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Public Participatory GIS
Author(s) -
Mukherjee Falguni
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
geography compass
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.587
H-Index - 65
ISSN - 1749-8198
DOI - 10.1111/gec3.12223
Subject(s) - public participation gis , participatory gis , geographic information system , citizen journalism , public participation , environmental planning , work (physics) , volunteered geographic information , sustainability , geography , environmental resource management , gis and public health , political science , computer science , public relations , cartography , world wide web , ecology , engineering , biology , mechanical engineering , environmental science
Public Participatory GIS (PPGIS) is a very broad field, and because of the direct outgrowth addressing questions raised regarding inequitable access to GIS and its societal impacts, PPGIS has become an exhaustive research area. Over the past two decades, several PPGIS initiatives have taken place in the western and non‐western world. Several avenues have opened up, but nonetheless, questions regarding the effectiveness of such initiatives remain to be answered. Current research addressing the societal and political impacts of GIS have witnessed novel use of the technology and specialized spatial data provision such as volunteered geographic information, neogeography, geoweb, and map 2.0 (Goodchild, [Goodchild, M., 2007]; Elwood [Elwood, S., 2010]; Sui [Sui, D., 2008]) and have received increased attention from GIS scholars (Goodchild [Goodchild, M., 2007]; Elwood [Elwood, S., 2009]; Sui [Sui, D., 2008]). A common thread tying such specialized use of technology is the participation by citizens with little or no GIS training, a long standing objective of the PPGIS area of inquiry. So, as we move into an era that is gravitating rapidly toward more specialized use of technology built on a similar foundation, it seems timely to reflect on the effectiveness and sustainability of PPGIS initiatives. This article reviews the history of PPGIS, its genesis, and some of the critical work within the PPGIS research arena. Finally, the paper reflects on where PPGIS stands today.