Quality of Geo-information

Ease of use of many geo-data collection devices is high and anyone who can handle a mobile phone can push the right buttons on a mobile GIS device within a few hours of training. This is a consequence of the shift from labour-intensive analogue methods to digital geo-data collection and processing technology. After being collected much geo-information can today be processed in a cheap way by virtually anybody who buys a computer and a GIS package and who is sufficiently skilled to read manuals. However, the processing steps can not be performed blindly. The collection and processing of geo-information involves a chain of activities and not only the data collection itself or information extraction is central but also quality assurance. Measuring and information extraction can be done by anybody, but to arrange the measuring and the processing of the data in such procedures that errors and inaccuracies are avoided with the minimum effort in terms of labour, time and money is a key activity.