In this paper the author discusses how well participatory geographic information tools support or detract from good governance in terms of participation and legitimacy of ownership. According to him GI technology should give voice to local people by putting them and their local (spatial) knowledge on an equal footing with external experts and decision-makers. An 'empowerment functionality' in P-GIS would strengthen the validity of P-GIS application.
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Participatory-GIS (P-GIS) and Participatory-mapping (P-mapping) have experienced a couple of decades of applications in Participatory Spatial Planning (PSP), whether manifested as community-based NRM, participatory neighbourhood planning, Bioregional Mapping (Canada) or Land Literacy (Kerala) and others. The purpose behind using P-GIS have been categorised as aimed at: [1]
I. Claiming Our Land - Legal recognition of customary land rights and demarcating communities:
- identifying areas of occupancy and use
- prioritising land claims
- preparing for court procedures
II. Management of territory and land and bio-resource systems.
III. Dealing with group conflicts over land and resources.
IV. Mapping equity and inequalities.
V. 'Building community', leading towards 'empowerment'.
Participation is but one element among the criteria of 'good governance' which should be demanded of the approaches and tools applied in effective PSP. [2] Accountability is the mainstay of ‘good governance’ and can be expressed in terms of the transparency of government (i.e. open government decisions, policies), the accountability mechanisms, and the responsiveness of the 'governing' to the 'governed'. (McCall 2003). But, 'accountability' as open government is not the end in itself; accountability is a means towards higher-level purposes of:
- Legitimacy and Participation: Empowerment
- Respect for Rights: for Land; for Indigenous Knowledge
- Equity (not simply equality): Gendered Space; Community Management of P-GIS
- Competence and Effectiveness
