Resource information
Participatory mapping, commonly used in participatory development, plays an important role in helping marginalised groups by making visible the association between land and local communities, highlighting important social, historical and cultural knowledge as well as presenting geographical feature information.
This review is intended to provide a broad background in the use of participatory mapping processes and the range of tools available to practitioners. It is not exhaustive but aims to give readers a greater appreciaion of how participatory mapping has involved from a relatively simplistic participatory rural appraisal (PRA) tool into a community of practice spanning a range of sophisticated technologies and processes.
It draws on a number of examples from around the world, with special attention given to projects supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), as this organisation commissioned the review. However, it contains useful insights, lessons and pitfalls in both the processes and tools available for participatory mapping.
This review provides:
An outline of what is involved in participatory mapping and participatory mapping applications
A review of the effectiveness of range of participatory mapping tools such as hands-on mapping, using scale maps and images, 3-D models and geographic information systems (GIS)
A look at best practices and processes with awareness of enabling/disabling environments, the role of development intermediaries, awareness of mapping impacts and the importance of processes
A matrix of participatory mapping tools outlining strenghs, weaknesses and resources needed
