ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses some key studies which have been undertaken to explore ways in which members of the public can engage using digitisation and visualisation. The subject of democratic access to technology also comes to the fore when one considers the ways in which public consultation in planning and design has been affected by digitisation in recent years. In Calgary, Canada, work was completed to establish a framework for online participation in planning, specifically making use of Geographic Information Systems. The European Commission noted that collective awareness platforms can support 'environmentally aware, grassroots processes and practices to share knowledge, to achieve changes in lifestyle, production and consumption patterns, and to set up more participatory democratic processes'. The European Commission has supported a considerable amount of research and development work concerning the use of what are termed collective awareness platforms.
