Abstract
Exploring the potential of VGI for community development and disaster response is the focus of this chapter. It examined the impact of VGI on community growth, including active participation, inclusivity, and trust-building. The use of the latest web technologies and the incorporation of spatial and temporal information are highlighted. The chapter also explored the relationship between community development, citizen diplomacy, and disaster response. The chapter concluded with a framework based on social capital theory that emphasizes social networks, norms and values, trust, collective action, and bridging and bonding. Future research directions include investigating VGI's effectiveness, exploring the role of technology, and understanding the interconnectedness of disaster response, community development, and citizen diplomacy.
TopTheoretical Background
This section presents a detailed description of key concepts: volunteered Geographic information, citizen diplomacy, community engagement, disaster response, and social capital theory to provide a comprehensive comprehension of the research topic.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Citizen Diplomacy: It refers to the role of citizens in promoting mutual understanding, cooperation, and collaboration between various communities and countries.
Spatial Information: It is information about a specific geographic area.
Crowdsourcing: It is the process of soliciting input from a sizable group of individuals, generally via online platforms, to resolve issues, acquire data, or finish projects.
Social Capital Theory: It refers to social interactions, networks, and norms within a community or society and their impact on social cohesion, group action, and individual well-being.
Transparency: It is making information and procedures easily available, intelligible, and transparent to foster accountability and confidence.
Inclusivity: The quality of being inclusive, which ensures the participation and representation of diverse people and cultures.
Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI): It relates to geographic data that people have freely provided, frequently via Web 2.0 technologies and platforms. VGI contains information like GPS coordinates, pictures, and written descriptions.
Resilience: The capacity to tolerate, adapt to, and recover from challenging circumstances or events, frequently with an emphasis on systemic or communal resilience.