Public participation GIS (PPGIS) is a kind of spatial data that is collected through map-based surveys in which participants create map features and express their experiences and opinions associated ...with various places. PPGIS is widely used in urban and environmental research. PPGIS is often implemented through online surveys and points are the most common mapped features. PPGIS data provide invaluable experiential spatial knowledge. Nevertheless, collection of this data for purely methodological purposes may be costly and unnecessary. Therefore, we developed a context-aware method that can learn from previously collected PPGIS data and create a realistic dataset that can be used for methodological development purposes. The synthetic data can be generated for any desired geographical extent in both 2D and 3D, i.e. with Z coordinates. The latter is particularly important as 3D PPGIS is an emerging frontier and limited infrastructures currently exist for collection of such data. Hence, while the relevant technology is developing, spatial analytical developments can also advance using such synthetic data. This method:•Learns from existing 2D and 3D PPGIS data in relation to the geographical context.•Creates a reates a realistic and context-aware simulated PPGIS point dataset.•The paper concludes by addressing the limitations and envisioning future research directions.
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We review public participation GIS (PPGIS) and participatory GIS (PGIS) approaches for ecosystem services to identify current and best practice. PPGIS/PGIS are spatially explicit methods that have ...evolved over the past decade to identify a range of ecosystem services. Although PPGIS/PGIS methods demonstrate high potential for the identification of ecosystem services, especially cultural services, there has been no review to evaluate the methods to identify best practice. Through examination of peer-reviewed, empirical PPGIS/PGIS studies, we describe the types of ecosystem services mapped, the spatial mapping methods, the sampling approaches and range of participants, the types of spatial analyses performed, and the methodological trade-offs associated with each PPGIS/PGIS mapping approach. We found that multiple methods were implemented in nearly 30 case studies worldwide with the mapping of cultural and provisioning services being most common. There was little evidence that mapped ecosystem data was used for actual decision support in land use planning. Best practice has yet to coalesce in this field that has been dominated by methodological pluralism and case study research. We suggest greater use of experimental design and long-term case studies where the influence of mapped ecosystem services on land use decisions can be assessed.
•Reviews nearly 30 case studies of participatory mapping of ecosystem services.•Mapped cultural ecosystem services using sampled regional population most common.•Little evidence of mapped ecosystem data being used for land use decision support.•Best practice yet to solidify in research dominated by multiple methods and case studies.•Systematic experimentation and longer-term case studies needed to advance knowledge.
ABSTRACTWhat cultural ecosystem services (CES) do people perceive in their immediate surroundings, and what sensory experiences are linked to these ecosystem services? And how are these CES and ...experiences expressed in natural language? In this study, we used data generated through a gamified application called Window Expeditions, where people uploaded short descriptions of landscapes they were able to experience through their windows during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used a combination of annotation, close reading and distant reading using natural language processing and graph analysis to extract CES and sensory experiences and link these to biophysical landscape elements. In total, 272 users contributed 373 descriptions in English across more than 40 countries. Of the cultural ecosystem services, recreation was the most prominently described, followed by heritage, identity and tranquility. Descriptions of sensory experiences focused on the visual but also included auditory experiences and touch and feel. Sensory experiences and cultural ecosystem services varied according to biophysical landscape elements, with, for example, animals being more associated with sound and touch/feel and heritage being more associated with moving objects and the built environment. Sentiments also varied across the senses, with the visual being more strongly associated with positive experiences than other senses. This study showed how a hybrid approach combining manual analysis and natural language processing can be productively applied to landscape descriptions generated by members of the public, and how CES on everyday lived landscapes can be extracted from such data sources.
Public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) is a facilitated Volunteered Geographic Information approach and data collection method that aims to capture the spatial experiences of ...individuals. Although we experience the space around us three-dimensionally, altitude, as the third dimension, has been often absent from PPGIS research and practice. This is largely because of the complexity of implementing surveys in 3D but can also be attributed to a lack of analytical preparedness for using such data. This study complements 3D PPGIS data collected from a pilot study of the Aninkainen block in Turku, Finland with synthetic, i.e. artificially manufactured, data to propose an analytical framework for the study of 3D PPGIS data. The analytical framework divides methods based on the geographical scale into two groups: micro- and macro-scale analysis. In this framework, we propose the use of geospatial metrics to analyze 3D PPGIS data. We argue that while this multidisciplinary area of research is in its infancy, use of intuitive 3D adapted geometric and landscape metrics can help overcome some of complexities associated with use of this emerging participatory data. We conclude by outlining the limitations and envisioning areas for future research.
The human relationship with nature is a topic that has been explored throughout human history. More recently, the idea of connection to nature has merged as an important transdisciplinary field of ...study. Despite increased scholarly attention to connection to nature, the notion of disconnection from nature remains undertheorized and understudied.
In this perspective article, we argue for a more comprehensive understanding of disconnection from nature to strengthen theories of human‐nature relationships that goes beyond individual relationships and considers social and collective factors of disconnection, including institutional, socio‐cultural and power dimensions.
Drawing on case insights, we present the ‘wheel of disconnection’ to illustrate how disconnections from nature manifest across individual or societal meaning‐making processes, thereby problematizing existing research that seeks to create dualisms between human positive and negative impacts on the environment in isolation from cultural or political contexts.
We do not seek to discount research or important practical efforts to foster an individual's connection to nature by elevating disconnection. Instead, we hope that creating greater awareness and understanding of disconnection will be able to guide opportunities going forward for strengthening a connection to nature along a continuum from the individual to the social.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Multifunctional landscapes provide critical benefits and are essential for human well‐being. The relationship between multifunctional landscapes and well‐being has mostly been studied using ecosystem ...services as a linkage. However, there is a challenge of concretizing what human well‐being exactly is and how it can be measured, particularly in relation to ecosystem services, landscape values and related discussions.
In this paper, we measure self‐reported well‐being through applying an inductive free‐listing approach to the exploration of the relationships between landscape multifunctionality and human well‐being across 13 rural and peri‐urban sites in Europe.
We developed a face‐to‐face online survey (n = 2,301 respondents) integrating subjective perceptions of well‐being (free‐listing method) with mapping perceived ecosystem service benefits (Public Participation GIS, PPGIS approach).
Applying content analysis and diverse statistical methods, we explore the links between well‐being (i.e. perceived well‐being items such as tranquillity, social relations and health) and social‐ecological properties (i.e. respondents' sociocultural characteristics and perception of ecosystem service benefits).
We identify 40 different well‐being items highlighting prominently landscape values. The items form five distinct clusters: access to services; tranquillity and social capital; health and nature; cultural landscapes; and place attachment. Each cluster is related to specific study sites and explained by certain social‐ecological properties.
Results of our inductive approach further specify pre‐defined conceptualizations on well‐being and their connections to the natural environment. Results suggest that the well‐being contributions of multifunctional landscapes are connected to therapeutic well‐being effects, which are largely neglected in the ecosystem services literature.
Our results further point to the context‐specific character of linkages between landscapes and human well‐being. The clusters highlight that landscape‐supported well‐being is related to multiple interlinked items that can inform collective visions of well‐being in the future.
For landscape planning and management, we highlight the need for place‐specific analysis and consideration of perceptions of local people to identify the contributions to their well‐being.
Future research would benefit from considering the experiential qualities of value and well‐being as they relate to direct experiences with the landscape and wider psychological needs, specifically over time.
A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
Current sustainability challenges demand approaches that acknowledge a plurality of human–nature interactions and worldviews, for which biocultural approaches are considered appropriate and timely.
...This systematic review analyses the application of biocultural approaches to sustainability in scientific journal articles published between 1990 and 2018 through a mixed methods approach combining qualitative content analysis and quantitative multivariate methods.
The study identifies seven distinct biocultural lenses, that is, different ways of understanding and applying biocultural approaches, which to different degrees consider the key aspects of sustainability science—inter‐ and transdisciplinarity, social justice and normativity.
The review suggests that biocultural approaches in sustainability science need to move from describing how nature and culture are co‐produced to co‐producing knowledge for sustainability solutions, and in so doing, better account for questions of power, gender and transformations, which has been largely neglected thus far.
A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.
In many developing countries, political documentation acknowledges the crucial elements of participation and spatiality for effective land use planning. However, operative approaches to spatial data ...inclusion and representation in participatory land management are often lacking. In this paper, we apply and develop an integrated landscape characterization approach to enhance spatial knowledge generation about the complex human–nature interactions in landscapes in the context of Zanzibar, Tanzania. We apply an integrated landscape conceptualization as a theoretical framework where the expert and local knowledge can meet in spatial context. The characterization is based on combining multiple data sources in GIS, and involves local communities and their local spatial knowledge since the beginning into the process. Focusing on the expected information needs for community forest management, our characterization integrates physical landscape features and retrospective landscape change data with place-specific community knowledge collected through participatory GIS techniques. The characterization is established in a map form consisting of four themes and their synthesis. The characterization maps are designed to support intuitive interpretation, express the inherently uncertain nature of the data, and accompanied by photographs to enhance communication. Visual interpretation of the characterization mediates information about the character of areas and places in the studied local landscape, depicting the role of forest resources as part of the landscape entity. We conclude that landscape characterization applied in GIS is a highly potential tool for participatory land and resource management, where spatial argumentation, stakeholder communication, and empowerment are critical issues.
People attach commonly approved social values subjectively to landscape. These values vary spatially and can be studied in geographical context. In sustainable management of cultural landscapes, ...social values should be taken into account as professionally as the analysis of physical landscape features. This case study applies participatory and GIS techniques in the mapping and geographical analysis of social landscape values in a multifunctional cultural landscape in Zanzibar island, Tanzania. Social landscape data were collected with single-informant interviews using participatory GIS (PGIS) techniques. Four different social landscape values (subsistence, traditional, aesthetic and leisure) were mapped on an orthophotoimage individually by 149 informants. Data were spatially and statistically analysed to construct understanding of the community level patterns of the social landscape values. Results show geographical differences between individually and collectively held values in their distribution and clustering across the landscape. These patterns reflect local culture and its interpretation of different social landscape values. Results address the importance of local stakeholder participation when spatial planning and management of multifunctional cultural landscapes are realized. The paper discusses these management implication and methodological challenges of using participatory GIS techniques in studying cultural landscapes.
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