Spatial data, methods, and mismatches for adaptive governance research

This chapter both reviews existing empirical research utilising spatial methods and approaches in adaptive governance research and provides recommendations for further research. The chapter is divided into three broad categories: research on spatial mismatches, existing adaptive governance research employing spatial data and methods, and spatial data and methods that could advance adaptive governance research. We concentrate, although not exclusively, on disaster governance research; specifically, disaster risk maps and their use, as well as participatory and crowdsourced data sources. Our chapter shows the numerous possibilities of spatial approaches: spatially explicit data enables spatiotemporal monitoring and projecting of socio-ecological phenomena and assessing spatial patterns of perceptions, preferences, and management. We emphasise that spatial data can be used to examine and understand scale mismatches and develop governance practices to be more adaptive.