| Abstract: |
Working with the Town of Topsham, Maine to develop and Natural Areas Plan, we used GIS tools in combination with public participation to develop a map identify highly valued natural areas in the town. First, existing natural resource data was gathered and put together in a matrix. Then, through a series of workshops, citizens were able to identify which functional characteristics of the model were of greatest value through a voting exercise. This information was compiled and added to the process using CommunityViz. At the end of each session, the citizens were able to see the results of their voting on the mapping. This enabled the town to develop their focus area map for use in future natural areas protection. |