Michael Goodchild

Michael Goodchild is a British-American geographer who coined the term "volunteered geographic information" (VGI) in 2007. He spent much of his career at UC Santa Barbara, where he helped establish the Center for Spatial Studies. His work laid the foundation for modern geographic information science (GIScience).

He served as a professor of geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) until his retirement in 2012. Before joining UCSB, he spent nearly two decades at the University of Western Ontario. He also directed the Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science.

Volunteered geographic information, a concept popularized by Michael Goodchild, refers to the collection of spatial data by the general public rather than official agencies. This includes user-generated mapping data on platforms like OpenStreetMap. Goodchild highlighted how this approach shifts the traditional role of authoritative mapping agencies.

Yes, he received the Prix Vautin Lud from the French Academy of Sciences in 2001 and the Lauréat Prix International de Géographie from the International Geographical Union. He is also a member of both the US National Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society of Canada. These honors reflect his foundational contributions to GIScience.