GIS 5101 Discussion 9: Participatory 3D Model of the Njoro River Watershed, Kenya

Analytical Modelling: Participatory 3D Model of the Njoro River Watershed, Kenya
Name
Institution
Analytical Modelling: Participatory 3D Model of the Njoro River Watershed, Kenya
The case study item of interest to me is the Participatory 3D Model of the Njoro River Watershed, Kenya found on /case-studies/plup/njoro-river-ken/. It is both an environmental and human model. It is environmental because it touches on an endangered watershed, the Njoro River, and its surrounding ecosystem. Similarly, it is human because it brings in the interaction between this watershed and members of the local Ogiek tribe as they explore natural resources for their economic and social empowerment.
The P3DM of the Njoro River was aimed at facilitating a participatory identification of natural resources, as well as potential community development projects together with their locations. It sought to address the Njoro River watershed ecosystem problems and identify solutions in collaboration with the local community, the Ogiek tribe. Inasmuch as the project conserves the Njoro River watershed and its ecosystem, it also helps the endangered Ogiek tribe, which relies entirely on the Watershed or its livelihood.
What caught my attention to this project is how GIS can be used to conserve the environment and at the same time empower the community living around it. The P3DM maps, created using the GIS technology, were used to identify natural resources within the Njoro River watershed and its ecosystem. These resources would help empower the local Ogiek tribe that entirely depends on the watershed. On its ...