The geospatial Web enables virtually everyone to contribute to the growing collection of geographically referenced information on the World-Wide Web. In this chapter, we present a Google Maps-based tool that enables Web users to contribute two types of information: annotations and their reference locations. We further differentiate annotations into observations and opinions regarding specific places. The potential of this approach for integrating local knowledge into environmental planning was assessed by conducting an online map-based discussion of organic farming among expert stakeholders in the Kawarthas area in Central Ontario, Canada. The discussion contents shed light on the participants' perceptions of the organic food market. Moreover, the experiment demonstrated how a map-based discussion forum can be useful for obtaining public input on planning and policy issues.

The geospatial Web enables virtually everyone to contribute to the growing col-lection of geographically referenced information on the World-Wide Web. In this chapter, we present a Google Maps-based tool that enables Web users to contribute two types of informa-tion: annotations and their reference locations. We further differentiate annotations into obser-vations and opinions regarding specific places. The potential of this approach for integrating lo-cal knowledge into environmental planning was assessed by conducting an online map-based discussion of organic farming among expert stakeholders in the Kawarthas area in Central On-tario, Canada. The discussion contents shed light on the participants’ perceptions of the organic food market. Moreover, the experiment demonstrated how a map-based discussion forum can be useful for obtaining public input on planning and policy issues.

The geospatial Web enables virtually everyone to contribute to the growing col-lection of geographically referenced information on the World-Wide Web. In this chapter, we present a Google Maps-based tool that enables Web users to contribute two types of informa-tion: annotations and their reference locations. We further differentiate annotations into obser-vations and opinions regarding specific places. The potential of this approach for integrating lo-cal knowledge into environmental planning was assessed by conducting an online map-based discussion of organic farming among expert stakeholders in the Kawarthas area in Central On-tario, Canada. The discussion contents shed light on the participants’ perceptions of the organic food market. Moreover, the experiment demonstrated how a map-based discussion forum can be useful for obtaining public input on planning and policy issues.