Evaluation of WhoData.org as an applied Public Participation Geographical Information System (PPGIS)

Recent advancements in the application of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in planning theory and practice are in direct response to a growing awareness among planners for the need to increase public participation in the processes involved in neighborhood and community planning. (NCGIS, 1996) Public Participation Geographical Information System (PPGIS) focuses on the social implications of how people, space, and environment are represented in GIS (Seiber, 2006). The use of PPGIS has shifted with improved community access to tools and talent which were, along with funding, significant barriers to implementation. In 2009, WhoData.org was created to meet the needs of a post-Hurricane Katrina environment where access to current blight data was available for public consumption. WhoData.org has achieved success in partnering with leaders and stakeholders across public, private, and nonprofit sectors by expanding PPGIS to quality of life indicator research and reporting. This research project is focused on (1) How or does WhoData follow the modern PPGIS model? How can the impact be measured? and (2) In what ways has WhoData improved or increased community engagement through citizen participation (crowdsourcing), and expanded the various actors and agencies involved in neighborhood planning decisions? The research will employ a hybrid mixed method approach using survey and archival data paired with qualitative research from public, academic and community organizations who have participated or used WhoData PPGIS. While this research is on-going, preliminary findings will serve to evaluate whether WhoData.org can be considered an innovative resource for planning decision-making by using spatial research and analysis