Capturing Volunteered Historical Information: Lessons from Development of a Local Government Crowdsourcing Tool

Government agencies are adopting a variety of web-based strategies to improve information systems, increase civic engagement, and enhance decision-making capabilities and planning processes. Within the U.S., a university research team designed a municipal web tool called the Austin Historical Survey Wiki to fill a pragmatic need for information about historic resources to be used for long range planning and development review purposes. The authors situate this web experiment in relation to an array of models for government interaction with citizens via data collection efforts and the application of GIS and web-based technologies. This experiment offers local government agencies and practitioners a replicable model for tracking official data and citizen contributions to a GIS. In addition, this research offers insights into potential barriers to and requirements for collaboration between government agencies and citizens online.

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