From about the mid-1990s the discussion in the GIS literature about the potential for social and political pitfalls in the applications of geographic information systems began to inform the use of GIS (e.g., Elwood 1998; Harris and Weiner 1998; Ghose 2001; Elwood 2002; Laituri 2002; Tulloch and Epstein 2002; Warren 2004). This is particularly evident in the area of Public Participation GIS (PPGIS) and Participatory GIS (PGIS). The literature is still unsettled about the use of these terms, but PPGIS usually refers the use of GIS technologies (primarily in North America) to support public participation in spatial planning and environmental management (particularly at the community level). It is characterized by a grounding in value and ethical frameworks that promote social justice, ecological sustainability, improvement of quality of life, redistributive justice, nurturing of civil society and capacity building. It is best applied in the context of partnerships among stakeholders (for example, government, NGOs, communities, researchers) (Aberley and Sieber 2002). Specific techniques associated with PPGIS can range widely, from implementation of GIS over the internet, to maps drawn with local communities