Geographic information systems (GIS) have evolved from being desktop focused software to become internet oriented and offered as web services. Today many people actively engage GIS through web services delivered over the internet. These activities are continuing to expand and will undoubtedly offer the widest variety of spatial information services well into the future, providing a wide variety of GIS functionality.
OpenStreetMap is a global mapping project that is built through the contributions, efforts and experiences of individuals in communities. Frustrated with a myriad of legal complications for using traditional maps, the OpenStreetMap community consists of individual and group efforts that contribute vectors for streets and places, resulting in cartographic products that anyone can use and build upon. This book describes how that process is achieved - from using GPS to collecting data to use in geographic information systems (GIS) and much more...
There is an important book from Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams that is a follow-on to their groundbreaking work Wikinomics. This latest release takes on the application of crowdsourcing and the ‘hive mind’ to rethink our staid institutions for more immediate and measured outcomes that address the global problems of today.