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‘How green is my valley?’ Desktop geographic information systems as a community‐based participatory mapping tool
Author(s) -
Wood Justin
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
area
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.958
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1475-4762
pISSN - 0004-0894
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-4762.2005.00618.x
Subject(s) - participatory gis , thematic map , geographic information system , public participation gis , citizen journalism , raster graphics , geovisualization , gis and public health , geography , volunteered geographic information , neighbourhood (mathematics) , world wide web , data science , computer science , cartography , visualization , data mining , information visualization , mathematical analysis , mathematics , artificial intelligence
Communities can be encouraged to participate in countryside conservation through mapping, expressing what they feel to be important or distinct locally. Established UK community ‘parish map’ projects focus on artwork. ‘Public participation geographic information systems’ potentially offer an alternative community mapping approach. Research sought to compare artwork and GIS mapping and their ease of use. Raster maps, digitizing of features and data table creation encouraged community groups to undertake thematic mapping themselves. Seamless maps removed perceived neighbourhood boundaries. Linking attribute data to maps offers an interactive approach to projects, including internet mapping. Findings indicated that hands‐on use of GIS, with support, could benefit and empower community groups when responding to local geographic issues.