science

Participatory 3D modelling

Participatory 3D modelling is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Participatory 3D modelling rather than just read about it. In short: Participatory 3D modelling (P3DM) is a community-based mapping method which integrates local spatial knowledge with data on elevation of the land and depth of the sea to produce stand-alone, scaled and geo-referenced relief models. Essentially based on local spatial knowledge, land use and cover, and other features are depicted by informants on the model by the use of pushpins (points), yarns (lines) and paints (pol…

Key takeaways

Participatory 3D modelling belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Participatory 3D modelling to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Participatory 3D modelling from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Participatory 3D modelling (P3DM) is a community-based mapping method which integrates local spatial knowledge with data on elevation of the land and depth of the sea to produce stand-alone, scaled and geo-referenced relief models. Essentially based on local spatial knowledge, land use and cover, and other features are depicted by informants on the model by the use of pushpins (points), yarns (lines) and paints (polygons). On completion, a scaled and geo-referenced grid is applied to facilitate data extraction or importation. Data depicted on the model are extracted, digitised and plotted. On completion of the exercise the model remains with the community.

Awards On November 5, 2007 at a ceremony which took place during the Global Forum 2007 at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice, Italy, the CTA-supported project Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM) for Resource Use, Development Planning and Safeguarding Intangible Cultural Heritage in Fiji was granted the World Summit Award 2007 in the category e-culture. The product, based on the use of P3DM, has been considered as one of the 40 best practice examples of quality e-Content in the world . The product has been delivered by the following organizations: Fiji Locally-Managed Marine Area (FLMMA) Network, WWF South Pacific Programme, Native Lands Trust Board, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, National Trust of Fiji, Lomaiviti Provincial Council and the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA).

See also Geographic information system (GIS) Neogeography Participatory GIS (PGIS) or public participation geographic information system (PPGIS) Raised-relief map Traditional knowledge GIS

References

Further reading Rambaldi G., Muchemi J., Crawhall N. and Monaci L. 2007. Through the Eyes of Hunter-gatherers: Participatory 3D Modelling among Ogiek Indigenous Peoples in Kenya. Information Development, Vol. 23, No. 2-3, 113–128 Rambaldi G., Kwaku Kyem A. P.; Mbile P.; McCall M. and Weiner D. 2006. Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication in Developing Countries. EJISDC 25, 1, 1–9 . Chambers R. 2006. Participatory Mapping and Geographic Information Systems: Whose Map? Who is Empowered and Who Disempowered? Who Gains and Who Loses? EJISDC 25, 2, 1–11 Rambaldi G, Chambers R., McCall M, And Fox J. 2006. Practical ethics for PGIS practitioners, facilitators, technology intermediaries and researchers. PLA 54:106–113, IIED, London, UK Corbett J, Rambaldi G., Kyem P., Weiner D., Olson R., Muchemi J., McCall M And Chambers R. 2006. Mapping for Change: The emergence of a new practice. PLA 54:13–19 IIED, London, UK Rambaldi G., Bugna S., Tiangco A. and de Vera D. 2002 Bringing the Vertical Dimension to the Negotiating Table. Preliminary Assessment of a Conflict Resolution Case in the Philippines. ASEAN Biodiversity, Vol. 2 No. 1, 17–26. ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC), Los Baños, Philippines. Puginier O. 2002. “Participation” in a conflicting policy framework: Lessons learned from a Thai experience. ASEAN Biodiversity, Vol. 2 No. 1, 35–42. ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC), Los Baños, Philippines. Rambaldi G., and Le Van Lanh. 2002. The Seventh Helper: the Vertical Dimension. Feedback from a training exercise in Vietnam. ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC), Los Baños, Philippines. Martin C., Eguienta Y., Castella, J.C., T.T. Hieu and Lecompte P. 2001. Combination of participatory landscape analysis and spatial graphic models as a common language between researchers and local stakeholders. SAM Paper Series. IRRI-IRD.

External links Networks

Open Forum on Participatory Geographic Information Systems and Technologies – a global network of PGIS/PPGIS practitioners with Spanish, Portuguese and French-speaking chapters. Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) Organizations

Integrated Approaches to Participatory Development (IAPAD) – Provides information and case studies on Participatory 3-Dimensional Modelling (P3DM) practice. The Philippine Association for Inter-Cultural Development (PAFID) uses Participatory 3D Modelling, GPS and GIS applications to support Indigenous Cultural Communities throughout the Philippines in claiming for their rights over ancestral domains. ERMIS Africa builds capacities among local communities and development practitioners in using Participatory Geo-spatial Information Management Technologies. The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) supports the dissemination of good PGIS practice, including P3DM in ACP countries. Bibliography

Community Mapping, PGIS, PPGIS and P3DM Virtual Library Multimedia

Collection of community mapping and participatory GIS multimedia Giving Voice to the Unspoken a 20-minute video production showing the hands-on aspects of Participatory 3D Modelling (P3DM). PGIS Channel on Vimeo, including several documentaries on P3DM in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese

Illustrations

Participatory 3D modelling: Ogiek Peoples visualising their traditional spatial knowledge on a 1:10,000 scale participatory 3D model, Nessuit, Mau Forest Complex, Kenya — Ogiek Peoples visualising their traditional spatial knowledge on a 1:10,000 scale participatory 3D model, Nessuit, Mau Forest Complex, Kenya

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Participatory 3D modelling

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Participatory 3D modelling claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Participatory 3D modelling before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Participatory 3D modelling ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Participatory 3D modelling

In research: Participatory 3D modelling appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Participatory 3D modelling in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Participatory 3D modelling is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Collaborative mapping, Geographic information systems, Human geography, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Participatory 3D modelling outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Participatory 3D modelling in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Participatory 3D modelling means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Participatory 3D modelling out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Participatory 3D modelling in simple terms?

Why does Participatory 3D modelling matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Participatory 3D modelling?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Participatory 3D modelling.