The intersection of people, technology and local space. PPGIS and Web in practice for participatory planning

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial Technologies

This study concerns about the contributions of Web 2.0 tools to Public Participation Geographic Information System (PPGIS) and of PPGIS to participatory planning. Web 2.0 tools are increasingly occupying an important role in the universe of geographic information consciousness. Both Web 2.0 and PPGIS are about decentralization, public mapping, and local knowledge, encouraging throughout productive results. The project develops a Web 2.0 PPGIS mashup application through free, easy-to-use tools. It consists of a Web mapping service, with eligible GI layers, where users explore and comment. A database stores the contributions in a format supported by GIS. Finally, we set a first version at Canela – Brazil, to test the usefulness of the method on a real planning scenario. Results shown it is a valuable approach for engaging the public in participatory planning. It promotes communications among users and with decision makers in a more interactive and straightforward way. The Web 2.0 PPGIS is easy to set and understandable by nonexperts, and can be easily applied on other contexts.