The Waterloo Civic Map Lab is a research team located at the University Waterloo, with a focus on understanding how geospatial technologies and data are used to meet the needs of community, government, and civic organizations. Student researchers at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral) work to create applied and theoretical research that matters - understanding how technology being applied, adopted by specific groups of users, and the challenges, benefits, and issues created. The Waterloo Civic Map Lab is led by Dr. Peter Johnson, in the Department of Geography and Environmental Management (GEM). Peter joined GEM in 2012 having been a postdoctoral fellow at McGill University. His research seeks to understand how governments, citizens, and private companies share information through geospatial technology, including open data, the Geoweb, social media, mobile devices, and the process of crowdsourcing. Recent projects with Waterloo Civic Map Lab students have focused on community informatics, digital infrastructures, understanding the value of government open data, the integration of volunteered geographic information in government, Geoweb platform development, and mobile application testing and evaluation.
For updated information, please take a look at the lab webpage
For copies of many lab publications, see Google Scholar or Research Gate.
Key Areas of Graduate Supervision
Digital infrastructures, open data, the Geoweb, mobile technology, public participation, community-based geomatics, geospatial technology in planning and government.
Recent Courses Taught
GEOG 165: Computer Cartography: Principles and Design
GEOG 187: Problem Solving in Geomatics
GEOG 381: Spatial Analysis Using Geographic Information Systems
GEOG 483/683: The Geoweb and Location-Based Services