Ecology and the Commons: Citizen collaboration and information visualizing

Objectives of the group

This Commons Lab group aims to use the project “Narrativas digitales para la participación comunitaria en la gestión de ecosistemas costeros” (Digital narratives for community participation in the management of coastal ecosystems) as a platform for discussion. This project is centered in the idea that digital media can support coastal communities in developing their own narratives on their life and use of coastal ecosystems. Our objectives through this project are:

• Generate collaborations for the improvement of the processes and methodology.
• Provoke spaces for discussion where this project is presented (methodology, objectives and results) and critically analyzed, by generating a discussion with the team of experts involved in the Laboratory. 
• Offer the Laboratory different case studies that serve as elements to consider and ponder on the nature of the Commons.

Collaborators/Interested in participating:

• To participate in the presentation and discussion workshops (February and June 2010): experts in natural resource management and ecosystems; experts in the Commons (experts from the Laboratory).
• Experts in digital video and sound editing to participate in the Aguiño (Galicia) workshop in July 2010.
• Programmers/designers/artists interested in the development of tools and visualizations.

ACTIVITIES AND CALENDAR

1. Workshops

Workshop participants include members in charge of the project, other members of the working team, Laboratory experts as well as all other  people interested in the subject.

- Workshop preparatory meeting 1. Madrid. January 2010.

- Working group Session 1. Madrid. Case study discussion; methodology analysis and objectives. February 2010. [+info]

- Workshop with communities in Brazil  (Garapuá, Cairu, Bahía). April 2010. [+info]

- Commons Lab working session. Madrid. May 6, 2010. Presentation of the first results from the workshop in Brazil. [+info]

- Workshop with communities in Spain (Aguiño, Galicia). July 2010. Call for collaborators open until July 30, 2010. [+info]

- Workgroup session 2. Madrid. December 13, 2010. Presentation and discussion about the workshops in Galicia and Brazil. [+info]

2. Development of tools and visualizations

Audiovisual content generated in each community workshop presents an opportunity to explore and develop methods for the visualization of information and for the presentation of digital narratives.

One complimentary objective of this workgroup is to establish collaborations with programming and visualizing specialists to develop new formats for the management and presentation of content that will allow improvements in the access and use of information generated by users.

Antecedents of the project