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Empowerment, Marginalization, and "Community-integrated" GIS
315
Citations
0
References
1998
Year
EducationSociety DebateSocial SciencesCommunity MappingGeographic Information SystemsCommunity BuildingCommunity GeographyCommunity ManagementCivic EngagementPublic PolicyCommunity EngagementCommunity EmpowermentUrban PlanningHistorical Geographic Information SystemsSpatial Information SystemCommunity DevelopmentVolunteered Geographic InformationGeographical Information SystemsCommunity PlanningDigital GeographyPolitical SciencePublic Participation GisSpatial Politics
GIS literature highlights political, economic, and epistemological power dynamics, and recent attention has turned to its potential to empower communities. The paper reviews the GIS and Society debate. The authors review case studies of public participation GIS and discuss the GIS‑empowerment‑marginalization nexus via the concept of community‑integrated GIS. GIS is a contradictory technology that both marginalizes and empowers, with its societal impacts depending on place‑based historical, socio‑economic, political, and technological conditions.
Abstract The "GIS and Society" literature has raised a number of critical issues concerning the political economy and epistemology of geographical information systems (GIS) and the politics and power relations associated with their use. Recently, attention has focused on the potential for GIS to help empower communities. This paper reviews the GIS and Society debate. Case studies of public participation GIS are reviewed. The GIS-empowerment-marginalization nexus is addressed through the concept of community-integrated GIS. It is argued that GIS is a contradictory technology that simultaneously marginalizes and empowers people and communities. As a result, the societal impacts of GIS are contingent upon particular configurations of place-based historical, socio-economic, political, and technological conditions.