Redressing the Exclusiveness. Challenges which Prevent New Users from Contributing to OSM

OpenStreetMap (OSM) is known as the most successful application in the field of crowdsourced Volunteered Geographic Information. Studies show that the vast majority of OSM contributors are middle-aged, well-educated males in stable employment. Accordingly, OSM data represents the worldview of a sharply delimited social group. To overcome this, it is necessary to identify the issues which prevent new user groups from contributing to OSM. This paper elucidates the problems behind these mechanisms and identifies the challenges of new users by focusing on the example of senior citizens.