is the result of a spontaneous merger of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) methods with Geographic Information Technologies and Systems (GIT&S) to compose peoples’ spatial knowledge in the forms of virtual or physical, 2 or 3 dimensional maps used as interactive vehicles for discussion, information exchange, analysis and as support in advocacy, decision making and action taking. PGIS practice is usually geared towards community empowerment through measured, demand-driven, user-friendly and integrated applications of GIT&S, where maps become a major conduit in the process.  

Human cognition includes sensation and perception, thinking, imagery, reasoning and problem solving, memory, learning and language. Location, size, distance, direction, shape, pattern, movement and inter-object relations are part of the spatial world as we know and conceive it. Cognitive maps are internal representation of the world and its spatial properties stored in memory. Frequently referred to as mental maps, they allow us to know ‘what is out there, what its attributes are, where it is and how to get there’

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