This document summarizes participatory GIS (P-GIS) and its use in mapping coastal resource use. P-GIS involves communities in creating maps of resources, hazards, and land use to inform decision-making. It was used in Hawaii to map coastal activities like fishing and diving to understand overlaps and impacts. Workshops identified areas of general and dominant use, which were compiled into maps, a report, and online viewer to guide conservation planning.

1. Participatory GIS in Action
Jamie Carter, Kalisi Mausio, and Christine Feinholz

2. Participatory Mapping
Many synonyms:
• Public Participation GIS (PPGIS)
• Participatory GIS (P-GIS)
• Community-based mapping
• Collaborative mapping
General definition:
“Gathering and mapping spatial information to help
communities learn, discuss, build consensus, and make
decisions about their communities and associated
resources.”

3. How P-GIS is Used
• To create maps that represent resources, hazards, community
values, usage, perceptions, or alternative scenarios
• To gather traditional knowledge and practices
• To identify data gaps
• To inform other data collection methods
• To evaluate existing programs, plans, and activities
• To facilitate the decision-making process
• To assist with data gathering for research
• To empower stakeholders
• To conduct trends analysis
• To educate stakeholders about issues and interrelationships of
resources outside their immediate areas of concern

4. Participatory Mapping Process
Data Collection
Data Synthesis
Tools & Products
 Identify and recruit
experts & stakeholders
 Preliminary meetings  Compile GIS data  Create maps &
 Convene workshops  Review workshop notes visualization tools
 Facilitate mapping  Build maps & metadata  Compile project report
 Collect spatial data  Seek feedback & revise  Build web products

5. P-GIS Technology Package
GIS Software and Data:
• ArcGIS and preconfigured map
documents
• Preconfigured geodatabase
schemas
• Ancillary data (e.g. imagery,
boundaries, place names)
Hardware:
• Laptops, hard drives,
projectors, video, etc.
Interactive Tools:
• Digital whiteboard
• Tablet or pen display

6. NOAA PSC P-GIS in the Pacific
• Community Resilience Mapping (Waipio)
• Restoration Planning (He’eia)
• Coastal Use Mapping (Hawai’i, Maui)

7. Hawaii Coral Program
“Reduce key anthropogenic threats to two priority
near-shore coral reef sites.”
For effective management to take place, we must
understand:
• How the area is used
• Who uses the area
• Where the different uses take place
• How uses overlap
• Potential impacts of management activities
Geospatial data and decision-support tools required
to inform and improve future management actions

8. West Maui Project Goals
Data and tools to better visualize and understand:
• Types of human activities taking place within the
region
• Spatial distribution of human use
• Intensity of human uses in different locations
• Overlap of different uses
• Seasonal elements of activities
• Potential use impacts and/or conflicts
• Other aspects of human coastal and watershed
activities

9. West Maui Project Area
• Focus on human
uses and activities
from Honolua to
Wahikuli, from the
coast to 3 miles off-
shore
• Afterwards, combine
coastal and marine
information with
relevant watershed
information to
understand links

10. Participatory Mapping Process
Data Collection
Data Synthesis
Tools & Products
 Identify and recruit
experts & stakeholders
 Preliminary meetings  Compile GIS data  Create maps &
 Convene workshops  Review workshop notes visualization tools
 Facilitate mapping  Build maps & metadata  Compile project report
 Collect spatial data  Seek feedback & revise  Build web products

11. West Maui Coastal Uses
NON-EXTRACTIVE: EXTRACTIVE:
Commercial diving and snorkeling Free diving and scuba-based
Commercial boating and mammal harvesting
watching Pole and line fishing from shore
Thrill craft and high speed activities Pole and line fishing from boat
Recreational diving and snorkeling Aquarium collecting
Surfing Bait netting
Camping Throw nets
Non-motorized, non-commercial Net fishing from boat
boating Net fishing from shore or nearshore
Swimming Shoreline and nearshore gleaning
and gathering

12. Use Levels
General Use Footprint :
Areas where the use is known to occur with some regularity regardless
of its frequency or intensity. Does not include areas where the use may
occur once or twice or might occur in the future.
Dominant Use Areas:
Areas routinely used by most users most of the time. Dominant use
areas must be drawn within the general use footprint.
Supplemental Use Information:
Relevant non-spatial information about each use (seasonal patterns,
specific events relating to the activity, day vs. night activity, etc.). Some of
this information will be shown on the mapbook.

13. Workshop Participant Summary
• 47 participants over 3 days
• 5 mapping groups
• 31 resource stewards
• 14 fishermen
• 12 tourism industry experts
• 9 watermen / women
• 7 managers
• 7 educators
• 6 cultural practitioners
• 4 scientists
• 5 local business owners (with ties to marine resources)

14. Participatory Mapping Process
Data Collection
Data Synthesis
Tools & Products
 Identify and recruit
experts & stakeholders
 Preliminary meetings  Compile GIS data  Create maps &
 Convene workshops  Review workshop notes visualization tools
 Facilitate mapping  Build maps & metadata  Compile project report
 Collect spatial data  Seek feedback & revise  Build web products

15. Coastal Uses Post-Processing
Recreational Diving and Snorkeling
General Original Drawings
Dominant
Simple overlay shows
greater inter-group
agreement where colors
are more opaque

16. Coastal Uses Post-Processing
Recreational Diving and Snorkeling
General
Dominant Original Drawings
Drawing artifacts
Remove land

17. Coastal Uses Post-Processing
Post-processed maps
• Removed land areas
• Cleaned drawing artifacts
• Extended and trimmed areas
based on participant notes
In this example, one workshop mapped
this use as occurring out to 150 ft. depth.

18. Coastal Uses Post-Processing
Mesh Overlay
• 100 meter hexagons
• Hexagons are better
than squares for
mapping curves, like
coastlines

19. Coastal Uses Post-Processing
Final Maps - General
• All workshops
mapped

20. Coastal Uses Post-Processing
Recreational DivingMapped
Number of Workshops and Snorkeling
11 DOMINANT AREAS
22
Final Maps – Dominant
33
44
55 • Thresholding – the sum
of the number of
workshops that
identified an area within
each hexagon.
• 50% or more
workshops must have
agreed on areas.

21. Participatory Mapping Process
Data Collection
Data Synthesis
Tools & Products
 Identify and recruit
experts & stakeholders
 Preliminary meetings  Compile GIS data  Create maps &
 Convene workshops  Review workshop notes visualization tools
 Facilitate mapping  Build maps & metadata  Compile project report
 Collect spatial data  Seek feedback & revise  Build web products

22. Coastal Uses Map Book

23. Example: Hawaii Coastal Use Viewer
http://www.mpa.gov/dataanalysis/hi_coastal_use/viewer/

24. Project Outcomes
• Results will feed into the
West Maui Watershed Plan
• Site-specific Conservation
Action Planning (CAP)
• Future management
planning, monitoring,
decision making

25. Project Sponsors and
Collaborators
• Primary funding from:
– HI Coral Program Fisheries LAS
– NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)
• Project partners/collaborators:
– Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR)
– NOAA Pacific Islands Regional Office (PIRO)
– NOAA Pacific Services Center (PSC)
• Staff support from:
– NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center
– NOAA OCRM, MPA Center