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Potential of Participatory Geographic Information System to Build Environmental Information Ecosystem and Claim Environmental Justice: A Research Agenda for Fisherfolk Community in Bangladesh

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Information for a Better World: Normality, Virtuality, Physicality, Inclusivity (iConference 2023)

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Abstract

A participatory geographic information system (GIS) is a process through which disadvantaged groups can access geospatial information technologies and techniques to enhance their capacity to generate, manage, analyze, and communicate different spatial information. Environmental information regarding climate change impacts, natural disasters, access to natural resources, and ecological degradation are significant for nature-dependent disadvantaged groups in developing climate-vulnerable countries, making participatory GIS relevant. These groups can also use such information to claim environmental justice at local, national, and global levels since their marginalization is due to unequal exploitation of ecological resources by more powerful groups. The fisherfolk community in Bangladesh is a nature-dependent disadvantaged, unorganized working group where participatory GIS could be relevant to build an environmental information ecosystem for them to claim environmental justice. However, since fisherfolks lack participation in the policymaking process due to a lack of information, motivation, organization, and digital inclusion impacted by their socio-economic status, participatory GIS may not work without understanding the enabling socio-economic factors. Therefore, this short research paper aims to set a research agenda for participatory action research by exploring the potential of a participatory geographic information system since academic literature has not adequately focused on this issue.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia

    Md Khalid Hossain & Misita Anwar

Authors
  1. Md Khalid Hossain
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  2. Misita Anwar
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Correspondence to Md Khalid Hossain .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. iSchool Organization, Berlin, Germany

    Isaac Sserwanga

  2. Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand

    Anne Goulding

  3. University of Missouri, Chicago, IL, USA

    Heather Moulaison-Sandy

  4. University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia

    Jia Tina Du

  5. University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    António Lucas Soares

  6. Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia

    Viviane Hessami

  7. University of Tennessee at Knoxville, Knoxville, TN, USA

    Rebecca D. Frank

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Hossain, M.K., Anwar, M. (2023). Potential of Participatory Geographic Information System to Build Environmental Information Ecosystem and Claim Environmental Justice: A Research Agenda for Fisherfolk Community in Bangladesh. In: Sserwanga, I., et al. Information for a Better World: Normality, Virtuality, Physicality, Inclusivity. iConference 2023. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13972. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28032-0_37

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-28032-0_37

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