Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 3
Evaluating Collective Effects: A Participatory
Approach to Mapping Public Information
About Water Issues in an Uncertain
and Politicized Context
Bethany B. Cutts
Abstract This chapter focuses on developing theoretically defensible and politi-
cally sensitive metrics through a participatory geographic information system
(PGIS). This is particularly useful in cases where information related to a water
governance problem is distributed across a variety of organizations in a variety of
formats. The chapter describes a participatory mapping exercise relate to public
outreach and then compare differences in available water information availability
across metropolitan Phoenix, Arizona. The PGIS process led to a different set of
outcomes than conventional approaches to GIS data collection and analysis.
Each map uses a different combination of data aggregation (census tract, zip
code, or distance buffer) and accounting method (a count or an economic proxy).
This accommodates diverse data sources and participant concerns while also
addressing conventional GIS concerns like the modifiable aerial unit problem.
Keywords GIS • Water use • Participatory mapping • Urban areas
3.1 The Role of Pubic Information in Water Management
In the arid southwest of the United States, as in many other regions, populations
growth and climate change present dual challenges to water supply and water quality
science and policy. Over the past 150 years, there has been a strong motivation to
displace the desert with water intensive agricultural and domestic landscapes. This
led to substantial overdrafts on many aquifers, damming on all but one major river,
and construction of open canals to channel Colorado River water uphill over
