Crowdsourcing geographic information with a gamification approach

Crowdsourcing geographic information has been a massive phenomenon that look place over the last two decades and that changed dramatically the diffusion of geographic data in society. The availability and readiness of geographic information is paramount in practically all software systems and services and this is strongly determined by the drive of people putting energy in data collection and improvement. Understanding the motivations of people to participate in this process is fundamental to leverage the design of new systems able to increase satisfaction and productivity. The introduction of game mechanisms in geographic crowdsourcing is the theme that we face in this research. The so-called gamification of applications has been widely used as a stimulant for involving people in serious activities that are hidden behind the gaming facade. Cooperation and competition are key factors that are promoted through the game. We synthesize a conceptual model that collects the main gaming techniques tailored for geographic data and that is the basis for the development of a gamification library. As a proof of concept, we deploy an Android app for geometric data collection inside buildings and test it in a university setting.