Paper

The Application of Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) For Visitor Demands Estimation: A Case Study of Outdoor Recreation Activities in Aswan City, Egypt

---

Abstract

Landscape planning for recreation aims to achieve a balance between resources and community needs with management planning objectives to improve the quality of life for people. This paper contributes to a better understanding of recreational landscapes and the connection between greenspace policy and planning for Recreation Services (RS). The aim of this study was: (1) to explore visitor perceptions and preferences of RS and future demands; (2) to investigate the connection between recreational planning and landscape/greenspace policy. Furthermore, enhancing the understanding of visitors’ preferences and spatial behavior has the potential to improve existing recreation sites management tools. Visitor perceptions and preferences of RS were collected via the Public Participation Geographic Information Systems (PPGIS) method to assess the demand for future RS in the study area. PPGIS was implemented using both a paper-based questionnaire and with hardcopy maps in the field. We examined the linkages between visitors’ future demands of RS and physical landscape features (supply) to help urban planners identify natural resource management synergies, and to focus management efforts on features that matter. By utilizing the overlaying analysis in Arc GIS, we can investigate the linkages between visitors’ future demands of RS and physical landscape features. The results demonstrate that; (1) Public participatory mapping method, though not without limitations, can be effective in measuring visitor experiences, perceptions, preferences, and facility needs for a variety of RS planning processes; (2) PPGIS expands methods to engage the public in planning and can help build and sustain trust in recreation managers’ planning process and decisions; (3) There is a high relationship between the preferred RS and sites for different recreation facilities and the physical features of the landscape/green spaces; (4) There is a high relationship between the preferred kind of RS and the distance from natural and cultural attraction sites (the feature of landscape).

Keywords: Recreational planning, Visitor perceptions/preferences, Landscape, Demands evaluation, PPGIS

How to Cite:

Abualhagag, A. & Valánszki, I., (2022) “The Application of Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) For Visitor Demands Estimation: A Case Study of Outdoor Recreation Activities in Aswan City, Egypt”, Fábos Conference on Landscape and Greenway Planning 7(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/kjjg-x237