Innovation in participatory Geographic Information Systems (PGIS) in an urban vulnerability context: a Brazil-Finland partnership for advances in socio-environmental governance

• Grant number: 17/18338-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
• Start date: February 01, 2018
• End date: May 03, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Leandro Luiz Giatti
• Grantee: Carolina Monteiro de Carvalho
• Supervisor: Anna Marketta Kytta Pirjola
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Saúde Pública (FSP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Aalto University, Finland
• Associated to the scholarship: 15/21311-0 - Participatory Geographic Information System (GIS) for social and environmental governance, BP.PD

Abstract

This postdoctoral research internship proposal aims to analyze collected data and model a Participatory Geographic Information System (PGIS) that is already being developed and applied as an innovative tool to subsidize better socio-environmental governance for the city of Guarulhos (SP). The study area is Guarulhos city, because it is located in a macrometropolitan context and develops interactions with other municipalities in relation to natural resources, especially water, and is associated with situations of socio-environmental vulnerability and crisis, needing a new approach that allows stakeholders vision integration with municipal planning, for better life conditions in the city. The objective is to promote social participation in the discussion of current socio-environmental problems and solutions through the PGIS, aiming at new proposals for municipal planning towards a more sustainable urban development integrating the local knowledge (SoftGIS) with "official" knowledge (HardGIS). The PGIS platform used in this research is Maptionnaire, developed by Aalto University and distributed by Mapita LTD, which is already being used by Guarulhos stakeholders in this project, in a multilevel scale (poor community inhabitants and municipal managers). Besides, other data source collected through participatory dynamics with stakeholders will be used to complete the PGIS. A finnish methodology of data integration regarding GIS and existing urban plans will be used, aiming to improve governance and urban development. Collected data will be analyzed and integrated in cooperation with Aalto University, and the PGIS will be modeled in its final form, to be presented to the community.