A Research Agenda for Participatory Mapping and PPGIS

Mapping with people

This illuminating Research Agenda opens up current debates and outlines potential developments in participatory mapping, an approach and set of practices relating to people’s spatial knowledge and dedicated to spatial and environmental justice. Leading experts analyse scientific, methodological, social-political-cultural and technical issues in participatory mapping and Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS), emphasising ethics and good practice.

Investigating key issues, contested approaches and methodologies, researchers highlight the ethical dimensions of respect, safety and authority of knowledge. Chapters assess participatory mapping and PPGIS in citizen science and in affirming identity, with specific applications ranging from mapping indigenous culture and memories, to traditional land management and inclusive urban accessibility. Critiquing both innovative developments such as soundscapes and projection models, as well as established tools such as 3D modelling, remote sensing and phone apps, chapters also address meta issues, including evaluating outcomes of mapping applications and the impacts of AI.

A Research Agenda for Participatory Mapping and PPGIS is a valuable resource for scholars and students of geography, participatory research approaches and politics and public policy. Practitioners looking to implement PPGIS will benefit from its evaluation of current debates and potential developments in the field.

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Participatory 3D Mapping (P3DM) Workshop in Guiuan, Eastern Samar, Philippines

Despite their ecological and economic importance, #BlueCarbon ecosystems such as #MangroveForests face multiple anthropogenic threats, from aquaculture expansions and pollution, to overexploitation and poorly planned restoration initiatives.

In Eastern Samar, local leaders, fisherfolk, and the youth are taking the lead, sharing the stories of their own communities through a three-day Participatory 3D Mapping (P3DM) Workshop, held February 25 to 27 in Guiuan, Eastern Samar. 

This initiative is led by the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities, in partnership with the Philippine Geographical Society of the University of the Philippines Diliman. It is organized under the Enhance Mangrove Ecosystem Restoration and Protection for Growth and Empowerment in Samar Island (EMERGE) Project, a two-year initiative to restore and conserve mangrove ecosystems in target areas in Eastern Samar and establish a sustainable, community-managed ecotourism site.

EMERGE is organized under the Tropical Forest Conservation Fund II (TCFII) of the Forest Foundation Philippines (FFP). 

Video by the Philippine Geological Society of the University of the Philippines Diliman

An Introductory Guide to Participatory 3D Modelling for protected and conserved areas lauched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi (10 October 2025)

Launched together with the Handbook on Participatory 3D Modelling for Protected and Conserved areas, this guide describes how Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) can support the pathway for improving protected and conserved area (PCA) governance, planning and management towards achieving positive conservation outcomes, including as set out in the IUCN Green List Standard.

Across the guide there are blue boxes that present case studies of real-world applications of P3DM in different contexts, especially those that have supported or been co-led by communities. The green boxes are explaining key concepts or processes

Who is this guide for?

This guide is for anyone interested in learning about how using P3DM can support good practice in protected and conserved areas governance, management and planning. This includes:

• Governing actors or decision-makers such as PCA site managers and governing bodies, local government officials and policymakers;
• Local rightsholders including Indigenous peoples and local communities;
• Other stakeholders such as environmental nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) and civil society organisations (CSOs), researchers and academics.

It is also for any of the above actors who are using the Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas global Standards as a framework to advance in equitable governance, sound design and planning and effective management and would like to know how can P3DM supports them.

P3DM handbook lauched at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi (10 October 2025)

This handbook is useful both for people who are experienced in participatory mapping as well as people who are completely new to the practice. 

After gaining some initial understanding of what P3DM practice is all about and its origin, this handbook will help you to deepen your understanding of the implications of practising P3DM especially in the context of collaborative Protected and Conserved Areas (PCA) management.

This handbook primarily targets the following audience:

• Protected area managers: Government employees and private landowners working in the national PCA system who are directly responsible for the management of such areas.
• Advisors: Generally, these are expatriates operating in the context of externally funded projects focusing on PCAs.
• Collaborators: Representatives from civil society organisations having a stake in activities taking place in locations that receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological or cultural values. 
• Implementers and project staff: This audience will benefit from this handbook as it details the P3DM processes step-by-step and can help better shape mutual expectations and understanding of the intrinsic value of the process.
• Conserved areas governance actors and managers: Those actors that conserve their own areas effectively may wish to draw on P3DM as a means to gain recognition and support for their areas. This includes local rightsholders including Indigenous peoples and local communities.

It is also for any of the above actors who are using the Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas global Standard as a framework to advance in equitable governance, sound design and planning, and effective management and would like to know how P3DM can support them. To explore these options in depth, visit the Green List website.

Keynote: The Power of Participatory GIS in the Management of America's Public Lands – Jordan Smith

Participatory GIS has had an immeasurable impact on how we think about, explore, and manage public lands in America. The presentation shares stories of how volunteer cartographers, who were in many cases literal pioneers, shaped our understanding of the vast expanse that was the American West in the 1800s. The presentation also charts the growth of amateur map makers throughout the 20th century, highlighting the many ways they have shaped what we know about, and how we manage, public lands within the country. The presentation culminates with a look forward to how modern-day GIS enthusiasts and scientists are creating and leveraging free, and public geospatial databases, to chart a new path forward for public lands policy and management.
 

Intervista a Giacomo Rambaldi: La cartografia partecipativa

 L'Università degli Studi di Padova ha intervistato Giacomo Rambaldi nell'ambito del suo programma master sulla GIScience e le nuove tecnologie dell'informazione geografica per la sostenibilità e la cittadinanza inclusiva. Giacomo parla della sua esperienza nel praticare la cartografia partecipativa in paesi in via di sviluppo.

Manual de mapeo participativo con proyecciones aumentadas en 3D: Una metodología para innovar la creación de mapas con comunidades

El presente manual describe los pasos y recursos necesarios para realizar mapeos participativos en comunidades usando Proyecciones Aumentadas 3D (PA3D). 

En este manual, estudiantes, profesores, facilitadores y público en general encontrarán información teórica y práctica para familiarizarse y/o profundizar en sus conocimientos sobre mapeo participativo implementando las PA3D. Si bien la organización de contenidos es secuenciada, el lector tiene la posibilidad de explorarlos de acuerdo con sus intereses, necesidades y habilidades. 

Además, en los casos de estudio, se ilustra el uso de esta herramienta en comunidades, mostrando sus ventajas en términos de la participación, de la generación de nuevo conocimiento y de los retos para su implementación.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.22201/ciga.9786073076593e.2023