Civil Society Mobilising Geospatial Data to Demonstrate Environmental Incompliance

User-generated geospatial data have opened up new opportunities for a wide range of applications. In particular, civic monitoring initiatives based on volunteered geographic information (VGI) have allowed ordinary people to mobilise Earth Observation technologies for environmental monitoring to detect non-compliance with environmental laws and regulations. Through review of illustrative cases, this article will show how such data have played a key role in triggering investigations by public prosecutors and are grounding claims in front of the judiciary by affected citizens. The article will also discuss cases where civil society used geospatial data to demonstrate non-compliance with environmental rules, ban extractive operations and demand reparation for environmental damage.