The University’s Role in Fostering Spatial Citizenship

Laxmi Ramasubramanian, PhD, AICPPresident

University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)

A little bit about me & my work

Digital Technologies & Web Apps

Planning Activities & Processes

Socio-Political &

Institutional Contexts

Citizenship; Digital Citizenship

Citizenship is a status that is bestowed upon those who are full members of a community

- T. H. Marshall, 1949

Digital citizenship is the ability to participate in society online

Digital citizens:• Use technology frequently;• Use technology for political information to fulfill their civic

obligations;• Use technology at work for economic gain

- Karen Mossberger, Caroline Tolbert, and Ramona McNeal, 2008

What is Spatial Citizenship?

Who is a Spatial Citizen?

- Adapted from T. Jekel, and I.Gryl, 2012

active participation

technicalcompetency

communicationcompetency

situational assessment

competency

methodologicalcompetency

spatial data and its representations

An individual who has the motivation, knowledge, skills, and competencies to access and reason with geo-information in order to participate in democratic processes

- Adapted from I. Gryl, T. Jekel, and K. Donert, 2010

VOTESCOPE NYChttp://votescope.usNathan Storey

SANDY STORIEShttps://sandystories.crowdmap.com/

Lauren Masseria

VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIEShttp://google.org/crisismap/2012-sandy-nyc

Alyssa Pichardo

November 1: Map created by AlyssaNovember 2: 50,000 people had viewed the mapNovember 2: Google.org contacted Alyssa November 3: Alyssa’s map added to the Google Superstorm Sandy NYC Crisis Map. 

Benefits of Spatial Citizenship• Problem solving & problem posing• Integrating qualitative and quantitative info• Promotes civic involvement• Geo-spatial solutions that are:

– Purpose-built;– Place-based solutions;– Developed in real time or in near real time;– Collaboratively;– At relatively low cost;– Respectful of local knowledge and experience;– Useful to different types of publics/ end users

Universities and GIS Adoption

• Amazing richness, where GIS can be found on an individual university campus;

• Many new academic departments; • More service roles for GIS on campuses • GIS is being extensively used to

– support community mapping activities (38%), – planning and emergency preparedness (36%),

and – data and services hosting (26%).

Moving Forward

• Challenges like sustainability, climate change, human rights and so on…

• Cannot focus solely on analysis, we have to use our knowledge and skills to synthesize, integrate, and communicate...

• University educators must take some responsibility for creating spatially aware citizens

Realizing the Promise

• Information sharing across disciplinary boundaries• Illustrating different dimensions of change• Visualizing/Integrating multiple opinions and

perspectives• Provides alternative ways of exploring data• Facilitating real time planning and decision-making• Improving participatory processes• Building community memory

Thanks!Questions?

Contact: laxmi@hunter.cuny.edu