GEOG 453/491 - Tools for Advanced Level Geography Course Projects (2008)

Date Started: 

2008

Date Completed: 

2008

Year: 

2008

Synopsis: Professors Canessa and Burnett hoped for supports for teaching Coastal and Marine Resources II (453) and Indigenous Geographies (491) respectively. In past terms, students have conducted participatory mapping exercises as part of their final projects. Here we try to give some supports for projects of this kind.

Possible Courses: 453 and 491 Indigenous Geographies

Learning Outcomes: These are genral supports and no specific learning outcomes are intended from the material collected here.

Suggestions:

"There is no standard or set methodology for community mapping. In Lydon’s, Community Mapping: The Recovery (and Discovery) of our Common Ground (2003), a general methodology is outlined." This quotation comes from Chorney, T. 2007. Community Mapping of the Tofino Mudflats With the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, GEOG453 Coastal and Marine Resources II Final Project Report (see attached file below).

Students interested in community mapping projects should start by reading Lydon, M. 2003. Community Mapping. The Recovery (and Discovery) of our Common Ground. Available from Ken Josephson (SS&M B209, 2507217343).

Mapping Our Common Ground suggests the following steps in Community Green Mapmaking (p.4.10):

  1. Aims: why are you* are doing the work (*you = your community!)
  2. Questions: what are you seeking to learn or present about your community
  3. Needs: what does your mapping team need to answer these questions? (Information / Resources)
  4. Outreach: how will you involve your community in pooling knowledge?
  5. Compiling: how will you bring the information together and prioritize the results?
  6. Products: how will you illustrate you findings?
  7. Launch: how will you spread your illustration?
  8. Renewal: start asking fresh questions at 1 above!

Students who wish to make projects centred on community engagement using maps

Possible Supports Using the Web:

There are several ways to use web-tools for community projects. Here are three suggestions:

  1. Create a map in Google Maps and share the map with your mapping team.
  2. Create a green map for your community you are studying using the Open Green Map system.
  3. Build a Drupal Geobrowser webmap like the one we use for the UVic Community Green Map.

Associated Projects: 

Project Status: 

Associated Curriculum: