Project-based community participatory action research using geographic information technologies

The paper investigates the effects of a project-based community participation course in which students chose research topics relevant to a local community. Specifically, the students undertook the following projects: (1) creating a virtual 3D model of a local government office, (2) creating interactive digitized versions of mountain trails using geotourism, (3) determining optimal locations for trash recycling bins using network analysis, and (4) assessing the water quality of a local river. Geographic information technologies, such as GIS and Google Earth, were employed as analytical and visualization tools. The answers to a questionnaire, course evaluations, reflective journals, and interviews found that participants positively evaluated their learning experiences. In addition, the projects received favorable reviews from community members and professional geographers.