Examining the values that are embedded in the processes and technologies of participatory GIS
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The document discusses the socio-technical practice of public participation GIS (PPGIS) and emphasizes the importance of integrating values into its processes and technologies. It highlights various aspects such as community involvement, technological influences, and the need for inclusivity, representation, and social justice within PPGIS practices. The text also focuses on how technology can reflect social demands while addressing the challenges and trade-offs involved in implementing these values in participatory mapping efforts.
Examining the values that are embedded in the processes and technologies of participatory GIS
- 1. Examining the values that are embedded in the processes and technologies of participatory GIS
- 2. Acknowledgement This talk would not be possible without the generosity of the many people and communities that we have worked with over the years…
- 3. Acknowledgement … and the funders, project partners, and sponsors that we’ve worked with (and will work with in the future)
- 4. Outline • Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) as a socio-technical practice • Values in PPGIS • Values and technology: Andrew Feenberg’s mapping and deep democratisation • Explicitly integrating values and process in technology • Where next?
- 5. Participatory GIS: context 1980s • Participatory Rural Appraisal • Participatory Learning and Action 1990s • Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) • Participatory GIS (PGIS) 2000s • Volunteered / Crowdsourced Geographic information • Participatory Sensing 2010s • Citizen Science APB-CMX Harry Wood 2010
- 6. Chauffeurs, facilitators & technology Aurigi, A., Batty, S., Bloomfield, D., Boott, R., Clark, J., Haklay, M., Harrison, C., Heppell, K., Moreley, J. and Thornton, C. (1999), UCL Brownfield Research Network, University College London, London, UK, 42 pp 1998 Technical: Commercial Desktop GIS, government environmental information, desktop computers Social: Facilitated participatory process, low level familiarity with technology
- 7. 2003 In house development by a green IT company, costly basemap Collaborative deliberative process, paper focused
- 8. 2006 Google mapping & API, ease of development and use Haklay, M.. 2006, How to build a Green GIS from the bottom up?, Israeli Geographers Association Annual Meeting, Tel Aviv, Israel, December 17-18 Collaborative deliberative process, paper focused
- 9. 2007 Community led software development, participatory data collection Haklay, M. and Weber, P., 2008, OpenStreetMap – User Generated Street Map, IEEE Pervasive Computing. October-December 2008:12-18. Mapping Parties, Pub meetups, self- organised/IRC coordination
- 10. Community air quality monitoring 2016 Decoupled front end/back end software for community mapping, APIs Structured process, both community led and initiated deliberately, digital Ellul, C., Francis, L., and Haklay, M., 2012, Engaging with local communities: A review of three years of community mapping. Urban and Regional Data Management, UDMS Annual 2011 - Proceedings of the Urban Data Management Society Symposium
- 11. • From the start, PPGIS was both limited and enabled by technological aspects: hardware, software, data, and network speed • The “Public Participation” part means that it is embedded in complex and detailed social practices PPGIS as socio-technical practice
- 12. PPGIS AND VALUES Examining the values that are embedded in the processes and technologies of participatory GIS
- 13. • As if being socio-technical is not enough… • PPGIS is a valued-laden practice • Moreover, PPGIS is mostly about expressing the values. Otherwise, usual instrumentalist/utilitarian/technocratic/ empiricist practices should apply Values
- 14. • Ensuring societal benefits from technology Values in PPGIS
- 15. • Respecting lay, local and traditional knowledge Values in PPGIS
- 16. • Community, collective views, addressing inequities Values in PPGIS
- 17. • Maintaining scientific standards, ensuring quality, empowerment Values in PPGIS
- 18. • Supporting wider societal and environmental goals Values in PPGIS
- 19. • Democratisation Values in PPGIS
- 20. • Representation, giving voice Values in PPGIS
- 21. • Inclusion (passive or assertive) Values in PPGIS
- 22. Values • Address social or environmental justice • Inclusion • Democratisation • Control & Self- determination • Egalitarian production of knowledge • Respect to lay, local and traditional knowledge • Relinking to nature • Individual vs. community • Data validity, scientific standards • Not wasting participants time • Ensuring efficient, effective, and economic participation • Securing decision making by majorities/loud participants vs. including minorities • Contribution to wider societal goals (e.g. science) • Meaningful & flourishing human relationships • “The Good Life”
- 23. VALUES IN TECHNOLOGY Examining the values that are embedded in the processes and technologies of participatory GIS
- 25. ©Stock.XCHNG
- 26. • The prevalence of the instrumentalist view: technology is value-free, and therefore it is open to any use • Digital technology is being promoted by emphasising the up-sides, and not mentioning, or even ignoring, downsides and side-effect Two common challenges
- 27. Feenberg‘s philosophy of technology
- 28. Main positions in Philosophy of Technology Technology is: Autonomous Humanly Controlled Neutral (complete separation of means and ends) Determinism (traditional Marxism) Instrumentalism (liberal faith in progress) Value-laden (means form a way of life that includes ends) Substantivism (means and ends linked in a system) Critical Theory (choice of alternative means-ends systems) Source: Feenberg, A. (1999) Questioning Technology, Routledge, New York.
- 29. Feenberg’s Deep Democratisation • ‘Technical representation is not primarily about the selection of a trusted personnel, but involves the embodiment of social and political demands in technical codes.’ • Technology can be also change from within, through an intervention by the users Source: Feenberg, A. (1999) Questioning Technology, Routledge, New York.
- 30. INTEGRATING VALUES IN PPGIS TECHNOLOGY & PROCESSES Examining the values that are embedded in the processes and technologies of participatory GIS
- 31. • Integrate technology with a social process, and take account of the context ExCiteS/MfC Guiding principles Wider context Social context Mapping • Politics • Economics • Local inclusiveness • Technical ability • Views / Perceptions • Facts / Evidence
- 32. • Directed process, with deliberate open elements to ensure co-design and local control ExCiteS/MfC Guiding principles Introduction to existing public information General perception mapping Discussion & initial priorities setting Digitisation, visualisation and discussion Website and online map Citizen Science and data gathering
- 33. • Work with people where they are, don’t expect them to come to you (physically, and digitally) ExCiteS/MfC Guiding principles
- 34. • Keep it simple, in order to make it inclusive (no cutting edge tech) ExCiteS/MfC Guiding principles
- 38. Community Maps
- 39. Mapping for Change Process Introduction to existing public information General perception mapping Discussion & initial priorities setting Digitisation, visualisation and discussion Website and online map Citizen Science and data gathering Haklay, M., and Francis, L., forthcoming 2017. Participatory GIS and community-based citizen science for environmental justice action, in Chakraborty, J., Walker, G. and Holifield, R.(eds.), Handbook of Environmental Justice, Routledge
- 41. • Reach people where they are: linking to social media outlets • Simplify: process is deliberately simple and limited in analysis, with ability of exporting information for further analysis • Community control: moderation, different levels of access • Representation: visualisation and icons through participatory processes GeoKey/Community Maps Roick, O., Haklay, M., and Ellul, C.. 2016, GeoKey - open infrastructure for community mapping and science, Human Computation
- 42. Engagement: Free, Prior Informed Consent (FPIC)
- 47. • Respecting local knowledge: designing icons in the field with participants • Data control: acting as custodians in terms of managing the information • Community vs Individuals: FPIC, community protocol. • Democratisation, giving voice: technology and process to ensure inclusion Sapelli/GeoKey Stevens, M., Vitos, M., Altenbuchner, M., Conquest, G., Lewis, J. and Haklay, M., 2014, Taking Participatory Citizen Science to Extremes, IEEE Pervasive Computing, 13(2):20-29
- 48. • Integrating values into PPGIS technologies is possible, but does not stop using it as a means to a different ends: – Using Sapelli to help navigate legal details of logging permits and laws – Using Community Maps to collaboratively map experiences of Concord – Using GeoKey for community preparedness checklists with alerts Deep democratisation?
- 49. WHERE NEXT? ExCiteS & Mapping for Change
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- 52. Tap&Map
- 53. Summary • PPGIS is a socio-technical, value-laden process and practice • Values should be expressed in the social practices and in the technologies that are used • Generic technologies can be used, with some compromises and trade-offs • Developing technologies also require compromises and trade-offs
- 54. • Follow us: – http://www.ucl.ac.uk/excites – Twitter: @UCL_ExCiteS – Blog: http://uclexcites.wordpress.com The work of ExCiteS is supported by EPSRC, ERC, EU FP7, EU H2020, RGS, Esri, Forest People Program, Forests Monitor, WRI and all the people in communities that we’ve worked with over the years