Community Mapping

Both a Process and a Product

There are no formal rules determining the process of community mapping. But a number of recognizable steps do exist. A community usually (a) self-identifies, (b) agrees to engage in mapping itself as a community, (c) identifies the primary ‘action’ or purpose for mapping, (d) decides what information to collect, (e) completes information gathering, (f) analyzes the information focusing on the ‘action’ under consideration, (g) organizes and analyzes the information so that it can be meaningfully and effectively communicated and (h) uses the information strategically and as planned to achieve action.

The product of community mapping often includes an actual map to organize and communicate the information gathered. These maps can be hand drawn and abstract. Today, we more commonly see output in the form of highly sophisticated digital maps capitalizing on the latest in the geographic information sciences, digital multimedia and web-based cartography. Contrary to what the label ‘community mapping’ suggests, an actual map is not essential. The product can equally be written documents, tables and graphs or other media forms, including oral narratives. The outcome often is a combination of all the above.

In community mapping, the journey is as important as reaching the destination. The process of community mapping helps bring a community together to work on a common cause. The process facilitates sharing of insights about assets, attitudes, values and beliefs. The information products generated facilitate recording what was shared as well as communicating this to outsiders. The combination of process and product has the capacity to empower the community by making it better prepared to stand up against and/or negotiate with outside interests.

Applications and Uses

Community mapping has been employed for a variety of purposes ranging from natural resource inventories and bio-regional mapping to crime fighting and efforts to alleviate urban poverty. It has been used to support many different goals, including community building, planning, conservation, advocacy and reform. Examples of communities engaged in community mapping can be found all over the world. Using ‘community-mapping images’ as a web search query leads to web images of community-mapping products from across the globe. Clicking on any of the icons tells the story behind each initiative. Community mapping ranges from grass-roots efforts undertaken in isolation by a single community to highly organized global efforts, for example, Green Map, which has engaged over 800 communities in 65 countries to map green living, nature and culture.

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