Space and Place in Evaluation: How GIS Illuminates Stories
Aerial image (orthomosaic) collected by GeoLiteracy at a north Georgia property. This was used to assess drainage for siting native vegetation.
I'm on a mission to help people heal the planet using all of the tools and smarts at our disposal. One of my favorite tools is Geographic Information Systems science (GIS) and its companion disciplines. I wrote about this for the American Evaluation Association's technology group blog about a month ago.
Geographic information systems (GIS) allow us to view our work and analyses through a spatial lens. I generally focus on environmental programs, so it is easy to see how geographic information applies to my work (shout out to the AEA Environmental Program Evaluation group!).
I need geographic information to understand an environmental initiative or to draw the tricky end-outcome connections between program activities and improving the planet. But GIS is not just for those who know how to use GIS like me; GIS concepts allow evaluators in any discipline to view subjects and results differently.
Let’s think about GIS through three geographic concepts: scale, proximity, and clustering.
Scale
Changing scale shows us that things are not what they initially seem. Images from the James Webb Space Telescope have shown us that if we can change out our space glasses (telescope lenses and focal distances), entire universes appear. When we look at a program or a concept at one scale, say state by state, we may notice particular patterns of interest. But when we can visualize information at a finer scale, say the county scale, entirely new observations may appear. GIS enables us to quickly move between scales, uncovering valuable findings across geographic boundaries as well as within them.
Proximity and Distance
Proximity metrics in a GIS help show how programs affect beneficiaries nearby and at distance. They help us show where and to what extent program impacts occur. In one project, we are studying whether community organizations reduce criminal activity. Geographic analysis will show us how the effects we observe wane with distance from the community organization’s buildings or activities. This information can help the community organization learn where to open new locations, what programs have the widest impacts, and show their sphere of influence to funders and the community.
Clustering and Hot Spots
GIS techniques show us how results group together or are dispersed geographically. They tell us where program results occur differentially across a landscape. Clusters of behavior changes can show us where an idea is catching on and spreading. On the other hand, clusters of concerns, like environmental dumping, criminal activity, or adverse health effects, can help an organization better identify areas in need.
Hot Tips
Visualizing results on a map has become easier, with Microsoft Excel adding a basic mapping function. Tableau also offers some basic mapping capabilities. If your data already exists in one of these tools, why not explore how your information may look presented as a map? As long as your data are presented using some of the most typical groupings (counties, states, countries–it doesn’t like cities very well), you can instantly map information right in the program.
There are a number of GIS-capable individuals (including yours truly) in the evaluation community. Reach out if you would like to explore incorporating GIS into your evaluation process, and we’ll find you someone with the know-how to help you.
If you're a member of the American Evaluation Association, you can access a GIS tool library we've created through the Technology Topical Interest Group. In that library, you'll find information about eight different user-friendly tools for making maps and analyzing geographic data along with steps for getting started.
If you do decide to incorporate some GIS into your work, will you let me know? I’d love to hear about it! katie@geoliteracyproject.com.