tion brought together 154 people from 45 different countries and nations with practical experienc... more tion brought together 154 people from 45 different countries and nations with practical experience in implementing Partic-ipatory GIS (PGIS). What unites these practitioners is their belief that PGIS practice (Box 1) can have profound implications for margin-alised groups in society: • it can enhance capacity in generating, managing and communicating spatial information; • it can stimulate innovation; and ultimately, • it can encourage positive social change. The tools generated and used in this practice can become interactive vehicles for networking, discussion, information exchange, analysis and decision-making. When PGIS practice first began to move from the non-digital to the digital realm in the mid 1990s, concerns arose over the feasibility of applying relatively complex PGIS tools in a participatory manner. In their paper titled ‘Participatory GIS: opportunity or oxymoron? ’ Abbot et al (1998) identified and debated the ‘benefits and problems of a participatory GIS approach’....
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications, 2021
This chapter reviews approaches to conflict studies. The chapter opens with an observation that n... more This chapter reviews approaches to conflict studies. The chapter opens with an observation that no unified theory exists that explains the causes and effects of all conflicts. Instead, conflict studies exhibit several general patterns, and the concept is explained according to the discipline and backgrounds of theorists. A gap also exists between researchers who theorize about conflicts and scholars who intervene in those conflicts. Thus, resource conflicts are explained from two main perspectives: a competitive approach that assumes a zero-sum view of resources such that a win for one party is a loss for the rival party, and a cooperative viewpoint that is grounded in a win/win outcome for both parties. However, the chapter explains that conflict is an interactive activity within the shared experiences of people who live together and interact in several ways. The mutual dependence that lie beneath social exchange relations has a cooperative phase that generate mutual benefits and a competitive phase that reflects independent rewards. Consequently, the chapter contends that natural resource conflicts are subject to contextual forces that are both competitive and cooperative. A case is made for an approach that integrates theory and practice and is useful, not just for explaining the causes of resource conflicts, but also for responding to conflict in ways that enhances co nsensus building.
The Development of Community-Based GIS Applications
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications, 2021
This chapter provides an overview of PGIS development. Given the need for geospatial data to aid ... more This chapter provides an overview of PGIS development. Given the need for geospatial data to aid in official decision-making, early developments in GIS technology occurred in private businesses and state institutions in North America and Europe. As GIS adoptions spread into communities and organizations with no prior experience with mapping, concerns for unintended impacts of the technology sparked a debate on the social implications of GIS usage. The PGIS movement was formed to address imbalances in access to GIS technology. Several factors contributed to PGIS development. They include the GIS debate, the development of cheap and easy to learn GIS software, and computer technology that was getting cheaper yet more powerful and user-friendly. Intellectual contributions from the literature of feminist GIS, critical GIS, and counter-mapping and methodological contributions from participatory mapping approaches were equally significant. The differences between PGIS and PPGIS are explained, and the theoretical and methodological differences between conventional GIS applications and PGIS practice are sorted out. The chapter then makes a case for technology transfer into indigenous and local communities in developing countries.
Sources, Impacts, and Management of Natural Resource Conflicts
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications, 2021
This chapter provides a synopsis of the causes and impacts of nonviolent resource conflicts. The ... more This chapter provides a synopsis of the causes and impacts of nonviolent resource conflicts. The chapter argues that disagreements over the allocation of natural resources are characteristic features of all societies. A conflict describes a situation where interdependent parties’ express differences in the fulfillment of their needs and interests and therefore experience interference from each other in accomplishing their goals. The chapter explains that resource conflicts might be driven by a sense of grievance resulting from unequal access, inequality, and the unfair allocation of resources. The perceived injustices may lie dormant until stirred by concerns for security of tenure resulting from development pressures created by rapid urbanization, land degradation, and climate change that lead to increased competition for the resources. Disputes that result from the disagreements destroy relations and can threaten society but conflict can also improve group efficiency and productivity and restore equity in resource allocation. It can stimulate creativity, challenge old ideas, and inspire changes and adaptation that are necessary for survival of the community. The chapter explains how lack of institutions, legal pluralism, and the relicts from colonial maps contribute to resource conflicts in the communities. The chapter concludes on the note that resource conflicts cannot be eliminated from human affairs, so a peaceful community life depends on the management, not the elimination of conflict.
To be effective in a broad range of decision making contexts, GIS procedures for multi objective ... more To be effective in a broad range of decision making contexts, GIS procedures for multi objective decision making need to be participatory in nature-where participatory im plies that the decision maker plays an active role in the decision process and finds the procedures used to have a simple intuitive understanding. In this paper we concentrate on the development of such a procedure for multi-objective decision making in cases with conflicting objectives. The procedure is based on a choice heuristic that is simple to un derstand and is capable of rapidly processing the massive data sets of raster GIS. Details of the algorithm are presented along with an experimental assessment of alternative pro cedures for the resolution of conflict cases.
Case Study: Participatory Mapping and Management of Conflict of Interests over Allocation of Resources Within the Aboma Forest Reserve at Kofiase, Ghana
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications, 2021
Rapidly changing resource management contexts and competition for scarce resources among local gr... more Rapidly changing resource management contexts and competition for scarce resources among local groups are inducing joint action in the management of resources. This is the situation in Ghana where the usurpation of powers of traditional institutions by colonial administrators left community forest resources unprotected and produced attitudes of confrontation and reciprocal mistrust that continue to plague the country’s resource institutions. Local resource managers are therefore compelled to widen the range of interests they consider when they make resource policies. With the transfer of PGIS applications into the country therefore is the expectation that the initiative will create opportunities for public participation in the management of emerging resource conflicts. This chapter describes the application of a decision support algorithm for managing a resource allocation problem involving competing interests. A case involving multiple claims to resources in the Aboma Forest Reserve located at Kofiase in Southern Ghana is used to illustrate participatory GIS applications. The chapter begins with a discussion of the study area and background to the problem. This is followed by a review of GIS-multicriteria decision-making techniques. After this, the GIS-aided participatory mapping approach is applied to the forest resource allocation problem at Kofiase, Ghana.
36 Introduction Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) applications can equip communi... more 36 Introduction Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) applications can equip community-based organisations with tools for structuring resource management practice to make it open and iterative. However, the support for public involvement has opened up the process to conflicts. The participatory approach makes it possible for conflicting perspectives to be integrated. As communities come together to try to pursue common goals, conflict over resources has greatly increased. This is partly because with forest-based resources, the actions of one group (e.g. farmers) can create unforeseen impacts on other groups (e.g. loggers). Resource scarcity caused by a rapid environmental change or unequal resource allocation can increase demand and so create conflicts. As PGIS applications become more widespread in rural development, the effective and peaceful management of local resources depends on the ability to identify conflicts and adopt strategies that prevent disagreements from...
Although currently the subject of disagreement, the extension of Geographic Information System (G... more Although currently the subject of disagreement, the extension of Geographic Information System (GIS) applications into local and indigenous communities has become the focal point for claims of empowerment, political access, equity and legitimacy. The communitybased GIS applications (termed Public Participation GIS (PPGIS)) have been presented generally as the means for transforming bureaucratic organizations into benevolent institutions that entertain and address the concerns of underprivileged groups. Yet, there has been little discussion of difficulties entailed in the transfer of political power to the communities. We are also not sure of how the filtering of spatial information through foreign GIS experts obscures the real concerns of people in the communities. An investigation into how PPGIS applications empower communities has therefore become imperative. This paper examines how external factors and conditions within local communities impede successful PPGIS applications and t...
PGIS is an emergent practice in its own right. It is a result of a merger between Participatory L... more PGIS is an emergent practice in its own right. It is a result of a merger between Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) methods with Geographic Information Technologies (GIT). PGIS facilitates the representation of local people's spatial knowledge using two-or threedimensional maps. These map products can be used to facilitate decision-making processes, as well as support communication and community advocacy. PGIS practice is geared towards community empowerment through tailored, demand-driven and user-friendly applications of these geospatial technologies. Good PGIS practice is flexible and adapts to different socio-cultural and biophysical environments. It often relies on the combination of 'expert' skills with local knowledge. Unlike traditional GIS applications, PGIS places control on access and use of culturally sensitive spatial data in the hands of those communities who generated it.
Mobile Phone Expansion and Opportunities for e-Governance in Africa
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has invaded every sphere of human life and it is ... more Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has invaded every sphere of human life and it is changing not only how people interact but also how governments serve their constituents in a process generally termed as digital or e-government. E-government is especially relevant for sub-Saharan African countries where public administration is characterized by limited capacity and lack of skilled personnel. Unfortunately, broadband and internet that drive most e-government activities elsewhere are lacking in sub-Saharan Africa but mobile phone subscription is massive and still growing. Given the widespread use of mobile phones in the region, one would expect that plans for sub-Saharan African countries to engage their citizens would start with the massively subscribed mobile phone and steadily expand to include such less available technologies as the internet. Regrettably, the potentials of the mobile phone for digital government remain largely unexplored in the region. Accordingly, t...
The Impact of Geospatial Data Processing on Conflict-Supporting Beliefs
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications
This chapter discusses how data analyses and information exchange affect disputants’ decisions du... more This chapter discusses how data analyses and information exchange affect disputants’ decisions during a conflict. The chapter explains that values and interests that cause and sustain a conflict rest upon information available to the opposing parties. The disagreements can also result from misinformation and misunderstanding. Given that decisions are influenced by our beliefs, values, and interests, feeding the rival parties with useful information about the conflict can counter the stream of false and biased information and help the parties understand the conflict and work toward a consensus. The chapter argues that opinion provides a window to the core of our interests and beliefs and can reveal the real motives behind stakeholders’ attitudes and actions. Therefore, engaging disputants in mapping and open discussion of their disagreements compel them to tap into their beliefs to express opinions that reveal motives which drive the conflict. Thus, through the mapping exercises and information exchange between the rival parties, PGIS applications can help the disputants understand the conflict, learn together, and develop a shared understanding of issues to dispel potential barriers to cooperation.
Participatory Mapping and Management of Natural Resource Conflicts
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications
Maps communicate our experiences about the landscape and are, therefore, ideal tools for negotiat... more Maps communicate our experiences about the landscape and are, therefore, ideal tools for negotiating disagreements over land-based resources. In managing resource conflicts, maps provide the opposing parties with the medium and tools to realize their priorities in cooperation or competition with each other. Maps are also assertions of power, and state maps were instrumental in conquering native lands in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. However, critical reviews of the Cartesian concept of mapping in the nineteenth century challenged beliefs that projected cartography as an objective science confined to professionals. The critiques created openings to redefine the map’s historical importance to highlight alternative mapping methods. Today, digital technology has transformed mapping from the art for a few cartographers and empowered non-state actors and communities with little or no background training to map their lands. The chapter discusses participatory mapping and distinguishes it from conventional and collaborative mapping practices. The chapter then reviews how digital mapping technology has improved participatory mapping and enhanced PGIS applications in conflict mitigation.
Natural Resources, Conflict of Interests, and Their Management
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications
As essential sources of livelihood, income, and influence, people everywhere develop strong desir... more As essential sources of livelihood, income, and influence, people everywhere develop strong desires to control their natural resources. Consequently, communities readily mobilize around land issues, thereby making land and resources therein the foundation for many disagreements. Nonetheless, relentless expansion in urbanization, population growth, and climate change are causing significant shortages in the supply of essential natural resources. Intense competition for the resources has created a need for strategies that accommodate multiple interests and respond to changing needs of the people. The availability of low-cost digital mapping technology has created a unique opportunity to explore novel, spatially driven participatory mapping strategies for managing natural resource conflicts and prevent the disputes from escalating into violent clashes. Besides mapping, the participatory mapping projects create platforms for adversarial parties to meet, exchange views, and learn to develop trust for each other to prepare them for consensus over divisive issues. This chapter provides an overview of natural resources and explains how the growing environmental threats and demand for natural resources has increased the frequency and intensity of resource conflicts, rendered traditional resource management strategies ineffective, thereby necessitating the search for new strategies for managing resource conflicts.
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
This paper discusses the mobile phone boom in Africa and examines the potential impacts of mobile... more This paper discusses the mobile phone boom in Africa and examines the potential impacts of mobiles on the socio-economic development process in African countries. Drawing on data from case studies, the paper explains that mobile phones may not just help create new jobs and new sources of revenue to the state but can also contribute to economic growth by widening markets, creating better information flow, lowering transaction costs, and becoming substitute for costly transportation that is lacking in rural Africa. On the social front, the paper contends that the mobile phone can help create unique personal identities and status symbols for some users. The technology also facilitates the democratic process as groups can use the enhanced communication tools for political and community action thereby reducing the reliance on conventional and often government controlled media. The paper discusses these and other ways by which mobile phones can influence conditions in Africa to induce changes that promote economic and social development. The paper concludes with suggestions that can strengthen ICT adoption in African countries.
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
As resource managers search for strategies to meet the challenges posed by intense competition fo... more As resource managers search for strategies to meet the challenges posed by intense competition for scarce local resources, the implementation of Community-based GIS applications have become widespread. Besides mapping, the Participatory GIS (PGIS) projects create a peaceful medium for community groups and public officials to meet, exchange views and also learn to develop trust for each other. However, the PGIS projects face many problems including the lack of basic supporting infrastructure and services. The adoption of the Internet as a platform for PGIS applications therefore raises concerns about the future of PGIS projects. While the Internet may open the participatory process, it can also hinder participation among local groups. In an era when PGIS applications have become important in the management of local resources, there is an urgent need to examine implications of the On-line PGIS project. Accordingly, in this paper, we assess the potential benefits and drawbacks of on-line PGIS applications within local communities.
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
The participatory creation of maps, above and beyond their interpretation, started in the late 19... more The participatory creation of maps, above and beyond their interpretation, started in the late 1980s. At that time, development practitioners were inclined to adopt Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods such as sketch mapping ) rather than the more complex and time consuming scale mapping. Preference was given to eliciting local knowledge and building on local dynamics to facilitate communication between insiders (e.g. villagers) and outsiders (e.g. researchers, government officials, etc.). This approach placed little emphasis on charting courses of action that would enable ordinary people to interact efficiently with policymakers (Rambaldi 2005). The situation was further compounded by state control of aerial photography, satellite imagery and large-scale topographic maps under the pretext of national security concerns.
tion brought together 154 people from 45 different countries and nations with practical experienc... more tion brought together 154 people from 45 different countries and nations with practical experience in implementing Partic-ipatory GIS (PGIS). What unites these practitioners is their belief that PGIS practice (Box 1) can have profound implications for margin-alised groups in society: • it can enhance capacity in generating, managing and communicating spatial information; • it can stimulate innovation; and ultimately, • it can encourage positive social change. The tools generated and used in this practice can become interactive vehicles for networking, discussion, information exchange, analysis and decision-making. When PGIS practice first began to move from the non-digital to the digital realm in the mid 1990s, concerns arose over the feasibility of applying relatively complex PGIS tools in a participatory manner. In their paper titled ‘Participatory GIS: opportunity or oxymoron? ’ Abbot et al (1998) identified and debated the ‘benefits and problems of a participatory GIS approach’....
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications, 2021
This chapter reviews approaches to conflict studies. The chapter opens with an observation that n... more This chapter reviews approaches to conflict studies. The chapter opens with an observation that no unified theory exists that explains the causes and effects of all conflicts. Instead, conflict studies exhibit several general patterns, and the concept is explained according to the discipline and backgrounds of theorists. A gap also exists between researchers who theorize about conflicts and scholars who intervene in those conflicts. Thus, resource conflicts are explained from two main perspectives: a competitive approach that assumes a zero-sum view of resources such that a win for one party is a loss for the rival party, and a cooperative viewpoint that is grounded in a win/win outcome for both parties. However, the chapter explains that conflict is an interactive activity within the shared experiences of people who live together and interact in several ways. The mutual dependence that lie beneath social exchange relations has a cooperative phase that generate mutual benefits and a competitive phase that reflects independent rewards. Consequently, the chapter contends that natural resource conflicts are subject to contextual forces that are both competitive and cooperative. A case is made for an approach that integrates theory and practice and is useful, not just for explaining the causes of resource conflicts, but also for responding to conflict in ways that enhances co nsensus building.
The Development of Community-Based GIS Applications
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications, 2021
This chapter provides an overview of PGIS development. Given the need for geospatial data to aid ... more This chapter provides an overview of PGIS development. Given the need for geospatial data to aid in official decision-making, early developments in GIS technology occurred in private businesses and state institutions in North America and Europe. As GIS adoptions spread into communities and organizations with no prior experience with mapping, concerns for unintended impacts of the technology sparked a debate on the social implications of GIS usage. The PGIS movement was formed to address imbalances in access to GIS technology. Several factors contributed to PGIS development. They include the GIS debate, the development of cheap and easy to learn GIS software, and computer technology that was getting cheaper yet more powerful and user-friendly. Intellectual contributions from the literature of feminist GIS, critical GIS, and counter-mapping and methodological contributions from participatory mapping approaches were equally significant. The differences between PGIS and PPGIS are explained, and the theoretical and methodological differences between conventional GIS applications and PGIS practice are sorted out. The chapter then makes a case for technology transfer into indigenous and local communities in developing countries.
Sources, Impacts, and Management of Natural Resource Conflicts
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications, 2021
This chapter provides a synopsis of the causes and impacts of nonviolent resource conflicts. The ... more This chapter provides a synopsis of the causes and impacts of nonviolent resource conflicts. The chapter argues that disagreements over the allocation of natural resources are characteristic features of all societies. A conflict describes a situation where interdependent parties’ express differences in the fulfillment of their needs and interests and therefore experience interference from each other in accomplishing their goals. The chapter explains that resource conflicts might be driven by a sense of grievance resulting from unequal access, inequality, and the unfair allocation of resources. The perceived injustices may lie dormant until stirred by concerns for security of tenure resulting from development pressures created by rapid urbanization, land degradation, and climate change that lead to increased competition for the resources. Disputes that result from the disagreements destroy relations and can threaten society but conflict can also improve group efficiency and productivity and restore equity in resource allocation. It can stimulate creativity, challenge old ideas, and inspire changes and adaptation that are necessary for survival of the community. The chapter explains how lack of institutions, legal pluralism, and the relicts from colonial maps contribute to resource conflicts in the communities. The chapter concludes on the note that resource conflicts cannot be eliminated from human affairs, so a peaceful community life depends on the management, not the elimination of conflict.
To be effective in a broad range of decision making contexts, GIS procedures for multi objective ... more To be effective in a broad range of decision making contexts, GIS procedures for multi objective decision making need to be participatory in nature-where participatory im plies that the decision maker plays an active role in the decision process and finds the procedures used to have a simple intuitive understanding. In this paper we concentrate on the development of such a procedure for multi-objective decision making in cases with conflicting objectives. The procedure is based on a choice heuristic that is simple to un derstand and is capable of rapidly processing the massive data sets of raster GIS. Details of the algorithm are presented along with an experimental assessment of alternative pro cedures for the resolution of conflict cases.
Case Study: Participatory Mapping and Management of Conflict of Interests over Allocation of Resources Within the Aboma Forest Reserve at Kofiase, Ghana
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications, 2021
Rapidly changing resource management contexts and competition for scarce resources among local gr... more Rapidly changing resource management contexts and competition for scarce resources among local groups are inducing joint action in the management of resources. This is the situation in Ghana where the usurpation of powers of traditional institutions by colonial administrators left community forest resources unprotected and produced attitudes of confrontation and reciprocal mistrust that continue to plague the country’s resource institutions. Local resource managers are therefore compelled to widen the range of interests they consider when they make resource policies. With the transfer of PGIS applications into the country therefore is the expectation that the initiative will create opportunities for public participation in the management of emerging resource conflicts. This chapter describes the application of a decision support algorithm for managing a resource allocation problem involving competing interests. A case involving multiple claims to resources in the Aboma Forest Reserve located at Kofiase in Southern Ghana is used to illustrate participatory GIS applications. The chapter begins with a discussion of the study area and background to the problem. This is followed by a review of GIS-multicriteria decision-making techniques. After this, the GIS-aided participatory mapping approach is applied to the forest resource allocation problem at Kofiase, Ghana.
36 Introduction Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) applications can equip communi... more 36 Introduction Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) applications can equip community-based organisations with tools for structuring resource management practice to make it open and iterative. However, the support for public involvement has opened up the process to conflicts. The participatory approach makes it possible for conflicting perspectives to be integrated. As communities come together to try to pursue common goals, conflict over resources has greatly increased. This is partly because with forest-based resources, the actions of one group (e.g. farmers) can create unforeseen impacts on other groups (e.g. loggers). Resource scarcity caused by a rapid environmental change or unequal resource allocation can increase demand and so create conflicts. As PGIS applications become more widespread in rural development, the effective and peaceful management of local resources depends on the ability to identify conflicts and adopt strategies that prevent disagreements from...
Although currently the subject of disagreement, the extension of Geographic Information System (G... more Although currently the subject of disagreement, the extension of Geographic Information System (GIS) applications into local and indigenous communities has become the focal point for claims of empowerment, political access, equity and legitimacy. The communitybased GIS applications (termed Public Participation GIS (PPGIS)) have been presented generally as the means for transforming bureaucratic organizations into benevolent institutions that entertain and address the concerns of underprivileged groups. Yet, there has been little discussion of difficulties entailed in the transfer of political power to the communities. We are also not sure of how the filtering of spatial information through foreign GIS experts obscures the real concerns of people in the communities. An investigation into how PPGIS applications empower communities has therefore become imperative. This paper examines how external factors and conditions within local communities impede successful PPGIS applications and t...
PGIS is an emergent practice in its own right. It is a result of a merger between Participatory L... more PGIS is an emergent practice in its own right. It is a result of a merger between Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) methods with Geographic Information Technologies (GIT). PGIS facilitates the representation of local people's spatial knowledge using two-or threedimensional maps. These map products can be used to facilitate decision-making processes, as well as support communication and community advocacy. PGIS practice is geared towards community empowerment through tailored, demand-driven and user-friendly applications of these geospatial technologies. Good PGIS practice is flexible and adapts to different socio-cultural and biophysical environments. It often relies on the combination of 'expert' skills with local knowledge. Unlike traditional GIS applications, PGIS places control on access and use of culturally sensitive spatial data in the hands of those communities who generated it.
Mobile Phone Expansion and Opportunities for e-Governance in Africa
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has invaded every sphere of human life and it is ... more Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has invaded every sphere of human life and it is changing not only how people interact but also how governments serve their constituents in a process generally termed as digital or e-government. E-government is especially relevant for sub-Saharan African countries where public administration is characterized by limited capacity and lack of skilled personnel. Unfortunately, broadband and internet that drive most e-government activities elsewhere are lacking in sub-Saharan Africa but mobile phone subscription is massive and still growing. Given the widespread use of mobile phones in the region, one would expect that plans for sub-Saharan African countries to engage their citizens would start with the massively subscribed mobile phone and steadily expand to include such less available technologies as the internet. Regrettably, the potentials of the mobile phone for digital government remain largely unexplored in the region. Accordingly, t...
The Impact of Geospatial Data Processing on Conflict-Supporting Beliefs
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications
This chapter discusses how data analyses and information exchange affect disputants’ decisions du... more This chapter discusses how data analyses and information exchange affect disputants’ decisions during a conflict. The chapter explains that values and interests that cause and sustain a conflict rest upon information available to the opposing parties. The disagreements can also result from misinformation and misunderstanding. Given that decisions are influenced by our beliefs, values, and interests, feeding the rival parties with useful information about the conflict can counter the stream of false and biased information and help the parties understand the conflict and work toward a consensus. The chapter argues that opinion provides a window to the core of our interests and beliefs and can reveal the real motives behind stakeholders’ attitudes and actions. Therefore, engaging disputants in mapping and open discussion of their disagreements compel them to tap into their beliefs to express opinions that reveal motives which drive the conflict. Thus, through the mapping exercises and information exchange between the rival parties, PGIS applications can help the disputants understand the conflict, learn together, and develop a shared understanding of issues to dispel potential barriers to cooperation.
Participatory Mapping and Management of Natural Resource Conflicts
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications
Maps communicate our experiences about the landscape and are, therefore, ideal tools for negotiat... more Maps communicate our experiences about the landscape and are, therefore, ideal tools for negotiating disagreements over land-based resources. In managing resource conflicts, maps provide the opposing parties with the medium and tools to realize their priorities in cooperation or competition with each other. Maps are also assertions of power, and state maps were instrumental in conquering native lands in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. However, critical reviews of the Cartesian concept of mapping in the nineteenth century challenged beliefs that projected cartography as an objective science confined to professionals. The critiques created openings to redefine the map’s historical importance to highlight alternative mapping methods. Today, digital technology has transformed mapping from the art for a few cartographers and empowered non-state actors and communities with little or no background training to map their lands. The chapter discusses participatory mapping and distinguishes it from conventional and collaborative mapping practices. The chapter then reviews how digital mapping technology has improved participatory mapping and enhanced PGIS applications in conflict mitigation.
Natural Resources, Conflict of Interests, and Their Management
Managing Natural Resource Conflicts with Participatory Mapping and PGIS Applications
As essential sources of livelihood, income, and influence, people everywhere develop strong desir... more As essential sources of livelihood, income, and influence, people everywhere develop strong desires to control their natural resources. Consequently, communities readily mobilize around land issues, thereby making land and resources therein the foundation for many disagreements. Nonetheless, relentless expansion in urbanization, population growth, and climate change are causing significant shortages in the supply of essential natural resources. Intense competition for the resources has created a need for strategies that accommodate multiple interests and respond to changing needs of the people. The availability of low-cost digital mapping technology has created a unique opportunity to explore novel, spatially driven participatory mapping strategies for managing natural resource conflicts and prevent the disputes from escalating into violent clashes. Besides mapping, the participatory mapping projects create platforms for adversarial parties to meet, exchange views, and learn to develop trust for each other to prepare them for consensus over divisive issues. This chapter provides an overview of natural resources and explains how the growing environmental threats and demand for natural resources has increased the frequency and intensity of resource conflicts, rendered traditional resource management strategies ineffective, thereby necessitating the search for new strategies for managing resource conflicts.
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
This paper discusses the mobile phone boom in Africa and examines the potential impacts of mobile... more This paper discusses the mobile phone boom in Africa and examines the potential impacts of mobiles on the socio-economic development process in African countries. Drawing on data from case studies, the paper explains that mobile phones may not just help create new jobs and new sources of revenue to the state but can also contribute to economic growth by widening markets, creating better information flow, lowering transaction costs, and becoming substitute for costly transportation that is lacking in rural Africa. On the social front, the paper contends that the mobile phone can help create unique personal identities and status symbols for some users. The technology also facilitates the democratic process as groups can use the enhanced communication tools for political and community action thereby reducing the reliance on conventional and often government controlled media. The paper discusses these and other ways by which mobile phones can influence conditions in Africa to induce changes that promote economic and social development. The paper concludes with suggestions that can strengthen ICT adoption in African countries.
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
As resource managers search for strategies to meet the challenges posed by intense competition fo... more As resource managers search for strategies to meet the challenges posed by intense competition for scarce local resources, the implementation of Community-based GIS applications have become widespread. Besides mapping, the Participatory GIS (PGIS) projects create a peaceful medium for community groups and public officials to meet, exchange views and also learn to develop trust for each other. However, the PGIS projects face many problems including the lack of basic supporting infrastructure and services. The adoption of the Internet as a platform for PGIS applications therefore raises concerns about the future of PGIS projects. While the Internet may open the participatory process, it can also hinder participation among local groups. In an era when PGIS applications have become important in the management of local resources, there is an urgent need to examine implications of the On-line PGIS project. Accordingly, in this paper, we assess the potential benefits and drawbacks of on-line PGIS applications within local communities.
The Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries
The participatory creation of maps, above and beyond their interpretation, started in the late 19... more The participatory creation of maps, above and beyond their interpretation, started in the late 1980s. At that time, development practitioners were inclined to adopt Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods such as sketch mapping ) rather than the more complex and time consuming scale mapping. Preference was given to eliciting local knowledge and building on local dynamics to facilitate communication between insiders (e.g. villagers) and outsiders (e.g. researchers, government officials, etc.). This approach placed little emphasis on charting courses of action that would enable ordinary people to interact efficiently with policymakers (Rambaldi 2005). The situation was further compounded by state control of aerial photography, satellite imagery and large-scale topographic maps under the pretext of national security concerns.
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Papers by Peter Kyem