The role of mobile volunteered geographic information in urban management

Incredibly rapid growth of cities presents a formidable challenge for urban managers, including how to monitor growth and change across the city and to forecast areas of risk. The Core part of these issues is to collect appropriate, up-to-date and city wide information timely. Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) is a human side of the sensor revolution. Citizens can act as efficient local “microGI” generators with the mobile data contribution tools. This author emphasizes the role of VGI in urban management as information provider. The proper data contribution mechanism can enhance the data accuracy and motivate people's enthusiasm. Here, the authors proposed a model, using mobile phones as the platforms to develop personalized and universalized applications with the technologies of mobile cloud computing and context aware computing. Follow this incentive mechanism, citizens' participation in city management will be more easily and voluntarily.