Michelle Bird

Web-based Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) are applications that use the Internet as a way to disseminate and collect infonnation related to decisions about space. Certain web-based SDSS tools can be considered a Public Participatory Geographic Infonnation System (PPGIS). PPGIS is a field of research within geography that examines the confluence of GIS and the involvement of citizens in decision-making processes. One such tool is ArguMap, an Internet distributed technology that provides users with the ability to attach comments to objects (such as buildings) portrayed on a map, resulting in discussions with spatial reference. This paper presents a case study using ArguMap in the context of the Queen West Triangle, an area of approximately 20 acres of fonner industrial land in Toronto experiencing redevelopment. The case study was operated in conjunction with Active 18, a citizen's group concerned with sustainable development of the area. It is shown that while use of the ArguMap presents technological challenges, it offers great potential as a means of infonning and engaging the public in decision-making processes and leveraging the position of community organizations.