A Quantitative Approach to Identifying Emergent Editor Roles in Open Street Map

The objective of this study was to investigate and classify the roles, or distinct contribution styles, adopted by participants within the OpenStreetMap (OSM) community. Using a quantitative analysis of mapping behaviors, we devised a methodology to identify distinct features associated with specific roles. We used an unsupervised clustering approach and unveiled eight discernible roles, or types of mapper in OSM. Each role displays specific patterns of mapping behaviors related to their habits and preferences for adding or editing map objects over time. We validated our roles, in part, using known affiliations with humanitarian and corporate organizations. Using these roles, we examine community composition and contributor retention over time. Our contributions include applying existing methods on the analysis of contributor behavior in online platforms to OSM, the identification of eight roles that can guide future research and design within OSM, and further understanding into the overall trajectory of the world’s largest geospatial peer production community.