Participatory mapping is a process in which local residents, community members, or other stakeholders actively contribute their spatial knowledge, experiences, and perspectives to the creation, interpretation, or use of maps [1][2]. It encompasses a range of approaches, including sketch mapping, mental mapping, community mapping, participatory geographic information systems (PGIS), and public participation GIS (PPGIS), which differ in their tools, methods, and levels of technological involvement [1][2]. Participants may identify places, boundaries, resources, land uses, hazards, culturally significant sites, or valued landscape features, using paper maps, aerial imagery, digital platforms, or geospatial technologies [1][3][4]. The resulting information can support community planning, natural resource management, environmental assessment, and spatial decision-making by incorporating local knowledge that may be absent from conventional geographic datasets [2][3][5]. Participatory mapping also aims to make mapping processes more inclusive and to strengthen the involvement of communities in decisions affecting their places and resources [2][5].
- mapping
- community mapping
- local knowledge
- participatory GIS
- public participation GIS
- spatial data collection
- community engagement
- participatory planning
Geographic Information Systems Studies • Geography, Planning and Development • Social Sciences • Social Sciences
References
- Timna Denwood; Jonathan J. Huck; Sarah Lindley; Participatory Mapping: A Systematic Review and Open Science Framework for Future Research. Ann. Am. Assoc. Geogr. 2022, 112, 2324-2343, 10.1080/24694452.2022.2065964.
- Renee Sieber; Public Participation Geographic Information Systems: A Literature Review and Framework. Ann. Am. Assoc. Geogr. 2006, 96, 491-507, 10.1111/j.1467-8306.2006.00702.x.
- Greg Brown; Marketta Kyttä; Key issues and research priorities for public participation GIS (PPGIS): A synthesis based on empirical research. Appl. Geogr. 2014, 46, 122-136, 10.1016/j.apgeog.2013.11.004.
- Nora Fagerholm; Christopher M. Raymond; Anton Stahl Olafsson; Gregory Brown; Tiina Rinne; Kamyar Hasanzadeh; Anna Broberg; Marketta Kyttä; A methodological framework for analysis of participatory mapping data in research, planning, and management. Int. J. Geogr. Inf. Sci. 2021, 35, 1848-1875, 10.1080/13658816.2020.1869747.
- Michael K McCall; Seeking good governance in participatory-GIS: a review of processes and governance dimensions in applying GIS to participatory spatial planning. Habitat Int. 2003, 27, 549-573, 10.1016/s0197-3975(03)00005-5.