Document Type : Original Article

Author

• Mehrdad Jeihouni

Department of Remote sensing and GIS, University of Tabriz

Abstract

The aim of this review is to provide a structured analysis of the applications of Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) in the field of urban management and municipal performance. By reviewing existing studies, this study attempts to clarify the potential, challenges, and future prospects of using VGI in this field and to provide directions for future research and effective policy making. To provide context, first, the theoretical foundations and key concepts and terminology related to the subject are reviewed to achieve a proper understanding of this field. Then, the applications of VGI in urban management and municipalities at different levels are examined.Finally, the challenges and limitations of VGI in urban management are examined. In general, VGI applications are expanding from the areas of transportation and crisis management to urban services and environmental safety. These data are not only a complement to official and institutional data, but in many cases they have been able to fill the information gaps in traditional urban management systems and increase the efficiency of urban decision-making. These examples are only part of the wide range of successful VGI projects that have been developed in response to the information needs of cities and show that VGI is not only an information tool, but also a platform for strengthening participatory governance, making urban management processes more transparent, and improving government-citizen communication. VGI can be seen not only as an alternative source of information, but also as the starting point for a new paradigm of urban governance and active citizenship.

Keywords

• Volunteered Geographic Information
• Crowdsourcing
• Urban governance
• Urban policymaking

Main Subjects

• Remote sensing and Gis