Teaching Geographical Information Handling Skills for Lower‐income Countries

Abstract

Geographical Information Systems are seen by many as a quick`fix' for the problems of lower-income countries and people in those countries have been encouraged to adopt this perception, along with the technology. As teachers of students from LICs, we seek to avoid reproducing a contextless transfer of technical skills and rather aim to promote an education based on the limitations of the technology and on the nature and construction of information. While identifying GIS as one of many components of`geographical information', we emphasise the importance of including`non-GIS' staff in the education process. We advocate a`problem-posing' approach to the teaching of`Geographical Information for Development' and discuss some of the challenges which this raises, both for teachers and students.

Participatory mapping of target areas to enable operational larval source management to suppress malaria vector mosquitoes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

“…In the operational context of malaria control Dar es Salaam, this rather basic but straightforward way of applying GIS is advantageous, as resources in terms of available data and expert personnel are limited. The same tendency has also been observed for lower-income countries in general [ 41 ], and accessing such limited resources can be a challenge in itself.…”

Mapping whose reality? Geographic information systems (GIS) and “wild science”

“…Nonetheless it remains unclear whether the propensity for collaboration in any given setting is indeed affected by the existing power structure (e.g. Kyem, 2004;Dunn et al, 1999), or whether, as the CLAMS case suggests, these same power structures will themselves be affected as familiarity with the technology generates confidence among non-scientist, map-using stakeholders, to bring their own perspectives to the table.…”

“…(2004: 149) Thus we find the nature of the technology itself, entwined with the characteristics of the technocracies that embrace it, tending always to support existing power structures (Kyem, 2004;Dunn et al, 1999). For example, "community-based PGIS organizations are resource poor and often need to conform to pre-set data standards of software models and to the views and dictates of external experts" (Kyem, 2004: 6), and "GIS has to date served the interests of the 'upper circuit' of knowledge, which is dominated by urban-based, formally educated, instrumentally-orientated elites, with the ability to make capitalintensive investments to reproduce and further enhance their initial advantage" (Dunn et al, 1999: 328).…”

GIS in Participatory Research: Assessing the Impact of Landmines on Communities in North‐west Cambodia

“…The present case study represents an approach based on 'GIS in participatory research' (Abbot et al 1998) through a Participatory Mine Impact Assessment (PMIA), rather than a true participatory GIS. We see our approach as a small step towards using GIS to provide access to geographical information (if not GIS per se) 'for the lower circuit' of knowledge: the rural (and urban) poor, rather than merely for the 'upper circuit' domain populated by hi-tech, information-and capital-rich, 'experts' (Dunn et al 1999). We now describe the study area in more detail before discussing the methodological approach that we adopted.…”