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Work towards agreement of which ones would be most relevant and how to overcome their
potential drawbacks.
Develop a plan for using the identified tools, including roles and responsibilities of those involved,
timelines, budgets, and monitoring.
When using the tools, encourage broad participation and opportunities for gaining new skills,
particularly amongst youth.
Ensure sufficient opportunities for the wider community to provide input to the maps and verify
the information before finalization. Depending on the sensitivity of the information, the maps
should be kept in safe places and perhaps under the care of an authorized person.
Table 9: Participatory resource mapping tools and their potential uses (Source: IAPAD)
Participatory Mapping Tool Description
Benefits and Drawbacks
Transect diagram
Simple, low-cost, no expertise needed,
easily adapted for community use.
Provides broad-level information. Not
useful when accuracy is required.
Sketch map
Sketch map overlaid on
topographic or satellite map
CyberTracker
Global Positioning Systems
(GPS) and Geographic
Information Systems (GIS)
3-dimensional modeling
Depicts the location and distribution of
resources, geographic features of the
landscape or seascape, main land uses
and zones, and constraints and
opportunities along a specific path or
route known as a ‘transect’.
Informal way to plot information on the
occurrence, distribution, access, and use
of resources within a community’s
territory or area. Useful alongside other
tools such as transect diagrams.
Facilitator should understand the social
structure and have good rapport.
Transposes information from a sketch
map onto an existing conventional
topographic map to generate a
relatively precise scaled output.
Illustrate local change over time
(topographic base map remains the
same). Serves as basis for dialogue and
joint planning with external actors.
Free software for handheld GPSenabled computers, used to record
observations with customized icons.
Used for monitoring natural resources
and recording locations of culturally
important sites.
Identify coordinates of boundaries,
perimeters, or locations. Data is
recording with handheld GPS devices,
stored in digital format, and used to
produce maps with geo-referenced
information.
Combines people’s knowledge of land
uses, boundaries, and important sites
with elevation contours (GPS and GIS
technology) to produce a scaled 3-D
model. Diverse applications, including
recognition of customary rights and
territories, education, participatory
planning and research, monitoring and
evaluation, and conflict resolution.
Simple, low-cost, no expertise needed,
easily adapted for use in all ecosystems
and different levels of detail. Spatially
confined and biased to the domain of
whoever develops it. May not be taken
seriously by officials for formal
management purposes.
Enables recognition of locally important
resources (names, location, extent,
etc.). Computerized format more likely
to be officially recognized.
Topographical maps may not be easily
available, accessible, or fully
representative of local realities.
Easy to customize freeware, paperless
data collection reduces errors and
waste, immediate mapping and easy
export for analysis. Handheld
computers may be inhibitive cost.
Provides accurate data with high
potential for official recognition. Often
interests youth. Equipment may be
inhibitive cost. Requires external
technical input and training to use
equipment.
Builds community identity, pride, and
shared vision. Adaptable for many
purposes. High potential for tangible
outcomes if used effectively. Requires
time, effort, and participation to
construct.