Reflections on Participative Geographical Information Systems (pgis) and social cartography

Abstract

Participative Geographical Information Systems-pGIS need to be reviewed in regards to their repercussions for the concept of space, new representations and the access to geographic spatial information. In Colombia, the research group Space, Technology and Participation (Estepa, for its Spanish initials) was created in order to analyze these topics. This paper intends to socialize, from the group’s work, some reflections on the pertinence, functionality and conceptualization of participative GIS and social cartography in Colombia. Here, the conception of GIS as a tool to manage the Euclidean space is reconsidered, under a perspective that includes other type of knowledge, that is non-Euclidean cartography. Finally, this paper shows the need of creating a culture of participative democratic information, one that leads to the recognition of other essential elements for its use, access and interpretation, related to the empowerment of local communities.

Keywords

• SIG participativo
• cartografía social
• cartografía
• convencional
• democratización de la información.