ABSTRACT
Environmental NGOs are finding themselves, and as a result their constituencies, increasingly empowered as users of geospatial technologies in New Jersey. A common concern regarding geospatial technologies is that the systems require significant technical knowledge in order to be properly applied to a problem. The average citizen lacks the requisite basic technical skills, thus limiting the opportunities for PPGIS. Finding a way in which these citizens can participate in the application of a community-based or community-oriented system is a challenge. Special interest groups purporting to represent various segments of their larger community can serve as the interface between citizens and government by operating, evaluating, or opposing public systems.
