Rohan Fisher

Research associate -

Research Institute for

environment and livelihoods.

“Maps are more than pieces of paper.

They are stories, conversations, lives and

songs lived out in a place and are

inseparable from the political and cultural

contexts in which they are used.”Warren, 2004

“More indigenous territory has been

claimed by maps than by guns. This

assertion has its corollary: more

indigenous territory can be defended and

reclaimed by maps than by guns.”

Nietschmann, 1995 (p. 37).

• Maps are not neutral

• Privileges those with access to

mapping tools.

•Generally privileges certain types of

knowledge and representation

•Shifted research away from human or

political ecological methods of

understanding complex causative

processes.

•A reversal of the classic scientific focus on

understanding process over description

• Participatory GIS as a response

The power of maps:

Indigenous communities and conservation

organizations are increasingly turning to

mapping and spatial information technologies

for implementing their strategies to strengthen

tenure security over resources and improve

natural resource management.... Using a

range of PGIS methods.

•Documenting and safe guarding

traditional knowledge

•Collaborative planning

•Collaborative research

•Collaborative protected area

Management

•Management of conflicts bound

to the territory and its resources

.

Strengths

•Useful to engage non-expert users

•Low-cost and not technology dependent

•Most participants can relate to product

•Easily facilitated

Weaknesses

•Impermanent and fragile

•Not produced to scale; not accurate

precise consequently might lack credibility

as a formal decision making document

Strengths

•More detailed and permanent

than ground maps

Weaknesses

•Outputs are not georeferenced

and can only be transposed

onto a scale map

•Lack of accuracy undermines

credibility with government

officials

Strengths

•The 3-D aspect of the model is intuitive and

understandable;

this means all community members can

contribute either information or labour.

• Initial creation of the community model is in

itself a community activity with positive

community-building outcomes (also a good tool

to learn about map topography)

•The information on the model can be easily

transposed and replicated in a GIS.

Weaknesses

•Labour-intensive and relatively time consuming

when compared to using existing scale maps

Strengths

•Can be engaging, offering

community members views and

perspective of their area that they

may never have experienced before.

Landmarks may even be

recognizable.

•Often easier for people living on land

with little previous map experience to

relate to.

Weaknesses

•Requires access to appropriate

imagery

•Orientation can be difficult.

-

Strengths

•accurate scale maps which are

recognized by official agencies.

•Technology more commonly available

Weaknesses

•Difficulties converting collected data

into a map product.

Strengths

• Free tools enable fairly

sophisticated mapping and

analysis.

Weaknesses

• Need digital hardware

•Need base data.

•Need some computer literacy.

Strengths

• Easily distributed

•Allows some interactive

mapping/analysis

Weaknesses

•Restricted internet access

•Need Hardware

•Computer literacy

Web GIS not the solution

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Africa Indonesia WORLD TOTAL

Europe Oceania / Australia

North America

Access (% Population)

Examples

• Arafura Swamp

• 3D Participatory mapping

Timor Leste

Examples

• A 3D model of an area of the Arafura swamp and escarpment country

surrounding Murwangi community near Ramangini in Arhnemland was

created a to support a community knowledge mapping project.

Examples

• A 3D model of an area of the Arafura swamp and escarpment country

surrounding Murwangi community near Ramangini in Arhnemland was

created a to support a community knowledge mapping project.

Examples

ExamplesParticipatory GIS for a Coordinated Act ion in Disaster Risk Reduction

and Empowerment (CADRE ) Programme in Timor Leste

Examples

Examples

Examples•It was made clear to the communities that they are the experts of the 3D map. It

was acknowledged that they know their place better than anyone else: where

things are, what has happened, the causes and impacts of these changes.

•Clear community perception of current land uses and the status of the natural

environment.

•Increased understanding by the community of risk-hazard and vulnerability

analysis.

•Development of a common understanding and commitment to protect the water

catchment between and among stakeholders.

•Encouragement for the restoration of the former strong relationships and

networks between upstream and downstream communities.

•High community participation during the making of the map and giving detailed

information during the validation process.

•Providing an opportunity for both the government and other stakeholders to have

dialogue.

Examples

• Field data collection tool.

Collecting geo-referenced data

for direct export to a GIS.

• Used extensively by indigenous

ranger groups to collect

environmental information such

as the sighting of fishing boats

or ghost nets.

• Used for health infrastructure

mapping in Eastern Indonesia.

Examples

Examples

I‐Tracker is supporting Indigenous

land and sea managers to use the

information they collect to improve

land and sea management at local,

regional, national and even

international scales.

•live marine animals;

•nests and tracks;

•dead or sick animals;

•boats including illegal foreign

•fishing vessels;

•marine debris including ghost nets;

•quarantine activities;

•commercial fishing nets & crab pots;

•pest samples; and

•fish kills.

Examples

Examples

Rented

Owned

Tenure

Examples

No Harvest

Low Harvest

Medium Harvest

High Harvest

Last Harvest

New Field

Not Farmed

Too Much Rain

Pests and

disease

Reasons

• “”The most important knowledge for

interpreting spatial information is the

knowledge of local environmental, social-

economic contexts. It is much easier to

transfer mapping skills to those with a life

time of accumulated local knowledge than

to transfer a life time of local knowledge to

those with mapping skills.

Data Collection ‘The experts’

Data Analysis

UnderstandingData

Action

Data collection and analysis at the local level can increasedata understanding and data quality.

DECREASING

HARDWARE

COSTS

CONVERGENCE OF

GPS/

MOBILE-PHONE/

PDA HARDWARE

DECREASING

HARDWARE

COSTS

DECREASING

HARDWARE

COSTS

CONVERGENCE OF

GPS/

MOBILE-PHONE/

PDA HARDWARE

FREE/OPEN-SOURCE

SPATIAL DATA

SOFTWARE

Three components

1. Integration of existing data for spatial

visualisation

2. Rapid field data collection for:

• Updating health infrastructure data

• Conducting Household surveys

3. Service Availability Mapping (SAM).

Kota Kupang

Stage I: planning

Who participates?

Who decides on who should participate?

Whose problems?

Whose questions?

Whose perspective?

… and whose problems, questions and

perspectives are left out?

Stage II: the mapping process

Whose voice counts? Who controls the

process?

Who decides on what is important?

Whose reality is expressed? Who controls

the use of information?

And who is marginalised?

Stage III: resulting information control,

disclosure and disposal

Who owns the output?

Who owns the map(s)?

Who owns the resulting data?

What is left with those who generated the

information and shared

their knowledge?

Ultimately …

What has changed? Who benefits from the

changes? At

whose costs?

Who gains and who loses?

Who is empowered and who is

disempowered?

•Visualising knowledge

•Intra- and intergenerational

knowledge exchange

•Supporting community

cohesion

and self-determination

•Bridging isolation and

supporting change and

innovation