Participatory Geographic Information Systems for integrated risk analysis: A case of Arequipa, Peru

Arequipa is prone to natural hazards, in particular to earthquakes and floods. In recent years, Disaster Risk Analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS) has been encouraged by the government to map, classify and quantify the posed danger and vulnerability at risk areas. However, due to lack of accurate data and limitation of using a desktop GIS work, most risk analyses are incomplete and unreliable. This article proposes a methodology for the development of an integrated risk management model using Participatory GIS (PGIS) at three stages of the Disaster Risk Management: proactive, response and corrective phases. Different PGIS techniques are used at each stage. The PGIS methodology consisted of the following stages: Firstly, the production of participatory social maps was to identify the most disaster prone areas. Secondly, a mobile application was developed in order to provide real-time information on risk monitoring, including such as occurrence of disastrous events and evolution of emergency response. Once the most at risk areas were identified, subsequently, a highly accurate risk model was produced based on the acquired data from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Finally, a participatory urban regeneration plan was proposed to strengthen social resilience.