Using Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) to Explore Uses and Values for Mojave Trails National Monument, California book cover
Society · 2025 · en

Using Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) to Explore Uses and Values for Mojave Trails National Monument, California

by Emily J. Wilkins, Sarah M. Lindley, Karla Rogers

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About this book

A map can show more than roads, boundaries, and terrain: it can also record the places people use and the meanings they attach to a landscape. This study describes a participatory mapping pilot at Mojave Trails National Monument, California, using a web application called Values Mapping for Planning in Regional Ecosystems, or VaMPIRE.

Participants identified locations they used or valued and supplied related survey information. The report describes the application, recruitment, and exploratory results, including the distribution of mapped points and values such as recreation, wilderness, and inspiration. It also examines responses to a hypothetical recreational-facility development scenario and reflects on the strengths and limitations of the process.

Published in 2025, the complete report presents a practical example of gathering public knowledge for land-management planning. Its methods, maps, results, and discussion show how social information can complement the physical description of a protected landscape.

Emily J. Wilkins; Sarah M. Lindley; Karla Rogers; Rudy Schuster; Mark T. Hannon; Parker T. Rowland; Michael J. Runnels. Using Public Participatory Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) to Explore Uses and Values for Mojave Trails National Monument, California. U.S. Geological Survey, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3133/sir20255037. Public domain U.S. Government publication. Original agency, author and photograph credits retained.

Cover photograph: Mojave Trails National Monument, Bob Wick, Bureau of Land Management, February2014. CC BY2.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/. Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mypubliclands/24709817770/. Original cover composition retained; display size adjusted.