Democratising GIS : progress and prospects for Australian cities

Peter Herborn

    Research output: Chapter in Book / Conference PaperConference Paper

    Abstract

    ![CDATA[One of the important trends in the governance of Australian cities in the last decade has been the diffusion of geographic information systems in local government. This paper explores the engagement of GIS with participatory and democratic styles of urban governance in theory and practice in Australian cities. In the last decade the face of GIS has changed. It has moved from the backroom technical part of the office to the public arena and World Wide Web. In the UK this trend has been actively fostered by the goal of electronic government in 2005 (Office of Deputy Prime Minister, UK). The technology can contribute to the technical, business and governance dimensions of local government. GIS has roots in the technical mapping and drafting functions of local government. It has been a technical tool for managing complex spatial data. GIS is also a database management system, contributing to the efficient management of cadastral databases and rating systems. More recently GIS has been used to provide information to the public and to facilitate participation in planning. Web-based GIS has facilitated public access to local government information and enabled new forms of participation in planning. This paper is based the results of survey and focus group research in Western Sydney on the application and translation of GIS in the context of participatory styles of local government planning. It examines the prospects for the democratisation of GIS against the background of the multicultural reality of the contemporary Australian city.]]
    Original languageEnglish
    Title of host publicationProceedings of the State of Australian Cities National Conference, held at Carlton Hotel, Parramatta, NSW, 3-5 December 2003.
    PublisherUniversity of Western Sydney
    Number of pages1
    Publication statusPublished - 2003
    EventState of Australian Cities Conference -
    Duration: 26 Nov 2013 → …

    Conference

    ConferenceState of Australian Cities Conference
    Period26/11/13 → …

    Keywords

    • Australia
    • city planning
    • urban policy
    • Western Sydney (N.S.W.)
    • geographic information systems
    • urban living
    • population
    • New South Wales
    • local government
    • Centre for Western Sydney

    Fingerprint

    Dive into the research topics of 'Democratising GIS : progress and prospects for Australian cities'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

    Cite this