Participatory Geographic Information Systems (GIS): A Critical Methodological Approach for Urban Social Work Research

Kristi Roybal

doi:10.1921/swssr.v22i3.1759

Authors

Kristi Roybal Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1274-5240

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1921/swssr.v22i3.1759

Keywords:

participatory research;, urban neighborhoods, health, GIS, social work

Abstract

This paper explores the utility of participatory GIS as a methodological approach for urban social work research focused on socioeconomically disadvantaged neighborhoods and resident health and well-being. The discussion begins with a brief overview of social work’s person-in-environment framework and the historical use of mapping in social work research and practice. Participatory GIS is then outlined and evaluated in the context of social work values and critical social work scholarship. Finally, consideration is given to the steps social work researchers can take to develop GIS skills and integrate participatory GIS into their community-based scholarship.

References

Addams, J. (1990) Twenty Years at Hull-House. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press

American Public Health Association. (2006) Reducing Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Preterm and Low Birthweight Births. [Accessed 8 May 2018 at https://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2014/07/18/10/01/reducing-racial-ethnic-and-socioeconomic-disparities-in-preterm-and-low-birthweight-births]

Boston College. (2018) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) as a Social Work Tool. [Accessed 18 May 2018 at https://libguides.bc.edu/swgis/tutorials]

Branom, C. (2012) Community-based participatory research as a social work research and intervention approach. Journal of Community Practice, 20, 3, 260-273

Braveman, P., Cubbin, C., Egerter, S. and Pedregon, V. (2011a) Neighborhoods and health. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation [Accessed 11 May 2018 at https://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/issue_briefs/2011/rwjf70450]

Braveman, P., Egerter, S. and Williams, D.R. (2011b) The social determinants of health: Coming of age. Annual Review of Public Health, 31, 381-398

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2016) GIS and Public Health at CDC. [Accessed 27 May 2018 at https://www.cdc.gov/gis/index.htm]

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017) Social Determinants of Health: Know what Affects Health. [Accessed 8 May 2018 at https://www.cdc.gov/socialdeterminants/]

Cromley, E. and McLafferty, S. (2012) GIS and Public Health (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Guilford Press

Dennis, S., Jr., Gaulocher, S., Carpiano, R. and Brown, D. (2009) Participatory photo mapping (PPM): Exploring an integrated method for health and place research with young people. Health and Place, 15, 466-473

Dunn, C. (2007) Participatory GIS—a people’s GIS? Progress in Human Geography, 31, 5, 616-637

Edmonds, A., Braveman, P., Arkin, E. and Jutte, D. (2015) Making the Case for Linking Community Development and Health: A Resource for Those Working to Improve Low-Income Communities and the Lives of People Living in Them. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. [Accessed 12 May 2018 at http://www.buildhealthyplaces.org/content/uploads/2015/10/making_the_case_090115.pdf]

Elwood, S. (2006a) Critical issues in participatory GIS: Deconstructions, reconstructions, and new research directions. Transactions in GIS, 10, 5, 693-708

Elwood, S. (2006b) Negotiating knowledge production: The everyday inclusions, exclusions, and contradictions of participatory GIS research. The Professional Geographer, 58, 2, 197-208

Esri. (2018) Esri Training Catalog. [Accessed 04 May 2018 at https://www.esri.com/training/catalog/]

Felke, T. (2014) Building capacity for the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in social work planning, practice, and research. Journal of Technology in Human Services, 32, 81-92

Gray, M., Coates, J. and Hetherington, T. (2013) Introduction: Overview of the last ten years and typology of ESW. In M. Gray, J. Coates, and T. Hetherington (Eds.), Environmental Social Work. New York: Routledge (pp. 1-28)

Hetherington, T., and Boddy, J. (2013) Ecosocial work with marginalized populations: Time for action on climate change. In M. Gray, J. Coates, and T. Hetherington (Eds.), Environmental Social Work. New York: Routledge (pp. 46-61)

Hillier, A. (2007) Why social work needs mapping. Journal of Social Work Education, 43, 2, 205-222

Kemp, S. (2011) Recentering environment in social work practice: Necessity, opportunity, challenge. British Journal of Social Work, 41, 1198-1210

McLafferty, S. (2002) Mapping women’s worlds: Knowledge, power and the bounds of GIS. Gender, Place and Culture, 9, 3, 263-269

National Association of Social Workers. (2017) Code of Ethics. [Accessed 07 May 2018 at https://www.socialworkers.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=ms_ArtLqzeI%3dandportalid=0]

Nykiforuk, C. and Flaman, L. (2011) Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for health promotion and public health: A review. Health Promotion Practice, 12, 1, 63-73

O’Dare Wilson, K. (2016) Beyond the ecomap: GIS as a promising yet chronically underutilized method in social work. Social Work and Social Sciences Review, 18, 2, 58-66

Quantum Geographic Information Systems. (2018) QGIS: A free and Open Source Geographic Information System. [Accessed on 21 May 2018 at https://qgis.org/en/site/]

Suplee, P., Rosen Bloch, J., Hillier, A. and Herbert, T. (2018) Using geographic information systems to visualize relationships between perinatal outcomes and neighborhood

characteristics when planning community interventions. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing, 47, 158-172

Teixeira, S. (2018) Qualitative Geographic Information Systems (GIS): An untapped research approach for social work. Qualitative Social Work, 17, 1, 9-23

The Pennsylvania State University. (2018). Open education resources. https://open.ems.psu.edu