Getting in Touch with Volunteered Geographic Information Use a JavaScript API live sample to build a Web editing application By Bronwyn Agrios and Keith Mann, Esri Esri’s Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill map demonstrates volunteered geographic information (VGI) in action. VGI is a term applied to geographic information that has been voluntarily gathered and entered by individuals. This site focuses on the massive oil spill that began on April 20, 2010, as the result of an explosion and fire on board a semisubmersible drilling rig. VGI Web sites facilitate the creation, assembly, and dissemination of user-generated content. On the basemaps provided, users can define their own content based on firsthand knowledge of local geography. The Oil Spill map application is powered by ArcGIS Server 10 beta hosted in the Amazon Web Service infrastructure. It incorporates VGI-supplied information such as links to online photos, Web sites, GeoRSS feeds, tweets, and YouTube videos that are combined with authoritative basemap data that includes streetmap coverage, satellite imagery, topographic maps, navigational charts, and data on environmentally sensitive sites. Visitors can place new information on the map by choosing a feature icon, clicking on the map, and linking to the content to be added. Learn more by visiting the site at http://www.esri. com/services/disaster-response/gulf-oil-spill-2010/index.html. Esri’s Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill map demonstrates VGI in action. 50 ArcUser Summer 2010 www.esri.com