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An Integrated WebGIS Framework for Volunteered Geographic Information and Social Media in Soil and Water Conservation

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Abstract

Volunteered geographic information and social networking in a WebGIS has the potential to increase public participation in soil and water conservation, promote environmental awareness and change, and provide timely data that may be otherwise unavailable to policymakers in soil and water conservation management. The objectives of this study were: (1) to develop a framework for combining current technologies, computing advances, data sources, and social media; and (2) develop and test an online web mapping interface. The mapping interface integrates Microsoft Silverlight, Bing Maps, ArcGIS Server, Google Picasa Web Albums Data API, RSS, Google Analytics, and Facebook to create a rich user experience. The website allows the public to upload photos and attributes of their own subdivisions or sites they have identified and explore other submissions. The website was made available to the public in early February 2011 at http://www.AbandonedDevelopments.com and evaluated for its potential long-term success in a pilot study.

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Abbreviations

API:

Application programming interface

BMP:

Best management practice

ESRI:

Environmental systems research institute

GIS:

Geographic information system

GPS:

Global positioning system

HTML:

Hypertext markup language

IIS:

Internet information services

RSS:

Really simple syndication

VGI:

Volunteered geographic information

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Acknowledgments

Authors wish to thank and acknowledge the Greenville, Pickens, and Spartanburg county GIS departments for providing aerial photos and GIS data. Financial support for this project was provided by South Carolina Water Resources Center and the Clemson University Public Service and Agriculture Next Generation Graduate Fellowship (PSA-NGGF). Technical Contribution no. 5902 of the Clemson University Experiment Station.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Clemson University, 261 Lehotsky Hall, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Joshua D. Werts, Elena A. Mikhailova & Christopher J. Post

  2. Department of Mathematical Sciences, Clemson University, 234 Barre Hall, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Julia L. Sharp

Authors
  1. Joshua D. Werts
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  2. Elena A. Mikhailova
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  3. Christopher J. Post
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  4. Julia L. Sharp
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elena A. Mikhailova.

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Werts, J.D., Mikhailova, E.A., Post, C.J. et al. An Integrated WebGIS Framework for Volunteered Geographic Information and Social Media in Soil and Water Conservation. Environmental Management 49, 816–832 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9818-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9818-5

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