Spatial Knowledge & Campus Well-Being

About Participatory GIS

“This project is a Participatory GIS initiative of the Geomatics Honor Society (GHS) in support of Campus Mental Health Awareness. This application aims to explore how campus spaces are perceived by students and members of the university community.”

Participate in Mapping → View Campus Results
Methodological Architecture

The Participatory GIS Pipeline

How individual, anonymous student perceptions transform into robust spatial planning intelligence.

1

Individual Anonymous Observations

Public Contribution

Students and campus visitors tap a location and share how the physical space feels without providing any personal identity.

2

Mapped Geographic Points

Georeferencing

Latitude, longitude, 5-point mood rating, and physical landscape factors are structured spatially within WGS 84 coordinates.

3

Spatial Database & Boundary Clipping

GeoJSON / PostGIS

Observations are checked against the official campus boundary polygon and indexed with spatial coordinates.

4

Aggregation & Grid Cells (25m - 100m)

Spatial Smoothing

Points are aggregated into uniform spatial bins, preserving micro-location privacy while capturing localized variance.

5

Hotspot Analysis & RSS Calculation

GIS Analytics

Kernel Density Estimation (KDE) and the Restorative Space Score metric pinpoint statistically meaningful restorative and stressful zones.

6

Campus Environmental Correlations

Spatial Patterns

Spatial correlations emerge between shade canopy, acoustic noise, seating, pedestrian crowding, and emotional well-being.

7

Evidence-Based Planning Recommendations

Urban Planning

University facilities teams and administrative committees receive actionable geographic briefs for positive campus enhancements.

Theoretical Foundation: Environmental Psychology

The platform operationalizes two seminal frameworks in environmental psychology: Attention Restoration Theory (ART) (Kaplan & Kaplan, 1989) and Stress Recovery Theory (SRT) (Ulrich et al., 1991).

Academic environments demand prolonged directed cognitive attention. Over the course of lectures, exams, and laboratory coursework, directed attention fatigue sets in. Restorative environments (natural tree canopies, open green lawns, tranquil seating areas) engage "soft fascination," restoring executive function and emotional balance.

The Restorative Space Score (RSS) Formula

RSS = [ 2(N_relaxed) + 1(N_comfortable) + 0(N_neutral) - 1(N_stressful) - 2(N_very_stressful) ] ÷ [ 2 × N_total ]

This normalizes spatial comfort on a strict [-1.00, +1.00] scale. A score above +0.30 denotes a restorative campus haven, while negative values indicate acoustic, thermal, or congestion stress.

Research Ethics & Data Stewardship

Voluntary Participation

No participant is ever required or coerced into submitting. Every point is freely and anonymously offered.

Strict Anonymity

No names, student numbers, emails, IP addresses, or device signatures are ever collected or stored.

Data Minimization

Only variables essential for spatial-temporal analysis (location, perception, environmental drivers) are gathered.

Aggregated Reporting

Public visualizations enforce minimum sample thresholds (≥5 contributions) to prevent micro-isolation.

Responsible Non-Clinical Interpretation

Perceptions are environmental planning indicators, never psychiatric triage or clinical diagnoses.

Open Transparency

Methodologies, schemas, and aggregated datasets are openly documented for student and faculty research.