Online participatory mapping surveys

This building block aims to complement previous one in collecting data that is then used to collate existing visions for the landscape and PAs in it. 2020 has demonstrated that in-person interaction is not always a possibility and thus other modes, such as online ones need to be employed in order to achieve the same goals. In case of our study it was clear that in order to reach wide audience and cover as diverse of a group as possible, we also needed to employ online surveys. We have created one with elements of mapping, using specially designed platform for such tasks, Maptionnaire. This survey has followed up on several aspects already covered in interviews (see building block 1) such as different values people see in the landscape. This was done to create a baseline and see if samples in both online and in-person surveys are similar in their valuation of the landscape. In addition online survey covered such aspects as perceptions of quality of life in the area (for example, noise pollution levels, availability and quality of nature areas) and asked participants to pin-point on the map areas where landscape change occurred in last 20 years, both they considered positive and negative.

Using online surveys allows to reach a different audience – in our case these were local residents, whom we might not have met in the nature areas or town markets when conducting in-person interviews. Inclusion of mapping elements allows participants to indicate which elements they value and where these are located.

Option of filling the survey out in the comfort of their home on their own time is a clear advantage of this method. There are risks associated with online surveys, such as skewed sample (often including a larger share of younger people). Modes of distribution of such surveys are challenging. Replying on simply social media, while also targeting specific area might not always yield needed representative sample size. Often it needs to be complemented with other modes, for example, mailing out invitations to local residents. Access to such data (on residents and addresses) might not always be possible (depending on national and regional policies). However, in combination with other methods we believe that it provides important additions to the data, that otherwise could have been missed.