Systems Mapping - Getting Started

Systems mapping is a type of modeling that is designed to reveal the underlying interrelationships and structure of a complex system. System maps are powerful visualization tools that can help change agents describe and diagnose the current state of a given system; understand how system structure creates the observable outcomes; create a shared vision of the system; gain consensus about the problems and identify opportunities.

This video course will walk you through the tools needed to start to build your own systems maps. Four main sections include:

Maps
A high-level overview of what systems maps are, their value and relevance of mapping. We start to construct the basic of a map along with looking at some examples.

Causal Maps
We start by laying down the basic language of causal links, before going on to look at some examples of causal maps, a map of the dynamics to deforestation in the Amazon, landfill waste in Mumbai, the Covid pandemic, among others.

Feedback loops
In the third section we will be learning about feedback loops, positive and negative feedback loops and how to build a causal loop diagram with feedback loops.

Systems Archetypes
System archetypes represent commonly seen system dynamics patterns, in this model we will learn some basics types and how they are represented as causal maps.