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*Please note changes in the conditions of the stipend, as it is now
exclusive of tuition fees*

Geographic information created by amateur citizens, referred to as
*volunteered geographic information* by Michael Goodchild, represents a
shift from authoritative map data towards information generated by the
general public through collaboration.   The increasing emergence of such
data has been brought about by the advent of Web 2.0 technologies, and
mirrors other information sharing activities such as Wikipedia and
Flickr.  Such activity has also contributed towards the *emergence of
citizen science* where the general public not only collect scientific
data (such as noise or pollution information) but also participate in
its processing and interpretation, benefiting as a group from the
resulting output.  Much of this information is geographic in nature and
can be communicated to the participants  through maps and geographic
visualisations.

The *PhD forms part of, and will be contextualised by, the European
Union FP7 project everyAware* see http://wp.me/p7DNf-6E.  This project
will integrate digital technologies and theoretical analytical
techniques to collect both physical measurements and subjective opinions
about environmental conditions -- such as pollution measurements for
cyclists alongside their impressions of the environment - using
crowd-sourcing techniques on mobile devices (such as Android devices or
iPhone).  The data, collected through four case study sites in the UK
and Europe, will be analysed and user-oriented results fed back to the
end users. *A crucial challenge for this project is the seamless
integration of participatory sensing with subjective opinions*, allowing
the investigation into the opinion dynamics mechanisms taking place in
the communities.   Within this project, Dr Haklay and Dr Ellul will lead
the team that is responsible for the building of a set of tools that
will enable citizens to integrate live, personalised environmental
information in their behavioural choices and orientations. The research
will investigate, both theoretically and empirically, the drivers of
shifts in public opinion, with subsequent changes in individual
behaviour, by means of targeted environmental knowledge and information
dissemination.

More specifically, *the PhD will examine two aspects of citizen science*
-- firstly, whether factors such as human-computer software interface
design, interaction processes, access to maps of the resulting
scientific data and associated qualitative information can be used to
recruit people to citizen science projects. Secondly, can these concepts
be used to retain participants and encourage additional, more regular,
ongoing and repeated contributions to such activities.

Given the technical nature of the project, we expect that the candidate
will have a strong background in programming, preferably including
experience of application development for mobile devices such as Android
or iPhone.   The candidate should also hold an MSc. in Computer Science,
Geographical Information Systems or other related disciplines.  An
interest in interaction and usability, in particular looking at the
perspective of non-expert users, would be an asset.    This position is
open to all European Union Citizens.  The stipend will be £16,500 (tax
free) in addition to tuition fees. Some travel may be required to
everyAware Case Study locations in the UK and Europe.

The student will be supervised by Dr Muki Haklay and Dr Claire Ellul

To apply:
Please send a CV and a personal statement explaining your interest in
HCI and usability, why you are interested in the project and how you
would approach the development of a mobile application for everyAware,
with examples of previous software development to:
Dr Muki Haklay, [log in to unmask]
Application Closing Date: 28th January 2011
Interviews will be held on: 7th February 2011

-- 

Dr. Muki Haklay: Senior Lecturer in GIS
Department of Civil, Environmental & Geomatic Engineering
University College London (UCL)
Gower St. London WC1E 6BT
T: +44 20 7679 2745
E: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
W: http://www.ge.ucl.ac.uk/~mhaklay/ <http://www.ge.ucl.ac.uk/%7Emhaklay/>
Towards Successful Suburban Town Centres - www.sstc.ucl.ac.uk
<http://www.sstc.ucl.ac.uk/>
Bridging the Gaps - www.ucl.ac.uk/btg <http://www.ucl.ac.uk/btg/>
Mapping for Change - www.mappingforchange.org.uk
<http://www.mappingforchange.org.uk>
Po ve Sham blog - povesham.wordpress.com <http://povesham.wordpress.com>










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