Spatial Data Access by the Grassroots (Public Participation Geographic Information Systems‪)‬

Introduction Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) explore the normative avenues by which GIS can engage more and diverse members of society in public policy making (Schroeder 1996). (1) Researchers have demonstrated that in the PPGIS process, access to geographic information/technology is embedded in local organizational and political contexts and in broader societal milieus (see for example, the URISA Journal double issue on access and participatory approaches, published in 2003). Whereas the concept has received intense scrutiny, PPGIS scholars have diverged on its definition. Access has been variously characterized as information about the policy-making process, admittance to participation in that process, acquisition of raw digital data being used to craft policy, provision of data by government institutions to the public, and the ability to submit information into official data sets (Leituer et al. 2000; Laituri 2003; Smith and Craglia 2003; Tulloch and Shapiro 2003). Access to information about the process compared to access to the raw data suggest that differences exist even in the degree of access that is considered necessary to constitute a PPGIS endeavor.