She becomes more beautiful: Capturing the essence of Tobago Island for a better tomorrow

The Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI), the University of the West Indies (UWI), the Tobago House of Assembly, Division of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment (DAME) and the Partners with Melanesians (PwM) facilitated the building of a Participatory 3D Model (P3DM) of Tobago Island from 28th September to 12th October 2012.

The model was used as a tool to incorporate and recognize local and traditional knowledge and values into decision making about climate change adaptation.

A training of trainers in facilitating participatory approaches, with participants drawn from the Caribbean Region, was executed concurrently with the building of the P3D model of Tobago. Participants in the Training of Trainers used participatory video to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of P3DM.

The project was funded by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation (CTA) and the United Nations Development Programme and the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (UNDP GEF SGP).

Mapping Land, Sea and Culture: an Award-winning Participatory 3D Modelling Process in Fiji

In 2005 CTA in collaboration with a number of locally based development actors introduced a participatory mapping method known as “Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM)” in the Pacific Region. Activities took place in Levuka, the ancient capital of Fiji. Local residents were struggling with over-exploitation of their fishing grounds by foreign fishing fleets and their rich cultural heritage being hardly transmitted to the younger generations. After months of preparation and consultations on the island, the exercise took place in April 2005 involving local schools and representatives from 26 villages. Since the completion of the model residents have developed an island-wide natural- and cultural resource use management plan which was followed by 3 district management plans. Taboo (i.e. protected) marine areas have been established within the fishing grounds of 3 districts comprising 16 villages. Additional taboo areas have been set up by 10 villages on a nearby island partially included on the 3D model. In 2007 the case was granted the World Summit Award 2007 in the category e-culture and the P3DM process has been considered as one of the 40 best practice examples of quality e-Content in the world.

More information on the case is available at: http://goo.gl/85fmN

The exercise has been made possible by the coordinated effort of the Fiji Locally-Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) Network, the WWF South Pacific Programme (WWF-SPP), the Technical Centre for Agricultural & Rural Cooperation (CTA), the Native Lands Trust Board (NLTB), the National Trust of Fiji, the Land Resources Division of the Secretariat of The Pacific Community (SPC), and the Lomaiviti Provincial Council of the Ministry of Fijian Affairs and Provincial Development.

How do I implement P3DM? Here is a complete handbook (EN | FR | ES).

Mediating voices and communicating realities: Using information crowdsourcing tools, open data initiatives and digital media to support and protect the vulnerable and marginalised

This report published by IDS, investigates how the next generation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) — such as open mapping and open source crowdsourcing platforms — can empower vulnerable communities and build local capacity.

It is based on an investigation of how initiatives such as Map Kibera, an online community information source based in Kenya, contribute to creating shared information resources. The empirical data also provide insights into the hurdles and opportunities facing marginalised communities using these innovative communication tools. The report also presents results from interviews of leaders of ICT initiatives deployed to support post-reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

It outlines the challenges of using ICT for development, including the need to balance short-term individual benefits with longer-term agendas and the responsibility of those in charge to build trusting relationships to diffuse tensions emerging from free information sharing.

The study highlights the role of open-source social entrepreneurs as a new development actor, and the opportunities for collaboration between development and technology practitioners. The report suggests a follow-up research agenda to build upon this initial investigation.

Click here to download the document.

Indigenous Peoples and the Collaborative Stewardship of Nature: Knowledge Binds and Institutional Conflicts

Involving Indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge into natural resource management produces more equitable and successful outcomes. Unfortunately, argue Anne Ross and co-authors, even many “progressive” methods fail to produce truly equal partnerships. This book offers a comprehensive and global overview of the theoretical, methodological, and practical dimensions of co-management.

The authors critically evaluate the range of management options that claim to have integrated Indigenous peoples and knowledge, and then outline an innovative, alternative model of co-management, the Indigenous Stewardship Model.

They provide detailed case studies and concrete details for application in a variety of contexts.

Broad in coverage and uniting robust theoretical insights with applied detail, this book is ideal for scholars and students as well as for professionals in resource management and policy.

Training Kit on Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication

Online version released - Co-published by CTA and IFAD, this Training Kit is a unique product that can be tailored to meet your needs, ensuring that your employees get the best training available on Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication.

The Training Kit contains 15 Modules, each presented through a series of Units. Modules cover the entire spectrum of good developmental practice – from mobilising communities to developing a communication strategy based on the outcome of participatory mapping activities.

The Modules touch on topics such as the fundamentals of training, ethics and community groundwork and processes as well as the more technical low-, mid- and high-tech participatory mapping methods. The Training Kit culminates in a Module on networking, communication and advocacy – the pillars upon which maps become effective media and negotiation tools.

You decide what you want to cover and when. This product has been developed using the Multimedia Training Kit (MMTK) approach – you pick and choose those Modules, Units and components that best suit your particular requirements and develop a curriculum to suit your specific needs.

Publishers: Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU (CTA), Wageningen, The Netherlands and International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Rome, Italy

Year of Publication: 2010

Groundbreaking Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication Training Kit launched

The first ever training kit for Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication was launched today after weeks of excited pre-ordering online. Co-published by CTA and IFAD, this training kit is a unique product that can be tailored to meet the learning needs of the individual, group or organisation.

‘This is a hugely exciting training tool for the development sector,’ commented Giacomo Rambaldi, Senior Programme Coordinator at CTA. ‘It means that employees can now get the best available training tailored to meet their individual needs.’

The training kit comprises 15 modules, each presented through a series of units. They cover the entire spectrum of good developmental practice. The modules deal with topics such as fundamentals of training, ethics and community groundwork and processes as well as the more technical low-, mid- and high-tech participatory mapping methods.

The Training Kit is featured on the CTA Publications catalogue. Available in English and Spanish, it is aimed at technology intermediaries working in multidisciplinary teams, and for those required to deliver training on the practice or facilitate the process in the field.

The benefits of this type of mapping are numerous. Mapmaking is considered as a step in a broader process resulting in community empowerment by adding value and authority to local spatial knowledge. The process leading to the production of maps is in fact more important than the outputs themselves, as knowledge holders learn by doing. The practice is motivating and often leads to stronger identity and cohesion among community members. Moreover, maps are a powerful and convincing medium which can be used to effectively convey local concerns and aspirations to decision- and policy makers.

This project is another example of CTA’s dedication to empowering rural communities through knowledge. The success of the training kit also demonstrates the benefits CTA enjoys through working with partners such as IFAD to deliver high quality information to a wider audience.

If you are interested in getting a copy of the Training Kit you may send an e-mail to Murielle Vandreck vandreck@cta.int adding PGIS-TK (English / Spanish) to the e-mail subject line.

Online versions: coming soon
DVD versions: CTA online catalogue

Localisation, Participation and Communication: an Introduction to Good PGIS Practice

Localisation, Participation and Communication: an Introduction to Good PGIS Practice from Giacomo Rambaldi on Vimeo.

This 25-min educational video documentary introduces the practice of participatory spatial information management and communication (PGIS) in the development context. It has been designed to introduce development practitioners (technology intermediaries) to the practice of demand-driven PGIS.

In this video, PGIS practice is presented as a continuum starting from community mobilisation to project planning and design, choice of mapping methods and technologies, visualisation of different technologies in diverse ethno-cultural and agro-ecological environments, and finally putting the maps to work in the domains of identity building, self-determination, spatial planning and advocacy.

Ethics and sound attitudes and behaviours are emphasized as cross-cutting imperatives.

French | Spanish | Portuguese

Le Projet de cartographie participative dans le Bassin du Congo - Composante Gabon

Ce film trace le déroulement d'une mission de validation des cartes participatives effectué avec les populations vivants dans et en periphérie du Parc national de Pongara. C'est une mission qui s'inscrit dans le cadre de deux projet: (i) projet de « Cartographie participative » et du (ii) projet «Soutenir le développement de la politique des parcs nationaux et sa mise en œuvre pour garantir les droits communautaires au Gabon » dont l’objectif global est de promouvoir les droits des communautés forestières d’accéder, de contrôler et d’utiliser les forêts dans les processus législatifs, politiques et stratégiques et de permettre une meilleure implication des communautés locales et autochtones dans la gestion des parcs nationaux.

PPgis.net Open Forum on Participatory Geographic Information Systems and Technologies

PPgis.net serves as a global avenue for discussing issues, sharing experiences and good practices related to community mapping, public participation GIS (PPGIS), participatory GIS (PGIS) and other geographic information technologies used to support integrated conservation and development, sustainable natural resource management and customary property rights in developing countries and among indigenous people worldwide. 

Members of the network are able to share information and lessons learned, post questions and announcements and upload and download resource documents which are relevant to the practice. 

 

The site is an online gateway for accessing discussion lists in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese, all dealing with participatory mapping.

Choosing a participatory mapping method versus another

PGIS practitioners make use of a range of low and high tech geographic information technologies for acquisition, validation, analysis, representation and sharing of geo-spatial information. There are a number of factors that influence the choice of one method over another or the combination of more than one method. Factors include the ‘purpose behind the initiative’, the ‘resources available’ and the ‘institutional setting or environment’.
The choice of method should emanate predominantly from within the community . Participatory maps often represent a socially or culturally distinct understanding of land and seascapes and include information that is excluded from mainstream maps. These usually represent the views of the dominant sectors of society. Participatory maps can pose alternatives to the languages and images of the existing power structures and become a medium of empowerment by allowing local communities to represent themselves spatially.

For this reason, participatory maps should be made through an inclusive process at community level. The higher the level of participation by all members of the community, the more beneficial the outcome because the final maps, and related outputs like multimedia, will reflect the collective knowledge, concerns and aspirations.

In September 2010, CTA and IFAD will launch a Training Kit dedicated to “Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication” and having the specific objective of supporting the spread of good practice in generating, managing, analysing and communicating spatial information. More information on the training kit will be made available on the Internet and on this blog.

Rethinking the Power of Maps

A contemporary follow-up to the bestselling Power of Maps, this book takes a fresh look at what maps do, whose interests they serve, and how they can be used in surprising, creative, and radical ways.

In Rethinking the Power of Maps, Denis Wood describes how cartography facilitated the rise of the modern state and how maps continue to embody and project the interests of their creators. He demystifies the hidden assumptions of map making and explores the promises and limitations of diverse counter-mapping practices today.

Thought-provoking illustrations include U.S. Geological Survey maps; electoral and transportation maps; and numerous examples of critical cartography, participatory GIS, and map art.

Geographic Information Science and Public Participation

Computer-mediated participation is at the crossroads. In the early heady days of the digital revolution, access to "high" technologies such as GIS promised the empowerment of marginalized communities by providing data and information that was previously hidden away from public view. To a great extent, this goal has been achieved at least in the U.S. and Western Europe – data about a range of government initiatives and raw data about different aspects of spatial planning such as land use, community facilities, property ownership are available a mouse-click away. Now, that the public, have access to information, are we able to make better plans for the future of our cities and regions? Are we more inclusive in our planning efforts? Are we able to foster collaborative governance structures mediated by digital technologies?

In Geographic Information Science and Public Participation (Advances in Geographic Information Science), Dr. Laxmi Ramasubramanian discusses these issues, using a three-part structure. The first part of the book is theoretical – it reviews the literature in the field, establishes a framework to organize the literature and to link three different subject areas (participation and community development, GIS and other related technologies, and planning processes). The second part of the book discusses a series of success stories, case studies that review actual situations where participatory planning using GIS has enabled community wellbeing and empowerment. These case studies vary in scale and focus on different planning issues (planning broadly defined). The final part of the book steps back to review alternative scenarios for the future, exploring where we are headed, as the technologies we are using to plan rapidly change.

The foreword for the book is written by Prof. Bill Huxhold.