What qualitative systems mapping is and what it could be: integrating and visualizing diverse knowledge of complex problems
- Autor(en)
- Susanne Hanger-Kopp, Leonard Kwhang-Gil Lemke, Julia Beier
- Abstrakt
Researchers in sustainability science deal with increasingly complex problems that cross administrative, geographical,
disciplinary, and sectoral boundaries, and are characterized by high stakes and deep uncertainties. This in turn creates methodological challenges to frame, structure, and solve complex problems in science and practice. There is a long tradition in
visualizing systems as diagrams, and concept and cognitive maps, but there is insufcient diferentiation and comparison
between these methods and no clear umbrella term has yet been established. Against this background, we systematically
review three foundational methods from diferent academic disciplines—causal diagrams, concept mapping, and cognitive
mapping. Comparing and contrasting them, we facilitate a coherent understanding of qualitative systems mapping (QSM)
as an umbrella term. We then proceed to explore the evident intersections between these methods to showcase some of the
inter- and transdisciplinary opportunities and challenges crystallizing in integrated QSM approaches. Finally, we share case
study insights from the food–water–biodiversity nexus in Austria and elaborate on some of the methodological nuances
to data integration in QSM. Overall, with this overview paper, we lay the groundwork for a systematic, transparent, and
yet fexible development and application of QSM methods to support mixed-methods research design and clear case study
documentation, as well as fostering efective inter- and transdisciplinary communication in sustainability science. Further
research needs to explore these QSM applications in depth across alternative sustainability science contexts, particularly
with respect to efcient and rigorous protocols for knowledge and data integration vis-a-vis complex problems and transdisciplinary research processes.- Organisation(en)
- Institut für Geographie und Regionalforschung
- Externe Organisation(en)
- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
- Journal
- Sustainability Science
- Seiten
- 1065
- Anzahl der Seiten
- 1078
- ISSN
- 1862-4065
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-024-01497-3
- Publikationsdatum
- 05-2024
- Peer-reviewed
- Ja
- ÖFOS 2012
- 507024 Umweltpolitik
- Link zum Portal
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/de/publications/a988bc60-bc9f-4ead-960f-44af9ccb7fea