University of Twente Student Theses
Indigenous Toponyms in Landslide Hazard Mapping for Land Use and Infrastructure Planning
Guimbatan-Fadgyas, Rachel (2021) Indigenous Toponyms in Landslide Hazard Mapping for Land Use and Infrastructure Planning.
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| Abstract: | Reducing disaster risks is a wicked problem that requires integrated knowledge and coordinated action among decision-makers. It acknowledges the combination of indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge to develop methodologies that improve hazard assessment and reduce community vulnerability. However, few examples exist to operationalize this. Hurdles include knowledge infrastructures that are unable to accommodate different worldviews and knowledge domains. Methods are needed to produce results that are meaningful to the target communities. The proposed model introduces indigenous toponyms as an interface of co-production between indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge. It describes how indigenous toponyms can contribute to disaster risk reduction and how the community that provides this type of information can benefit. In a Bayesian approach, indigenous toponyms are used both as data input and explanatory variables for landslide hazard modelling. Translating toponyms into variables for statistical modelling combined qualitative and quantitative methods in the data collection, data processing, and analysis. The workflow was refined as it is evaluated within the context of the study area, situated in the Philippine Cordilleras. First, toponym data obtained in-situ before the research was enriched by structured and unstructured online discussions facilitated by the researcher. Consultations with experts combined with desktop research added details. After which, toponyms were characterized according to their relation with landslide causal factors then regionalized into slope units used to construct models. Using the Deviance Information Criterion, three constructed models were compared for their goodness-of-fit. The selected model was then rendered as a static and dynamic map. The dynamic map version underwent limited testing among actual users as a decision-making tool for land use and infrastructure planning. This mapping output presents a basic tool that the co-producers can improve with updated information and as they prefer. Similar situations may adopt and improve this model. This research also contributes to indigenous knowledge valorization. As demonstrated, the potential of toponyms as a medium of multidisciplinary collaboration in hazards modelling needs more attention. It opens directions in toponymic research that need further investigation. Key words wicked problem, indigenous toponyms, Bayesian, landslide hazards, co-production, disaster risk reduction |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | ITC: Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation |
| Programme: | Spatial Engineering MSc (60962) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/88606 |
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