GIS - A Potential Tool for Development in Babati

Abstract: The Geographical Information System (GIS) is a popular tool among landscape plannersas well as administration departments on both local as well as national level. It is asystem that can store and manipulate spatial data and its potential has increased ascomputers have grown to be more and more sophisticated. However the system is notwithout its controversy. Maps and geographical information has been accused of helpinggovernment maintaining its power thus leading to increased surveillance in society. As arespond to this critique Public Participatory Geographical Information System (PPGIS)was developed. PPGIS quickly grew and has been implemented in a wide variety ofprojects. The purpose of this paper is to explore to what extent these aspect plays a partin the implementation of GIS and PPGIS in Babati, Tanzania. More specifically, couldBabati handle a complex and resource demanding system such as GIS? To clarify howGIS could play a beneficial part in Babati development, a high rate in population growthas well as department clashes will be illustrating examples. In Babati there have beenrepeatedly conflicts between the water department and the Babati town council and someof them are directly related to communication issues. A hypothesis suggests that GIS haspotential in creating cohesion and a communication tool operating through geographicaldata. In generally results show that GIS could lead to better development, but at the sametime risk alienating people from participating in the decision making. Consequently ifGIS would be effective in Babati, it would have to be adapted to the region it is appliedto, funded on the towns’ resources and knowledge. If it does not it risks failing in thelong term as well as not living up to expected standard. PPGIS could possibly avoid someof the issues that might appear when implementing GIS but it is unlikely that it has all theanswers. PPGIS can improve the situation for marginalized people but a societyundemocratic issue is more likely to stem from several of different aspects.