The social construction of a land cover map and its implications for Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a management tool

The social construction of a land cover map is explored and the implications of this process for the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a land management tool are discussed. Different social contexts create different mapping regimes and contribute to different conceptions of area classes. This likely creates challenges for the mapping process, including the consistency and comparability of the final product across time and space. In this study, part of the mapping process for the Norwegian land cover map called AR5 was followed. By seeing map classes as experiential categories, light is shed on the social construction of land cover/use maps. Different administrative units involved in the mapping process have different interpretations of area classes, even if the class definitions are the same. Local administrative units are closely influenced by the realities of local farmers and tend to map land use rather than land cover, even when they are instructed by the national mapping agency to map land cover. Such a difference challenges the comparability and consistency of maps (land cover vs. land use) when they are used in GIS to detect and monitor change. Alternatively, such co-operative map-making can be seen as an opportunity for the sharing and negotiation of power between the different management groups involved.