Sharing Semantic Territorial Interpretation

Abstract

This chapter explores the theme of collaborative construction of territorial knowledge through the use of ICTs, proposing a new approach to spatial representation based on semantic ontologies. The theoretical perspective is applied in a recent experimentation conducted in collaboration between the Politecnico di Torino and the Università degli Studi di Torino, called OnToMap – Community Maps 3.0. The chapter is divided into two parts. The first part aims to define the theoretical framework of collaborative mapping practices and VGI, social semantic mapping, GIScience, and Web 3.0 applications, specifying which approach to participation is assumed as conceptual background. The second part focuses on the web-based application OnToMap, which relies on a territorial ontology for encourage construction of collective and shared knowledge of places. The chapter ends with a reflection on semantic and cartographic representation of urban space and its potential in terms of citizen empowerment.