Collection and Integration of Local Knowledge and Experience through a Collective Spatial Analysis

Juan Castillo-Rosas,María Núñez-Andrés,José Diez-Rodríguez,Alex Jiménez-Vélez,Josep Monguet-Fierro

doi:10.3390/ijgi6020033

Abstract

This article discusses the convenience of adopting an approach of Collective Spatial Analysis in the P/PGIS processes, with the aim of improving the collection and integration of knowledge and local expertise in decision-making, mainly in the fields of planning and adopting territorial policies. Based on empirical evidence, as a result of the review of scientific articles from the Web of Science database, in which it is displayed how the knowledge and experience of people involved in decision-making supported by P/PGIS are collected and used, a prototype of a WEB-GSDSS application has been developed. This prototype allows a group of people to participate anonymously, in an asynchronous and distributed way, in a decision-making process to locate goods, services, or events through the convergence of their views. Via this application, two case studies for planning services in districts of Ecuador and Italy were carried out. Early results suggest that in P/PGIS local and external actors contribute their knowledge and experience to generate information that afterwards is integrated and analysed in the decision-making process. On the other hand, in a Collective Spatial Analysis, these actors analyse and generate information in conjunction with their knowledge and experience during the process of decision-making. We conclude that, although the Collective Spatial Analysis approach presented is in a subjective and initial stage, it does drive improvements in the collection and integration of knowledge and local experience, foremost among them is an interdisciplinary geo-consensus.

Highlights

A vital body of research on Public Participation Geographic Information Systems and Participatory Geographic Information Systems (P/PGIS) has been extensively developed as a consequence of the use of Web-mapping and spatial analysis in the participatory planning and adoption of territorial policies processes
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Case 1: Location of Places for Installation of Mobile Blood-Collection Units. It is a well-known fact that blood is a vital liquid to human life as well as a much-needed commodity in various medical treatments, even more so if it is required for cases of surgeries and medical emergencies

Summary

Introduction

A vital body of research on Public Participation Geographic Information Systems and Participatory Geographic Information Systems (P/PGIS) has been extensively developed as a consequence of the use of Web-mapping and spatial analysis in the participatory planning and adoption of territorial policies processes. The core values of the International Association for Public Participation [6], state that public participation must involve the affected people with some kind of “consultation”, ”participation” or “collaboration” in the decision-making process This process for the purpose of planning and adopting territorial policies is a complex one that requires the best alternatives from all possible perspectives, especially the participation and consensus of the involved stakeholders [1,3] An understanding of this work as a consensus, “an idea associated with the decision-making process and the common-agreement building among most of the participants of an organisation or a community” [7], is useful “for systems in which uncertainty of information is assumed but the decision making process is required” [8]

Methods

Results

Conclusion