Volunteered geographic information (VGI) is geographic information collected by way of crowdsourcing. However, the distinction between VGI as an information product and the processes that create VGI is blurred. Clearly, the environment that influences the creation of VGI is different than the information product itself, yet most literature treats them as one and the same. Thus, this research is motivated by the need to formalize and standardize the systems that support the creation of VGI. To this end, we propose a conceptual framework for VGI systems, the main components of which-project, participants, and technical infrastructure-form an environment conducive to the creation of VGI. Drawing on examples from OpenStreetMap, Ushahidi, and RinkWatch, we illustrate the pragmatic relevance of these components. Applying a system perspective to VGI allows us to better understand the components and functionality needed to effectively create VGI.

We introduce key concepts that have guided the diverse case studies of this special issue on smart cities. Calling into question Global North conceptions of the smart city, nine different articles analyse smart city projects around the world, with particular attention paid to the need to provincialise our understanding of these projects as well as to consider their relationship to worlding strategies. These case studies demonstrate the diversity of what smart cities can be and the need to consider, through comparative analysis, the broader power geometries in which they are imbedded.

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Universal access to primary healthcare facilities is a driving goal of healthcare organizations. Despite Canada’s universal access to primary healthcare status, spatial accessibility to healthcare facilities is still an issue of concern due to the non-uniform distribution of primary healthcare facilities and population over space—leading to spatial inequity in the healthcare sector. Spatial inequity is further magnified when health-related accessibility studies are analyzed on the assumption of universal car access. To overcome car-centric studies of healthcare access, this study compares different travel modes—driving, public transit, and walking—to simulate the multi-modal access to primary healthcare services in the City of Calgary, Canada. Improving on floating catchment area methods, spatial accessibility was calculated based on the Spatial Access Ratio method, which takes into consideration the provider-to-population status of the region. The analysis revealed that, in the City of Calgary, spatial accessibility to the primary healthcare services is the highest for the people with an access to a car, and is significantly lower with multimodal (bus transit and train) means despite being a large urban centre. The social inequity issue raised from this analysis can be resolved by improving the city’s pedestrian infrastructure, public transportation, and construction of new clinics in regions of low accessibility.

Local knowledge has been underrepresented in food-related policies and planning. The goal of this research was to engage members of a local food community and generate volunteered geographic information (VGI) on community food assets. During active data collection, over 200 food assets were reported. This paper details the systematic approach used to create VGI, which emphasizes the socio-cultural context surrounding the mapping technology. The project began with an identified need to connect to and learn from the local food community. The participants were drawn from active food system stakeholders, and a Geoweb infrastructure was selected based on publicly available crowdsourcing tools. The resulting VGI is presented according to system functions: input (Web traffic, contributors, input types), management (contribution vetting, privacy), analysis (typology of input), and presentation (sharing the submitted data). Despite limitations, this study revealed a hyper-local and community-driven perspective on food assets, opened access to government and private data, and increased the transparency and accessibility of information on the regional food system. This research also revealed that there is a growing need for intermediaries who can bridge the gap between experts in the subject matter and experts in digitally enabled participation, and a need for non-government open data repositories.