Day 2: Participatory Mapping and Community Empowerment for Climate Change Adaptation, Planning and Advocacy

22 May, 2012, HONIARA - During the  second day of the workshop participants were exposed to the main phases of the map-making process. Morning presentations by Giacomo Rambaldi, CTA senior programme coordinator, accompanies by the featuring of a series of video productions, provided detailed information on the steps to follow in order to produce a stand-alone, scale and geo-referenced relief model.

The method is the result of a merger of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) and Geographic  Information Technologies GITs). Prior to the realization of the model there is the need to work with the knowledge holders to clearly define the purpose, the geographical scope and the scale of the map. Technology intermediaries may play a role in favouring a fair representation of all sectors of society in the process, including women and less favoured strata. The selection of the scale is an important factor, since the smaller the scale is, the less the people will relate to the 3D model.

While presentations and Questions and Answers were enfolding in the main hall, students from the Selwyn College were busy manufacturing a 1:5000 scale model of Naro a rural area located west of Honiara . As reported by the facilitator, Patrick Vuet, the model covers an area of 5 km x 6 km or 30 km2, includes coastal and terrestrial components, a traditional marine protected area and raises from sea level up to 490m elevation. To complete the blank model the students had to cut 49 layers of carton board to match the 10 m contour interval used on the base map.

The blank model offers the reference base for adults to transfer their mental recollections (spatial knowledge) in the day to come. As outlined in his presentation by Dr. JC Gaillard from the School of Environment, The University of Auckland, participatory 3D models offer the opportunity for integrating local spatial knowledge with scientific data; Gaillard argued that P3DM is a powerful tool that can be used to combine different knowledge systems and that this could help foster dialogue between stakeholders and improve participation of “voiceless” groups in decision-making processes. Gideon Solo from TNC shared his experience in using P3DM for CC adaptation planning. His intervention was followed by a contribution offered by Ringko Kodosiku, a representative from Boe Boe village who shared his insider’s experience in the use of the method, which – he stated – went by far beyond map-making. In fact he reported that the model his community manufactured in 2011 is now used for planning reforestation activities, address livelihood options and improve local agricultural practices.

However, to be ready for interpretation, a map needs a key to interpret its symbols: the legend. “A map is mute without its legend” pointed out Jacob Zikuli, AF-SWoCK Project Manager. As participants highlighted today, the legend making process is a fundamental step in any participatory mapping process. The “talkative” capacity of a map, in fact, rests in the capability of different users to interpret and understand what it is meant to reproduce; particularly when a map is used to support intercultural dialogue, it is essential that its graphic vocabulary is fully understood by all parties involved.

The preparation of the legend precedes the plotting of features on the model. Six representatives (3 men and 3 women) of Naro presented their draft legend to the workshop participants. The legend items included point data (school, church, houses..), lines (rivers, roads) and areas (forest conservation, logging areas, coconut plantation, reforestation areas, home gardens, fishing areas, different types of forest, etc).

P3DM has proven to be effective to elicit people’s tacit knowledge on their environment:  While working on the physical model, people internalise its landscape and are progressively at ease in navigating it and in locating features. Stimulated by intense discovery learning processes and intra-generational knowledge exchanges, tacit knowledge tends to emerge.

According to several presenters, the P3DM process is characterised by a unique pattern of excitement and willingness to complete the tasks, leading knowledge holders to work late in the night to thoroughly populate the model with their mental recollections. According to Giacomo Rambaldi such excitement is linked to the fact that mapmakers realise to know more than they were aware of (i.e. emergence of tacit knowledge), to the fact that such knowledge is valuable for them and for their community as a whole and to the celebration of its inter and intra-generational transfer.

The process of map-making also gives people the chance to analyse their own situation, identify problems on the territory and their root causes, and frequently to come up with potential solutions. Hence the P3DM process is considered as a catalyst in taking informed decisions about future intervention on land and waters. Dave de Vera reported that P3DM is an excellent method for observing the changes in the resource base over time, for planning their future uses and for monitoring purposes.  “Through P3D-Modelling communities can find the relationship with their environment by themselves and they will be able to make informed choices”, Don Wilfred pointed out. “P3D-Modelling is a strategic tool for planning”, he said.

Participants concluded that P3DM can be used for a range of purposes including land tenure, community-based environment conservation and rehabilitation, planning agricultural activities and contributing to the design of interventions having a social infrastructure component. In the Philippines, for instance, P3DM were used to draft intervention plans for gravity fed irrigation systems.

The second day came to an end with a group exercise. Participants were asked to share their reflections based on feedback featured on the Democracy Wall.

Before joining the Pacific Adaptation to Climate Change (PACC) project, as Project Manager, Mr Taito Nakalevu, was working for his government in the domain of geomatics. Recognizing the power of P3DM for community empowerment he stated that “P3DM  takes community participation at a higher level”

Brilliantly facilitated by Senoveva Mauli from TNC Solomon, the workshop came to an end on a series of remarks made by Dave de Vera: “P3DM is a picture of the reality produced by the people to show who they are. It communicates the point of view of the people, the way they relate with their environment, the way they want to live their life. P3DM encompasses all these aspects“.

An initiative supported by:

Read more:

• Day 01 blogpost
• Day 02 blogpost
• Day 03 blogpost
• Day 04 blogpost
• Day 05 blogpost
• Day 06 blogpost

Retour sur l'expérience en P3DM à Boeboe, îles Salomon, à travers les yeux d’une femme

HONIARA, le 25 mai 2012  - Nous avons demandé à Winifred Pitamama, laquelle a pris part à un exercice de modélisation participative en 3D qui s'est déroulé en février 2011 dans le village de Boeboe, province de Choiseul dans les îles Salomon, de nous faire part de son expérience et des leçons apprises. Ci-dessous figure son récit.

« Je m'appelle Winifred Pitamama du village de Boeboe, province de Choiseul dans les îles Salomon. Je suis enseignante. Au nom des habitants de Boeboe, et notamment des femmes et des enfants, j'ai le très grand honneur et le privilège de me tenir devant vous, partenaires très ingénieux ayant participé à cet atelier, pour partager notre expérience concernant l'exercice de modélisation participative en 3D qui s'est déroulé dans mon village en février 2011. Je vais vous parler de la participation des femmes et des enfants au démarrage du projet, de leur réaction une fois le modèle achevé, des leçons qu'ils ont tirées du modèle, de leur expérience du modèle P3D s’agissant de l'environnement et de l'exploitation minière, de mon point de vue en tant qu'enseignante et des mesures que nous devrions prendre concernant les changements climatiques.

Lorsque ce modèle P3D a été réalisé, les femmes et les enfants étaient très excités et ont consacré beaucoup de temps à sa confection. Ils ne voulaient pas rentrer chez eux, ni s'arrêter pour déjeuner. Certains continuaient même de travailler jusqu'à 3 heures du matin ! Ce faisant, nous avons réussi à achever le modèle P3D de notre village, sans savoir l'importance qu'il allait revêtir pour nous.

Mais une fois le modèle terminé, nous avions sous les yeux le tableau exact de notre terre natale. Nous étions vraiment heureux, parce que tout le monde ne savait pas lire une carte ni même ce qu'étaient des lignes de contour. Et c'est ainsi que nous avons beaucoup appris, rien qu'en construisant et en regardant la carte en 3D. Elle nous donne de nouvelles informations sur le paysage, les ruisseaux, les rivières, les mangroves marécageuses, les sites culturels, les zones de conservation et bien plus encore. Même les zones de prospection minière ! Elle donne de la valeur à notre lieu de vie.


Modelling the Future in Boe Boe Community, Solomon Islands from CTA on Vimeo.

Toutefois, nous avons aussi remarqué les effets des changements climatiques sur l'environnement. Comme nous dépendons beaucoup des ressources marines, nous avons réalisé que la plupart des endroits où se trouvent des coquillages comestibles sont maintenant recouverts d'eau de mer et que le niveau ne cesse d'augmenter. On peut également voir que certaines régions qui jusque-là restaient au sec sont effleurées par la hausse du niveau de la mer. Désormais, les femmes et les enfants comprennent que les changements climatiques suivent leur cours. Cela est dû aux activités humaines.

Par conséquent, nous avons besoin de considérer l'exploitation minière avec soin, et notamment ses effets à long terme. Nous pouvons prédire que, si l'extraction a lieu, nos ressources, notamment en termes d'alimentation, seront menacées. Et pas seulement cela. Nos forêts et nos sites culturels devraient aussi être respectés. Autrement, nous perdrons tout !

De ce fait, nos enfants d'âge scolaire ont besoin d'être informés du modèle P3D. En effet, en tant que professeur de sciences sociales, je dois reconnaître que ce modèle m'a été très utile dans mes leçons sur les lignes de contour et les paysages et même les changements climatiques. J'ai aidé mes étudiants à prendre cette information au sérieux, car nous avons besoin du développement, afin que tout le monde ait la possibilité d'augmenter son niveau de vie. Ainsi, les gens de mon village commencent à s'éloigner des zones côtières pour gagner des terres plus élevées mais cela prend du temps et il faut de l'argent pour une telle réinstallation.

Toutefois, lorsqu'on veut, on peut.

Sur ces quelques remarques,

Merci à tous ! »

Day 1: Participatory Mapping and Community Empowerment for Climate Change Adaptation, Planning and Advocacy

21 May, 2012, HONIARA - “Of course we know a lot about our land and sea, but we didn’t realise just how much we do actually know ...” representatives of Chivoko community of Choiseul province, Solomon Islands, pointed out after the Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) exercise was completed. As we discovered today, P3DM goes far beyond making a map; it is a process that, if efficiently and correctly used, can become a powerful tool to give voice to those people that over time have being excluded from decision-making processes within the mainstream society.

The “Participatory Mapping and Community Empowerment for Climate Change Adaptation, Planning and Advocacy, an Orientation and Project Planning Workshop” opened today in Honiara, Solomon Islands.

Organized by the Technical Centre for Agriculture and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), in partnership with The Nature Conservancy UNDP Solomon, Partners with Melanesia (PwM) and three UNDP Co-funded projects, namely Strengthen Environment Management and Reducing the Impact of Climate Change (SEMRICC); Strogen Waka lo Community fo Kaikai (SWoCK) and Pacific Adaptation for Climate Change (PACC), the event brought together more than 80 people from 17 countries, including Australia, Cook Islands, Federated Sates of Micronesia, Fiji, Italy, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, Solomon Islands, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, USA and Vanuatu.

Hon. Rense Sore, Permanent Secretary of MECDM
opens the event

The workshop was opened by Rense Sore, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology (MECDM).

His intervention was followed by the one delivered by Dr. Douglas Lee, Director Climate Change Division (MECDM) who introduced the recently developed National Climate Change Policy for Solomon Islands and the one by David Hiriasia, Director Meteorology (MECDM).

The sessions of the day combined presentations on participatory mapping methods and their use, with group exercises and open spaces for interactive information sharing; a practical session on P3DM enfolded in parallel: assisted by a facilitator,  students from the Naro community started assembling a 1:5000 scale model of their village. Once completed, the model will be populated by elders coming from the village. Once finalised the model will include a traditional coastal conservation area (tambu area) located in front of the main settlement.

This activity will allows workshop participants to have a factual experience of what a participatory 3D mapmaking process is all about, students to acquire a new skill, and finally villagers to gain access to an updated, scaled and geo-referenced replica of their territory for further development and use .

The today’s focus of the event was on opportunities and challenges of practicing Participatory GIS in developing countries, especially when assessing climate change impacts and adaptation measures.

As different experiences of P3DM carried out around the world reveal, participatory mapping can be a key instrument for local and indigenous communities to document and express their local knowledge and to communicate it through a visual language easily understandable for outsiders. In this sense, the power of the maps embraces at the same time the risks of doing mapping itself: if, on the one hand, participatory mapping process can enable local communities to give visibility to their valuable knowledge and thus to increase their contribution in influencing decision-making processes, on the other hand, the translation of local knowledge into public information, and out of local control, might lead to undesired exploitation or generate conflicts.

If misused, in fact, information shown on maps might open up the door to outsiders to take control over local resources. This is why it is fundamental to carefully consider risks and benefits and to set clear objectives with communities before carrying out participatory mapping activities, as Giacomo Rambaldi (CTA) pointed out. This will help to find ways to safeguard local knowledge, keeping some of the sensitive information confidential, and to mitigate risks.


Over time, participatory mapping activities in general, and P3DM in particular, have been undertaken in different parts of the world to address different issues, from self-determination of local communities to the management of territorial conflicts, from land titling to community based planning and management, including participatory watershed planning and management, hazard management and climate change adaptation, among others.

Among the P3DM experiences presented today, those in the Pacific Region mostly focussed on climate change adaptation. For many communities, participatory 3D models have been important tools to understand their land and the gradual impacts of climate change on traditional territories, as well as to envisage possible future scenarios and take informed actions. Over time, indigenous and local communities have developed climate change adaptation practices based on existing knowledge and on observation of the natural phenomena. In this context, P3DM can be used as a tool to merge indigenous knowledge with available science and technology to best deal with and mitigate climate change impacts. In the case of the community of Boe Boe, Solomon Islands, as its representatives reported, the model helped villagers to identify the raise of the sea level and the progressive erosion of the coastline; based on this observations, the community decided to not longer build houses on the coast while moving to the inland instead. The P3DM exercise in Boe Boe, supported by The Nature Conservancy, was successful in facilitating community land use planning and the sustainable management of natural resources. But this was not the only outcome the P3DM activity achieved.

As Winifred Pitamama, Boe Boe’s representative, stressed out "during the P3DM process women and children learned a lot about our area. The model showed our sacred places, our inland before our ancestors moved to the coast, where to collect shell, where to fish (…). But, especially it helped women to best plan for the future. At the beginning it was a bit challenging for women, because they don’t raise their concerns, they are generally quite (…). This has been a tool to share our views”. As a teacher, Winifred is using the model for educational purposes in her work with children. “They learn to recognize their places” she said. As in Boe Boe, other communities made use of the participatory 3D models to better understand their territories, what was affecting them and to raise awareness about those issues.

This is the case of Indigenous Peoples in the Philippines, that were able to visualise the potential impact of a large scale mining operation scheduled to take place within their ancestral domains and to induce the local government to stop the intervention, as Dave de Vera (PAFID) reported.

Therefore, P3DM becomes a powerful tool to visualise the past, the present and the future, to analyse the movement of natural resources and to design action plans to protect or stimulate the restoration of resources, appointing people to monitor the process in the future.

An initiative supported by:

Read more:

• Day 01 blogpost
• Day 02 blogpost
• Day 03 blogpost
• Day 04 blogpost
• Day 05 blogpost
• Day 06 blogpost

Combining Traditional Knowledge and Technology for Community led Climate Change Adaptation

21 May 2012, HONIARA. Pacific Islanders will now have a greater voice in climate change decision making and a more direct input in adapting their communities to climate change using a combination of traditional knowledge and technology. This will be made possible through the week-long awareness raising and planning workshop on Participatory Mapping and Community Empowerment for Climate Change Policy Making that started in Honiara today.

Organised jointly by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and Partners With Melanesians (PwM), the workshop aims to promote the adoption of innovative Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools and approaches to help address development challenges.

Around 80 participants, including community leaders, representatives from non government organisations (NGOs), community based organisations, regional, national and local bodies as well as researchers and technical experts will attend the workshop at the Kitano Mendana Hotel in Honiara.

Participatory three-dimensional modeling (P3DM) is a community based mapping method that used local knowledge with scientific data like the elevation of the land and depth of the sea to produce stand-alone, scaled and geo-referenced relief models.

This method, integrated with more sophisticated tools can enhance resilience to climate change by adding value to traditional knowledge and promoting its integration in adaptation planning and advocacy processes.

“The combination of traditional and scientific knowledge not only allows farmers and fishers in Small Island Developing States to have voice in climate change decision-making but can also ensure the implementation of more effective adaptation strategies,” said Giacomo Rambaldi, Senior Programme Coordinator of CTA.

During the workshop, expert presenters and facilitators working in the region will share case studies and lessons learned and discuss the benefits, challenges, and ethical considerations involved in the process. Representatives from Mboemboe village in Choiseul Province (who have already been through the process of manufacturing a coastal P3DM and used it for planning purposes),  will share their experience at the workshop.

Local community members from Honiara will be engaged in the construction of a mini-model. While students will take care of the physical construction, elders will populate the model with spatial data drawn from memory. Participants in the main session will be given the opportunity to interface with the parallel session and get a hands-on experience of P3DM.

The workshop concludes on 26th May.

More information on the event are available here.

An initiative supported by:

New Tools in Mapping for Disasters and Development

“New Tools in Mapping for Disasters and Development” was co-hosted by InterAction’s NGO Aid Map Team and the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery in partnership with the World Bank Institute, Sustainable Development Network Information Solutions (SDNIS) – the information technology (IT) unit at the World Bank, and the World Bank Civil Society Team.



This unique event featured hands-on demonstrations and provide training to participants of the free and open tools currently available. In addition, real-world examples of interventions that have successfully incorporated mapping were presented.  Presenters showcased case studies of mapping tools and technologies, introduced some of the most popular geo tools, discussed free sources of open geo data.

For more information click here.

Association Okani Participatory Mapping Video, Cameroon

This participatory video produced by Association Okani shows the impacts of illegal logging on forest peoples' customary use of resources in Cameroon.

Source: http://www.forestpeoples.org

Hawaii Pacific GIS Conference 2012: Participatory and Place-Based GIS - Using Participatory Mapping Techniques to Characterize Coastal Uses in West Maui

View more presentations from Hawaii Geographic Information Coordinating Council

Participatory 3D Modelling of Manus Island, PNG

Participatory 3D modelling (P3DM) activity supported by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and partners in 2011 in PNG to help residents of Manus Island map out the terrestrial, coastal and marine resources and to  plan for adapting to potential impacts due to climate change.

Source: TNC

Fair water sharing: from Storytelling to Community Mapping in Egypt

TheWaterChannel

This video explains the steps towards a successful PPGIS practice: visit the pilot area, get to know movers/shakers, filling the ppgis invitation, identify core stakeholder group, build relationships, etc. Footage from ppgis workshops is shown.

The Sacred Natural Sites Initiative launches its new website

Emerging out of 13 years of work of the IUCN Specialist Group on the Cultural and Spiritual Values of Protected Areas, the Sacred Natural Sites Initiative builds an alliance of custodians, traditional knowledge holders, conservationists, academics and others in support of the conservation and revitalization of sacred natural sites and territories. The initiative is guided by custodians and advisors from different professions and walks of life. As a basis for guiding its development, they make use of a preliminary action plan.

Leading up to the action plan was the development of the IUCN UNESCO Sacred Natural Sites – Guidelines for Protected Area Managers and the book Sacred Natural Sites: Conserving Nature and Culture, edited by Bas Verschuuren, Robert Wild, Jeffrey McNeely and Gonzalo Oviedo and launched at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in October 2010.

Feedback from a Participatory 3D Modelling exercise representing the Abongo-Mitsogho cultural landscape of the Ikobey Commune and Waka National Park

As part of a region-wide effort aimed at involving local communities in the sustainable management of natural resources in the Congo Basin and at adding value and authority to local and indigenous knowledge and values and at ensuring equitable benefit sharing resulting from co-managed protected areas, the Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux (ANPN), Brainforest, CTA, IPACC, MINAPYGA, Rainforest Foundation UK, and the Wildlife Conservation Society-Gabon (WCS) supported a series of initiatives in the area including the participatory 3D modelling exercise described in this report.


While responding to needs expressed by local communities and by the park administration, the exercise offered the opportunity for training delegates from national and regional organisations based in Cameroon, Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic (CAR), Chad and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, South Africa and the United Kingdom.

Download the full report of the activity: English | Français

Aerial Photography and Image Interpretation - third edition published

Extensively revised to address today's technological advances, Aerial Photography and Image Interpretation, Third Edition offers a thorough survey of the technology, techniques, processes, and methods used to create and interpret aerial photographs.

The new edition also covers other forms of remote sensing with topics that include the most current information on orthophotography (including digital), soft copy photogrammetry, digital image capture and interpretation, GPS, GIS, small format aerial photography, statistical analysis and thematic mapping errors, and more.

A basic introduction is also given to nonphotographic and space-based imaging platforms and sensors, including Landsat, lidar, thermal, and multispectral.

This new Third Edition features:

• Additional coverage of the specialized camera equipment used in aerial photography 
• A strong focus on aerial photography and image interpretation, allowing for a much more thorough presentation of the techniques, processes, and methods than is possible in the broader remote sensing texts currently available Straightforward, user-friendly writing style 
•  Expanded coverage of digital photography 
•  Test questions and summaries for quick review at the end of each chapter 

Written in a straightforward style supplemented with hundreds of photographs and illustrations, Aerial Photography and Image Interpretation, Third Edition is the most in-depth resource for undergraduate students and professionals in such fields as forestry, geography, environmental science, archaeology, resource management, surveying, civil and environmental engineering, natural resources, and agriculture.

Also available in Kindle edition

Authors:

The late David P. Paine was Professor Emeritus in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management at Oregon State University.

James D. Kiser is an Assistant Professor and Head Undergraduate Advisor in the Department of Forest Engineering, Resources, and Management at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon.??He is also a Certified Photogrammetrist.

Chorotegas: Dignidad Indígena

El Pueblo Indígena Chorotega del norte de Nicaragua, reclama sus derechos a las tierras ancestrales y reivindican su cultura

Landscape, Process and Power: Re-evaluating Traditional Environmental Knowledge

Landscape, Process and Power (now available in paperback edition)“…presents an excellent overview of the study of traditional environmental knowledge (TEK)and the directions in which it has evolved in recent years…Individually but especially together, the contributors of this volume do a fine job at providing a contextualized and fluid understanding of TEK…I have no hesitation in recommending this volume not only to anyone wishing to catch up on recent developments in TEK research, but also as a useful teaching resource in a range of anthropology courses.”  JRAI

“This volume succeeds in its purpose to dislodge enduring western notions of TEK [traditional environmental knowledge] as static and to firmly center it within an analytical framework of landscape, process, and power…The critical perspectives of the authors of this book would prompt lively discussion in the classroom, and the books grounding in ethnographic detail and applications are of interest to both research academics and practitioners.”  Ethnobiology Letters

In recent years, the field of study variously called local, indigenous or traditional environmental knowledge (TEK) has experienced a crisis brought about by the questioning of some of its basic assumptions. This has included reassessing notions that scientific methods can accurately elicit and describe TEK or that incorporating it into development projects will improve the physical, social or economic well-being of marginalized peoples. The contributors to this volume argue that to accurately and appropriately describe TEK, the historical and political forces that have shaped it, as well as people’s day-to-day engagement with the landscape around them must be taken into account. TEK thus emerges, not as an easily translatable tool for development experts, but as a rich and complex element of contemporary lives that should be defined and managed by indigenous and local peoples themselves.

Serena Heckler received her Ph.D. in ethnobotany, environmental anthropology and sustainable development from Cornell University and is a research fellow at Durham University. She has lived and worked with the Wõthihã of the Venezuelan Amazon, studying the ways in which the market economy and demographic change have affected their environmental knowledge. She is currently undertaking participatory research on similar themes with the Shuar of Ecuador, in collaboration with the Intercultural University of Indigenous Peoples and Nations-Amawtay Wasi based in Quito, Ecuador.

Upcoming Google Mapping Technology Workshop in March Options

Last year, Google Earth Outreach partnered with the Institute at the Golden Gate to convene 80 environmental leaders spanning 40 organizations and train them how to use mapping technology to create powerful visual messages.

You can read more about that workshop in this blog post. The response to last year’s workshop was so overwhelming that the Institute at the Golden Gate has decided to host a second annual workshop.

This year, the Institute will bring back trained alumni and several Google mapping trainers from the Google Earth Outreach team to train a new cohort of environmental leaders.

The organisers encourage interested parties to apply for this free, for the two-day interactive training workshop.

What: Mapping Environmental Scenarios & Solutions with Google Technology
When: March 19 and 20, 2012, 8:30 am–5 pm
Where: Cavallo Point–the Lodge at the Golden Gate, Fort Baker, Sausalito, CA

To find out more and apply, visit http://sites.google.com/site/iggworkshop2012

The deadline for applications is February 17, 2012.

Source: The Google Earth Outreach Team
http://earth.google.com/outreach

Participatory mapping at CTA

Anne Legrosollard from Spore magazine interviews Giacomo Rambaldi, Sr. Programme Coordinator at CTA.

What is Participatory mapping?
What we support and promote at CTA goes beyond “making maps at community level”. We look at a practice dealing with generating, managing, analysing and communicating spatial information in a bottom-up mode. Mapmaking is considered as a step in a broader process leading to community empowerment by adding value and authority to local spatial knowledge.

How far can participatory mapping support decision-making ?
When it comes to accessing, using and / or managing natural resources, spatial dimensions always influence decision-making. Maps drawn in the sand on paper or on a computer screen are an accepted support to analysing spatially defined issues and getting the broader view which is essential in the process of making decisions. In addition maps are based on a visual language made of colours and symbols, thus are understandable also by illiterate people or less educated people.

What benefits can rural communities derive from the practice ?
The process leading to the production of maps is more important than the outputs themselves, as knowledge holders learn by doing. The process is quite motivating and often leads to stronger identity and cohesion among community members. On the top of that maps are powerful (and quite convincing) media which can be used to convey local concerns and aspirations to decision- and policy makers.

How do you ensure sustainability of the outcome of participatory mapping initiatives ?

Good practice recommends to perform participatory mapping activities only within the context of a long-lasting initiative having resources to continue beyond map-making. The map-making process raises the level of awareness among knowledge holders and with it their expectations and aspirations. It is a moral obligation of those accompanying the process to secure resources ensuring the continuation of the initiative to address new realities (positive and may be negative) which may emerge.

What should be done to prevent outsiders from appropriating themselves of the data generated during a participatory mapping exercise and to derive exclusive benefit from these ?
Good practice recommends that those assisting knowledge holders in the process are trusted intermediaries and that prior informed consent is obtained. Map making is a political process which can have positive or negative impacts. Drawing a line on a map may ignite conflict. How many wars have been fought over a line? Intermediaries facilitating map-making processes should be aware of these implication and operate at the highest ethical standards.  Being or not-being on a map is a trade-off. Nowadays if you are not on a map, you do not exist.

More information on what CTA does in the context of PGIS practice is found here: http://pgis.cta.int

NASA | Temperature Data: 1880-2011

The global average surface temperature in 2011 was the ninth warmest since 1880.The finding sustains a trend that has seen the 21st century experience nine of the 10 warmest years in the modern meteorological record. NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York released an analysis of how temperatures around the globe in 2011 compared to the average global temperature from the mid-20th century. The comparison shows how Earth continues to experience higher temperatures than several decades ago. The average temperature around the globe in 2011 was 0.92 degrees F (0.51 C) higher than the mid-20th century baseline.

This video is public domain and can be downloaded at: ‪http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/goto?3901

Participatory 3D Modelling - Bwindi Impenetrable and Mgahinga Gorilla National Parks, Uganda

In 2009 a group of Batwa representatives from Uganda travelled to Ogiek communities in Kenya to learn about their situation and the different advocacy strategies they were using. One of these strategies was the use of Participatory 3-Dimensional Modelling (P3DM), which helped the Ogiek engage Kenyan agencies on their rights to their ancestral territory, the Mau Forest. The Batwa walked away from this visit impressed by the simplicity of the P3DM technique and hopeful of replicating it in their own context.

Two years later in June 2011, the Batwa, with support from the ARCUS Foundation, began their own three-dimensional modelling of their ancestral territory, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.  More than 100 representatives from the Batwa communities surrounding Bwindi, including youth, elders, women and men attended the exercise over a three-week period.

Uganda's first Participatory Three-Dimensional Modelling Project was organised in 2011 in Kisoro by the Batwa, former hunter-gatherers who were evicted from two national parks 20 years ago.

More information:

1. http://goo.gl/2II2K
2. http://goo.gl/SlcKO
3. http://goo.gl/mMDjs
4. http://goo.gl/ZLExK
5. http://goo.gl/J0w7F

Mapping with Drupal: Navigating Complexities to Create Beautiful and Engaging Maps

Mapping with Drupal is a concise guide shows you how to create custom interactive maps from top to bottom, using Drupal 7 tools and out-of-the-box modules.

You’ll learn how mapping works in Drupal, with examples on how to use intuitive interfaces to map local events, businesses, groups, and other custom data.

Although building maps with Drupal can be tricky, this book helps you navigate the system’s complexities for creating sophisticated maps that match your site design.

• Get the knowledge and tools you need to build useful maps with Drupal today.
• Get up to speed on map projections, the ethics of making maps, and the challenges of building them online
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Mapping with Drupal: Navigating Complexities to Create Beautiful and Engaging Maps

By Alan Palazzolo, Thomas Turnbull
Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Release: December 2011

Climate Conversations - Combining traditional knowledge and climate science in Chad

Bouba Mal Yaya is a herdsman from the Fulani-Mbororo peoples in Chad. Along with his fellow herders, he had been expecting good grazing for his cattle this year but this has not been the case.

He is confused and frustrated. He had always been able to rely on his people’s age-old knowledge of their ecosystem to sustainably manage grazing. This traditional knowledge has been used by his people to develop strategies to cope with seasonal weather patterns and manage their meagre resources.

The community has typically looked to the elders for predictions on rainfall distribution, drought and other seasonal patterns. Now, it would appear that the reliability of their prediction is undermined by increasingly unpredictable weather and climate conditions. Their livelihoods and future as a culture are under threat.

The cause? Climate change.

Mbororo herders travel over great distances to graze their livestock. The impact of climate change has reduced the capacity of their traditional grazing lands with droughts and dwindling resources pushing them to herd their livestock further afield.

Some have lost their stock and have been forced to change their way of life, becoming semi-nomadic or sedentary. These lifestyle changes are not easy, and the pastoralists experience extreme hardship and loss of culture. The decreasing reliability of the elders’ predictions has had an impact on their trustworthiness within the community, further destabilising life for these people.

The situation is frustrating for everyone involved, especially considering that information which could help the pastoralists maintain their traditional way of life is already at hand. Climate change experts use modern monitoring and forecasting systems to generate a vast amount of information on past, present and future climate scenarios at international, regional and national scales.

The difficulty arises in communicating this information to grassroots level in a language that the people understand and that takes account of their traditional knowledge, prediction methods and existing local approaches to decision-making.

In a bid to adapt to the changing conditions and maintain their customary way of life, the Mbororo peoples are coming together with other pastoralists, meteorologists and African policy makers.

They share information relating to traditional and scientific knowledge and outline their needs. They also look at how to improve the exchange of data, knowledge and information needed to improve policy making to boost resilience to climate change at grassroots level.

Thanks to the contributions of the pastoralists, climate change experts are developing a greater understanding of traditional knowledge. This will enable them to package their information in a more manageable and user friendly way for the local community.

By making use of innovative information and communications technologies and participatory mapping techniques pastoralists hope to provide scientists with valuable insights into local weather and climate patterns and reporting on the impact of climate change. This essential data will enrich the information base available for research and analysis, ultimately developing more nuanced and locally accurate weather forecasts.

This data can then be used by the pastoralists to adapt as necessary to the changing conditions without having to abandon their way of life. Involving indigenous communities like the Mbororo in this process also paves the way for the creation of inclusive and more successful policy.

National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) for climate change will have greater value if they recognise the authoritative nature of traditional knowledge.

As part of this process, a meeting was hosted in November 2011 by the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee (IPACC), the Association des Femmes Peules Autochtones du Tchad (AFPAT)  and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA). At the meeting, indigenous people’s representatives from Chad, Niger, Kenya, Namibia and South Africa gathered with meteorologists to discuss these concerns.

In particular, they looked at how traditional knowledge of pastoralism and atmospheric science can be combined to respond to climate change risks. Their findings reinforced the need for both groups to work together to share information, data and knowledge, tackling the climate change issue together.

In follow up to the meeting, a participatory mapping exercise will take place on the edge of Lake Chad in the spring of 2012. By coming together with the experts and policy makers to build a Participatory 3-D model (P3DM) of their land, the two communities aim to bridge the gap between traditional contributions to the understanding of climate change on a local scale and scientific approaches to the challenge involving everyone in this activity.

This is a first for the pastoralist and scientific community. Neither group can solve the climate change problem alone. Together they can make a lasting difference for science and for a traditional way of life.


Read more:

• Results of High Level Round Table on Pastoralism, Traditional Knowledge, Meteorology and Implementation of Policies of Climate Adaptation
• N’Djamena Declaration on Adaptation to Climate Change, indigenous Pastoralism, Traditional Knowledge and Meteorology in Africa