Michael F. Goodchild
_{University of California, Santa Barbara}

Abstract. Research on spatial accuracy assessment occurs within a broader context that provides its motivation. That broader context is dynamic, and has been changing at an accelerating rate. The concept of the Geospatial Web imagines a world of distributed, interoperable, georeferenced information in which it is possible to know where everything of importance is located in real time. It assumes an ability to conflate that is far beyond today’s capabilities. Web 2.0 describes a substantial involvement of the user in creating the content of the Web, and has particular relevance to geospatial information. Metadata 2.0 shifts the onus for metadata production to the user, and addresses some of the growing issues surrounding existing standards. There is a growing need to address the accuracy assessment of the vast quantities of geospatial data being contributed by individual Web users.

Keywords: Geospatial Web, user-generated content, volunteered geographic information, Web 2.0,
metadata

In: Wan, Y. et al. (eds) Proceeding of the 8th international symposium on spatial accuracy assessment in natural resources and environmental sciences, World Academic Union (Press).