Visualization and Spatial Analysis with QGIS and OpenGeoSuite:
A Case Study of Geographic Information Collected throughCitizen-participatory SurveysToshikazu SETO1, Ayako MATSUMOTO2, Takafusa IIZUKA3 and Keiji YANO4
1

JSPS Research Fellow / Graduate School of Letters, Ritsumeikan University,Kyoto, Japan, gr0008sf@ed.ritsumei.ac.jp
2
Kinugasa Research Organization, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, ayakom@fj9.so-net.ne.jp
3
Graduate School of Letters, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, tiv28009@fc.ritsumei.ac.jp
4
Dept. of Geography, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan, yano@lt.ritsumei.ac.jp

1. Introduction
This study aims at visualizing and spatially analyzing geographic information, a large amount of
which was collected by volunteer citizens in “Kyo-Machiya Community-building Survey.” Thepurpose of this survey was to examine a distribution of approximately 50,000 machiya, traditional
wooden townhouses which many regard as one of the city’s representative historical architecture. In
this survey, the locations of machiya in itself as well as streetscape with machiya were investigated.
Since the citizen participants themselves chose these streetscapes about which they felt favorable, theconsequent data will contribute greatly to the landscape policy in the future. Therefore, this paper
analyzes the geographic information concerning the streetscape of over 1,000 spots collected in thissurvey.
We can provide some valuable information on selected spots as cultural landscapes by combining
such data with other geographic information including official data, and using OpenGeoSuite, anintegrated package to construct Geospatial Web. Moreover, using both QGIS and OpenGeoSuite makes
it possible to offer geographical information concerning historical landscape in Kyoto, not necessarily
limited to the spots.

2. Kyo-machiya Community-building Survey
Our study is based on “Kyo-machiya Community-building Survey,” for which the Kyoto City
Government, Ritsumeikan University, “machiya-experts,” and volunteer citizens worked together fromOctober 2008 to March 2010. This most recent survey targeted much broader area along several old
major roads, compared to the areas covered by the previous two surveys (1995-1996 and 2004-5)(Figure 1).

1

Figure 1. Study Area
Not only figuring out the distribution of existing machiya, but the last survey also aims at collecting
detailed data on their façade designs and conducting a questionnaire survey to machiya residents. Since
each survey group consists of a variety of members such as architectural experts, volunteer citizens,students, and city government officials, the survey produces data useful for planning landscapeconservation. For example, while architectural experts and city government officials can offer practicalknowledge, volunteer citizens take photos of machiya. The latter also play an important role, givingtheir ideas to conserve the city’s landscape from the citizens’ points of view. After every survey,
members spend some time together to discuss and present information they have just collected, forwhich they show and tell what they think of good examples of streetscapes and historical landscapecomponents.

3. Collection and Analysis of Streetscape Selected by Volunteer Citizens
The survey resulted in accumulating geographic information of streetscape over 1,000 spots with
their photographs. Visualization by QGIS makes the streetscape-related information available foroverlapping with various layers, including official geographic information, which in turn makes us
possible to study how places whose streetscape was photographed really are from various points ofview.
The following demonstrates one of good examples as such. We overlap the machiya’s density
distribution which we presume by using SDA4PP, one of QGIS’s plug-ins, with information on where2

photos were taken (Figure 2). The result shows that the survey participants took many photos in spots
where machiya’s density was high. Overlaying the spots with a landscape planning map reveals that thecitizens value streetscape in residential areas, as well as that in historical heritage conservation areasand sightseeing spots that appeared in online photo-sharing services such as Flickr. In addition, theeVis function can visualize which direction a photo is taken from by the arrow, linking the visualized
directions with actual photograph data. The result tells us which side of the street excellent machiya
continuously appear.

Figure 2. A Case of Streetscape Analysis

4. For the Delivery by Geospatial Web and its Use for Landscape Policy
The GIS data constructed in the stand-alone environment will be available locally through theGeospatial Web. For this purpose, we choose Google Maps as the base map for its capability to
distinguish narrow roads and building shapes, with the help of OpenGeoSuite 2.1.0. Since WMS
service on Geoserver makes it possible to overlap and deliver various maps, including city planning
maps in the past and the current landscape policy zoning map, it can be employed to visualize spatiotemporal condition of citizen-selected spots. Figure 3 shows overlaying the citizen-identified
streetscape spots (red point) with city planning maps of the early twentieth century and current Google3maps. Collected by citizen participants, each piece of information may be subejective, but
accumulation of such pieces within an area unit or layering of that data with administrative maps andmachiya database might changes its nature, making it more valuable information resource for landscapeplanning.

Figure 3. Interface of Streetscape Mapping System with OpenGeoSuite
In short, this paper discussed the process in which we integrated geographical data provided by bothofficial maps and the citizens survey data, and its visualization and analysis. Hopefully, this leads those
who are concerned with the landscape policy to come up with a variety of new ideas which include theone from grass-roots perspectives, not necessarily as valued as it should be. As OpenGeoSuite canmake this geographic information available to the general public, that shall work to invite more citizens
to participate in discussion on the landscape policy.

4