The one and many maps: Participatory and temporal diversities in OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap is an open and collaborative project with thousands of people contributing GPS traces and other data into the making of a global map of places and networks. It is open in the sense that everyone can contribute to the project, and results from the project are free for everyone to reuse. This is contrary to traditional cartography where often a central authority controls the making of the map and its release. Is OpenStreetMap more democratic, and in what sense? Is OpenStreetMap more relevant to the mass, and how can we judge? We define and use several metrics to measure temporal properties of defined areas in OpenStreetMap, and to sample modes of participation in these areas. These metrics are used to graph the datasets representing the current OpenStreetMap so as to reveal unevenness in user participation and data temporality. We use the dataset about Taiwan as a test case to observe participatory and temporal diversities among different areas of Taiwan in OpenStreetMap.