Revitalizing local communities through regional currencies using GIS: A case study in Kasama and Kesennuma in Japan
Mayumi Dan*, Kayo Okabe**
*Tokiwa University, Japan, mdan@tokiwa.ac.jp
**LatLng Corporation, Japan, kayo.okabe@latlng.jp
Abstract
In Japan as well as in many developed countries, population is decreasing and ageing is progressing simultaneously. Under these circumstances, it is vital for the younger generation to get to know more about the area where they live and work in, so that they can take part in reactivating their areas. Toward this reactivation, regional currency can play an important role in attracting the younger generation to learn how to revitalize their communities. In realizing this goal, GIS (Geographic Information Systems) has great potential as an educational tool for analyzing the geographic facets of the regional currency circulating in the region, and for making reactivation plans for the region. This paper first describes the present situation of regional currencies in Kasama and Kesennuma in Japan. Second, the paper demonstrates a GIS application to improve the accessibility to the terminals in Kasama, at which people exchange points to coupons. Third, the paper provides an educational material for exercising the most basic GIS operations for beginners, that is, how to acquire location data and how to represent the resulting location data on a map using Google My Maps.
Keywords
Revitalizing community, Educational material, GIS (geographic information systems), Kernel density estimation, Voronoi diagram
To cite this article:
Dan, M, and Okabe, K. (2021) ‘Revitalizing Local Communities through Regional Currencies Using GIS: A Case Study in Kasama and Kesennuma in Japan’ International Journal of Community Currency Research Volume 25 (Issue 1) 130-158; http://www.ijccr.net; ISSN 1325-9547; DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.15133/j.ijccr.2021.0010
IJCCR 