Public participation is, as the name implies, a process that enables the “public” (may it be individuals, interest groups, or communities) to be meaningfully involved in matters that affect their lives. These include (amongst others) policy making, scientific research, urban development, and budgeting.
Some traditional examples of public participation practices are the organization of public meetings, hearings, interviews, advisory committees, etc. In all of these, the community is formally given a voice, but whether or not it’s heard is a different story. Because most of these rely on the community organizing and motivating themselves, they are highly dependant on the…
A recent study published by the CORE project concludes that having people participate in urban using online map-based surveys, or public participation GIS for a scientific term, is likely to be an integral part of planning processes in the future.
Map-based survey solutions, like Maptionnaire, enable the gathering of geographic information that is based on the experiences and perceptions of inhabitants. The collection of this local knowledge has become popular in master planning and detailed planning, as well as increasingly in the planning of transportation, landscapes and natural resources.
The study was completed in early 2018 by the Finnish Environmental…
The Apollo School in Helsinki used Maptionnaire to have high school students try out online participatory mapping as part of their geo-media class. In this advanced geography course, pupils train their geographical thinking, learn how to analyze their surroundings using a variety of methods, and how to interpret the data they gather.
The class designed a map survey to ask younger students of the school (7–9 graders) about their opinions on the most enjoyable places in Malminkartano as well as where they think actions for improvement are most badly needed. The respondents were also asked to describe what they think…
The city of Helsinki has set an ambitious aim to be the most functional city in the world. One core dimension of this vision is improving walkability in the city center.
To start a dialogue with residents about the vision, Helsinki decided to open a survey for asking how people perceived the current state of walkability in the city center and where it could be developed. Their idea was to provide an effortless way for citizens to get involved in the planning process already early on.
We were hired to co-create a Maptionnaire survey with Helsinki’s planning experts, and, after…
It’s our strong belief at Maptionnaire that the importance of location data goes hand in hand with the way such data is visualized. Informative and beautiful maps have the power to tell stories and mediate local insights to a wider public.
With our PPGIS (Public Participation GIS) tool, residents can engage in planning processes by leaving their constructive feedback to online questionnaires. This information can then be analyzed and visualized using Maptionnaire’s own, built-in, data analysis tool. The visual outcomes, i.e. …
When speaking of digital participation in the planning process, you’re essentially competing against other things that your potential respondent would rather be doing, such as liking things on Facebook or pinning latest trends on Pinterest. You obviously want the respondent to spend some time on your project providing useful insights for your work.
There are a few things you can do to make the respondents work more enjoyable and your work easier as result. Let me list a few of them:
Participation is an efficient and effortless way to gather information about citizens’ experiences, values, and opinions throughout the whole planning process. No matter if you are compiling a master plan, a detailed plan, or a more general land-use vision, read how the versatile functions of Maptionnaire could be utilized in each phase of your project (or be it any digital participatory platforms)
Early Stages
In the early stages of the planning project, the aim is usually to generate an overview of the planning area, its potential, and problems. Part of this process is also the soft data collected from the citizens on…
Maptionnaire
Maptionnaire is a map-based questionnaire tool for public participation, research projects and beyond - for any occasion when you need help with asking 'where'!
