The explosion of map use in the past few decades as part of everyday activities, accelerated through the digital production and dissemination of maps and the availability of low-cost, location-aware devices, has made the job of cartographers and map display designers more challenging. Yet, how do these recent changes affect effective map design? Can we accurately predict which designs will work for a given context? We investigate the concepts of design transferability and context and their potential to help us create map design outcomes that are effective for varying map use situations. We then present a model for operationalizing map use context to support evaluating map design transferability and pose several open research questions that need to be answered to support operationalizing map use context. This is followed by a research agenda that identifies research opportunities related to key research needs that will underpin transferable map design.

The integration of user-generated content made in a collaborative environment is being increasingly considered a valuable input to reference maps, even from official map agencies such as USGS and Ordnance Survey. In Brazil, decades of lack of investment has resulted in a topographic map coverage that is both outdated and unequally distributed throughout the territory. This paper aims to analyze the spatial distribution of updates of OpenStreetMap in rural and urban areas in the country to understand the patterns of user updates and its correlation with other economic and developmental variables. This analysis will contribute to generating the knowledge needed in order to consider the use of this data as part of a reference layer of the National Spatial Database Infrastructure as well to design strategies to encourage user action in specific areas.

O Mapeamento Colaborativo é um contexto de uso dos mapas que se desenvolveu em função do surgimento da Web 2.0. O desenvolvimento das tecnologias da informação mediante o contexto da Web 2.0, possibilitou que indivíduos sem educação formal em Cartografia usassem e produzissem geoinformação. Para se compreender este novo contexto de uso dos mapas é necessário que se apresente e discuta os conceitos, características e tecnologias que orbitam a temática do mapeamento colaborativo. Nesse sentido, este artigo foi proposto com a intenção de se apresentar uma revisão conceitual sobre o atual estágio em que se encontram as discussões acadêmicas sobre a temática do mapeamento colaborativo. Com este artigo oportuniza-se reflexões que podem gerar pesquisas científicas neste campo do conhecimento. A B S T R A C TCollaborative mapping is a new map use context, developed under the Web 2.0 technological structure. Specifically, the Collaborative Mapping applications have enabled individuals without education in Cartography and GIS to use and produce geoinformation. Consequently, it is necessary to discuss the concepts, the characteristics, and the technologies surrounding this new map use context, to comprehend its dynamics and to visualize research opportunities. In this paper we have presented a conceptual review about the Collaborative Mapping subject, its emergence, characteristics, and how does it work, hoping to provide insights into the research opportunities, as well as, to give a conceptual background for the other researchers whose interest lies upon this topic.Keywords: Collaborative Mapping, VGI, Web 2.0, Review.

Worldwide water quality has declined progressively due to continuous pollution of aquatic resources by agrochemicals in particular heavy metals. Fish genotoxicity biomarkers are vital to identify and complement chemical parameters for determining environmental risk of adverse effects. Therefore, it was of interest to examine the eco-genotoxicity attributed to water pollution over different stream sections of Brazilian rivers by using Cichlasoma paranaense (Teleostei: Cichlidae), a neotropical freshwater cichlid fish, as a biological model. Chemical analysis of water and sediments collected from different Brazilian rivers sites demonstrated contamination by metals. Cichlasoma paranaense were collected at a reference location (a permanent water preservation area), maintained in the lab under standard conditions (controlled temperature, lighting, daily feeding, and constant aeration) and exposed to environmental samples of water and sediments. Subsequently, micronucleus (MN) and nuclear abnormalities (NA) frequencies were assessed in erythrocytes obtained from the caudal and gill regions. The highest concentrations of Cu were found in samples from river sites with forest fragmentation attributed to intensive agriculture practices. Similarly, exposure of fish to samples from agricultural areas induced significantly higher number of genotoxic effects. There was no marked difference between the tissues (tail and gill) regarding the observed frequencies of MN and NA. Thus C. paranaense fish served as a reliable model for detecting genotoxic effects, especially when water samples were collected near the discharge of agrochemicals. Evidence indicates that this method be considered for other global river sites which are also exposed to agrochemicals discharges containing Cu.