Participatory use of GIS From Pebbles to Keyboards

Participatory use of GIS From Pebbles to Keyboards Jeroen Verplanke INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR GEO-INFORMATION SCIENCE AND EARTH OBSERVATION

Redrawing = Re-discussing

Aerial photos leave less room for disagreement

Image mapping in Zambia

1990 2002

Maps and mapmaking Educate Inform and misinform Raise awareness Make political propaganda Source: G. Rambaldi, 2005

The power of maps “Maps communicate information immediately and convey a sense of authority” (Alcorn, 2000: 11) “By ignoring indigenous names, and barely alluding to the presence of local settlements, maps produced by European explorers in effect declared the land to be empty and available” (Poole, 1998). Source: G. Rambaldi, 2005

Towards 2 -way communication Spatial data, previously controlled by government institutions increasingly available to and mastered by civil society; SIT integrated into community-centred initiatives through e. g. PGIS, P-GIS, PPGIS, Ci. GIS, Mi. GIS, counter mapping, etc. Source: G. Rambaldi, 2005

From pebbles to keyboards … Participatory approaches § Solid terrain models (P 3 DM) § 2 D scale maps § Sketch maps § Ephemeral maps Source: G. Rambaldi, 2005

From pebbles to keyboards … Participatory approaches § P-RS § Orto-photomapping § Tablet computers § GPS Source: G. Rambaldi, 2005

Visual language Building blocks symbols (points, lines, polygons and volumes) variables (colour, orientation, shading value, shape, size, and texture) Scales (horizontal and vertical) interpretation keys Source: G. Rambaldi, 2005

What is what? Choosing symbols and their variables. § Visually linked to real world features § Culturally significant § Culturally acceptable § Consistently applied Source: G. Rambaldi, 2005

Questions of ownership … Who decides on what is “important”? Who selects symbol and variable to depict given feature ? If made public, who decides on what to display on the map and its legend ? Source: G. Rambaldi, 2005

… ultimately Who owns the pictorial language, its graphic vocabulary and the resulting message? Who owns the Legend? Source: G. Rambaldi, 2005