Exodus 2.0: crowdsourcing geographical and social trails of mass migration

Troy Curry (), Arie Croitoru (), Andrew Crooks () and Anthony Stefanidis ()
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Troy Curry: George Mason University
Arie Croitoru: George Mason University
Andrew Crooks: George Mason University
Anthony Stefanidis: George Mason University

Journal of Geographical Systems, 2019, vol. 21, issue 1, No 8, 187 pages

Abstract: Abstract The exodus of displaced populations is a recurring historical phenomenon, and the ongoing Syrian humanitarian crisis is its latest incarnation. During such mass migration events, information is an essential commodity. Of particular importance is geographical (e.g., pathways and refugee camps) and social (e.g., refugee activities and networking) information. Traditionally, such information had been produced and disseminated by authorities, but a new paradigm is emerging: Web 2.0 and mobile computing technologies enable the involved stakeholder communities to produce, access, and consume migration-related information. The purpose of this article is to put forward a new typology for understanding the factors around migration and to examine the potential of crowd-generated data—especially open data and volunteered geographic information—to study such events. Using the recent wave of migration to Europe from the Middle East and northern Africa as a case study, we examine how migration-related information can be dynamically mined and analyzed to study the migrants’ pathways from their home countries to their destination sites, as well as the conditions and activities that evolve during the migration process. These new data sources can provide a deeper and more fine-grained understanding of the migration process, often in real-time, and often through the eyes of the communities affected by it. Nevertheless, this also raises significant methodological and technical challenges for their future use associated with potential biases, data quality issues, and data processing.

Keywords: Refugees; Forced migration; Humanitarian crisis; Volunteered geographic information; Crowdsourcing; Social media; GIS; Web 2.0 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C80 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1007/s10109-018-0278-1

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