This resource book describes in detail an innovative community-based communication, research and planning tool as it employs new technologies to address environmental and social concerns. It is intended to assist researchers, Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) practitioners in bringing the power of GIS to the grassroots level through the use of Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM).
During a regional Training Needs Assessment Workshop held in Bangkok in April 2001, P3DM was identified as a way forward for enhancing collaborative protected area management and facilitating conflict resolution. Recommendations were made for its region-wide adoption through the conduct of training exercises and the updating and translation of this document in a number of Southeast Asian languages. P3DM has been conceived as a method for bringing GIS potentials closer to rural communities and for bridging the gap existing between geographic information technologies and capacities found among marginalised, isolated, and frequently natural resource-dependent communities. This book includes sections on: dealing with spatial information at the community level; scaled relief models in history; participatory 3-D modelling step-by-step and frequently asked questions. It also includes a multi-media resource kit CD-Rom.