EU COST action TD 1202 Mapping and the citizen sensor

Accurate and timely maps are a fundamental resource but their production in a changing world is a major scientific and practical grand challenge. Remote sensing provides images for mapping at unparalleled rates but the ground reference data needed in map production and evaluation are difficult to acquire. The rise of citizen sensors (e.g. volunteers contributing information from remote devices) provides immense potential to radically change mapping. The quality of citizen sensor data, however, is highly variable and activity is uncoordinated. A major internationally recognised mapping challenge is how to deal with the vast amounts of image data and large bank of uncoordinated citizen sensors in a way to allow accurate mapping. This Action will evaluate the utility of citizen sensors in mapping, debate means to encourage standardisation, coordination of activity and identify how mapping can proceed with imperfect data. It will produce protocols for the collection and use of volunteered data, encouraging good practices while not constraining volunteers. The work is highly inter-disciplinary, at the interface of ISCH, ICT, TUD, ESSEM, FA and FPS domains, and benefits from expertise distributed across Europe. The Action provides a means to foster advances mainly via networking of typically disparate groups for broad benefit