With countless hours and dedication poured into development and innovation, we’re excited to present a rich set of […]
Project Partner
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis*; Austria
Birdlife International; UK
Sinergise; Slovenia
University of Nottingham; UK
InoSens doo; Serbia
GeoVille Information Systems GmbH; Austria
Environment Agency Austria; Austria
Institut National de l’Information Géographique et Forestière; France
European Citizen Science Association; Germany
StZ Felis; Germany
University of Heidelberg, GIScience Research Group; Germany
Wageningen University; The Netherlands
VU University Amsterdam; The Netherlands
Joint Research Centre; Italy
Secure Dimensions Germany
Friends of the Earth/Global 2000; Austria
City of Heidelberg; Germany
KriticalMass Ltd.; UK
