A New Model for Public Participatory Engagement in Social Sciences and Spatial Humanities Digital Mapping Projects

Scholars in the social sciences and spatial humanities have developed a robust body of scholarship touting the benefits for the public and researchers alike in engaging with mapping projects, especially using public participatory geographical information systems (PPGIS) approaches. Developing robust and sustainable engagement from community stakeholders has been a continual challenge, however. Scholars have promoted many different public outreach activities and programs that work to engage the public in mapping projects. Little work has been done, though, to develop a model that guides researchers on how to create and sustain public engagement in these projects. This article aims to fill this void by developing a sustainable public engagement model for digital mapping projects that integrates selected best practices from a wide range of fields including citizen science, social sciences and spatial humanities, public relations and communications, and public history and interpretation.