The project "eLEONAS ppWebGIS" is co-funded by Greek Government and thw European Union, in the context of ESPA 2014-2020. Project coordinator is “GEOSPATIAL ENABLING TECHNOLOGIES”.

The objective of the project is to design and develop participatory design processes and tools to support spatial decision-making for development, planning and intervention in urban areas facing specific challenges and/or potentials. The aim is to introduce participatory design in the Integrated Planning for Sustainable Development as a subsystem of it that can deliver on multiple scales while responding directly to the public needs.

Participatory processes that are emphasized respond to the following design/public needs: a) Prediction, where the involvement of experts is critical to the best possible approach and reduction of uncertainty. A special implementation is being made referring to climate change adaptation plans.

b) Planning / Zoning, where the involvement of stakeholders and the general public is important for the success of development and spatial planning. A special implementation is being made referring to the urban planning analysis of integrated spatial planning.

c) Prioritize risks, measures and actions where the involvement of the general public, specialists and other stakeholders (e.g. policy makers) determines the effectiveness of the proposed interventions. A special implementation is made referring to the structural vulnerability of buildings, in order to preserve cultural heritage.

Within the project, an online participatory design platform for sustainable development is designed and developed where the user will find tools and methodologies for environmental, developmental, spatial and cultural planning. The platform is developed on the basis of innovative technologies and tools, namely:

a) Spatial Data Organization, Analysis and Management (ppWebGIS).

b) Participatory planning tools embedded in the geospatial platform (Spatial SWOT / PESTLE, Spatial Delphic Method, Spatial Shang Method, etc.).

c) Collective awareness, IoT and social networking tools (Spatial Forum, Φ-gital routes, etc.).

The tools will be tested around three pilot applications in the area of Elaionas Attica, while supporting toolboxes will be created with the aim to be implemented in other regions of Greece with similar characteristics.

From the above, it is obvious that the project offers:

a) Methodological innovation, e.g. through the use of participatory design methods as part of the process of solving complex and multifactorial design problems.

b) Technological innovation, e.g. through the creation of new integrated ppWebGIS software, where participative design tools are implemented from the very beginning.

c) Social innovation, e.g. through the development of tools for the re-use of space by the inhabitants themselves, such as digital paths and digital narratives.

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