Participatory GIS PGIS

1
Participatory GIS (PGIS)

• Theorizing community as a perspective of
  participatory GIS,through readings of Elwood
  and Craig, et al.
• matthew w. wilson

2
Overview

• What is PGIS?
• How is PGIS an alternative to GIS?
• What are some challenges of collaborative
  research and of PGIS?
• What are the implications for critical GIS, based
  on readings of Craig, et al. (2002) and Elwood
  (2002)?
• Examples of collaborative projects, for S2,
  Homewaters Project, and PGIST

3
What is PGIS?

• Participatory Geographic Information Systems
• Or is it PGIScience?
• Using technology to study or studying the
  technology in use?
• Public Participation GIS (PPGIS)
• From planning, mid-1990s
• Improving access for NGOs and individuals
• PPGIS, PGIS, CGIS, weGIS

4
How is it any different from GIS?

• Its fuzzy.
• Its about process.
• Its about local knowledge.
• Its generated bottom-up or top-down.
• It incorporates quant/qual data.
• Its about empowerment.
• Or is it?
• Its fuzzy-er.

5
A way to study PPGIS
theory
EAST2, participation, socio-technical,
power/knowledge
socio-behavioral, critical reading
societal implications,new technologies
method
substance
6
Challenges for participation

• Four Cs create complexity
• Communication
• Cooperation
• Coordination
• Collaboration
• Collab. research vs. collab. decision making
• Roles
• Writing/developing/authoring
• Content management the Google-factor

7
Challenges for weGIS

• A need to structure/systematize participation
• Participation in PPGIS literature often
  uncritically accepts a liberal notion of a level
  playing field
• Participation often assumes power is checked
  at the door
• A need to better understand the theoretical
  assumptions of PPGIS

8
Questions to ask

• What are the limitations for systematizing
  participation?
• How are the notions of community, democracy,
  citizenship, the individual, the network, etc.
  implicated in PPGIS research?
• How are marginalization and normalization
  accounted for in PPGIS research?
• What sort of theoretical framework would best
  represent participation in PPGIS?

9
Craig, et al. (2002)

• Community defined p. 5
• Citizen participation ladder p. 6
• Anti-democratic nature of GIS? p. 7
• Fuzzy information p. 10
• Take participation and stir in GIS? p. 11
• PPGIS projects are political p. 12

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Elwood (2002)

• Critical GIS research p. 905
• Knowledge thats not positivist? p. 906
• Alternative cartographies p. 907
• Empowerment p. 908-911
• Capacity building p. 909

11
Examples of collaborative projects

• NICI Neighborhood Indicators for Community
  Identity, a project with Sustainable Seattle
• NSCC Trail Siting North Seattle Community
  College Trail Siting, a Homewaters Project
• PGIST Participatory GIS for Transportation

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Bibliography

• Brinberg and McGrath. 1985.
• Craig, Harris, Weiner. 1999.
• Craig, Harris, Weiner. 2002.
• Elwood. 2002.
• Nyerges. 2004.
• Obermeyer. 1998.