GEOwiki: User Classes and Data Moderation

User Classes

At this stage of development of GEOwiki we have established five classes of users:

• Administrators: They have overall authority and responsibility for protecting the integrity of the data and the site
• Moderators: These are subject matter experts with formal training as moderators
• Editors: This are subject matter experts
• Contributors: Regular users and contributors
• Users: Mostly users of data provided in GEOwiki and occasional contributors

The editors and moderators are a voluntary group

Process of data moderation

The current process of moderation is as follows:

• The data displayed at any given time is the last moderated version.
• Displaying the last moderated version rather than the last edited version has been implemented to protect the integrity and quality of the data at all times.
• Any registered user can submit or edit data.
• The edited data are stored under "History of Changes" and can be viewed from there.
• Editors will review the submitted corrections and additions and create a consolidated new version. They will then submit this consolidated version just like any other user.
• Moderators review and edit the version provided by the editors. Based on input from the editors they create the next moderated version.

Your Input

We welcome your suggestions on how to further streamline this process and automate it.