I have identified the need to develop a collaborative web tool about a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), which lies within the Cornwall Area of Outstanding and Natural Beauty (AONB). For a number of years there has been growing concern about how Cornwall’s largest natural freshwater lake, 'Loe Pool', has become damaged because of an ecological change in the area, due to elevated levels of nutrients from the lake catchment. The effects of this damage concern the public as well as specialists, as not only is the lake of ecological value, it is also important as an amenity area for residents and tourists. The aim of this project is to enable a community group, who live near to the lake, to discuss and discover how to make better decisions about how to look after and use the lake within an online collaborative learning environment.
I am the project co-ordinator and will work in partnership with a skilled programmer to develop a prototype collaborative web tool. A Wiki will be the platform for introducing and developing the project. I will work with eight to twelve community members, three specialist data holders and three different types of community facilitators to develop structure and content for the Wiki. This will happen through a series of workshops, one-to-one interviews, online gatherings and meetings.
Research carried out by the programmer, and by me, will ensure that a suitable existing Wiki engine for the project can be adopted. As the project develops, the programmer will research, analyse, alter and build new code for the Wiki, so that new ways of presenting data within a Wiki can be achieved. For instance, we will seek to find ways in which to showcase visual dynamic Geographical Information Systems data (GIS). The project will adopt an open source model of software production and will endeavour not to use any closed proprietary software. It could be that the project will develop beyond that of a Wiki - if this happens it will be crucial to retain the philosophy of the Wiki model. The 'open' philosophy of Wikis will guide the work right through to some sort of prototype resolution. Close liaison with an allocated university supervisor will help inform this working philosophy.
The community members and specialist data holders will be given access to the editing facilities of the Wiki from the start, providing them with a creative way in which to develop their ideas, views and skills. Importantly, this will help ensure that a useful tool is developed and utilised. Central to the stages of work is a key methodology, qualitative research, which will become fused with visual mapping scenarios. This methodology will guide and penetrate right into the project's working process. Importantly, this methodology will influence the way the programmer will work, and the type of data that specialist data holders will consider releasing.
My key methodology is qualitative research and my theoretical lense will exist in four forms. Firstly, I will be systematically applying field research within the framework of a community group of eight to twelve people. Secondly, I am assuming that the actual ethnographic fieldwork will produce its own theory. For example, communities shape their own meaning and develop specialised discourses that ethnography can bring to consciousness. Thirdly, I will be applying existing academic theory about digital futures to this project. It is hard to say exactly what digital future theory I will be engaged in, as theory gathered from the community could dictate the theory I ultimately choose
In order not to impose my own theoretical or ideological agenda on this community, I will initially ask non-directive descriptive open-ended questions. This will be followed by descriptive structural and contrast questions. The concepts inherent in the community’s answers will be refined and understood through the following categories:
1. The desire and aspiration of the community for sustainability
2. Existing sustainable schemes of the community
3. The lack of will of the community to interact with sustainable schemes
This ethnographic data will be redacted, transcribed and designed into visual pictures. The importance of this research is that it will become an exchange system of ideas. A key visual picture that might develop with the group is a virtual map of the lake, with time-compressed fluctuating populations of fauna and flora. If this picture is required, flora and fauna will be pulled from a GIS database that the Cornwall Wildlife Trust has created and continues to build upon. The database maps all of the flora and fauna of Cornwall. At the moment such data is quite difficult to access and is only easy for record collectors and science based specialists to understand.
The qualitative research will ultimately become one resource, which will be fed back to the community so that they have a powerful debate and decision-making tool that can lead to further exchanges of ideas and creation of visual pictures. The qualitative research will be reported in writing and will form the dominant argument of my dissertation.
As well as co-ordinating the project, I will be the design director for the project. In addition to these roles, I will be the qualitative researcher and the main community facilitator, designer and visual artist for the project. Experts will mentor the direction and standard of my work. In conjunction with the eight to twelve community members the following will be involved in asset creation, collaboration, data provision and mentorship.
Asset creation - Simon Weeks, camera person and TBD, anatomical expert
Botanical tutorship/experts - Mally Francis, botanical illustrator and TBD, botanist from Wildlife Trust
Collaborator/programmer - Emmet Connolly, programmer, designer and artist
Computer interaction/open source supervisor - TBD, university appointed
Critical friend/counsellor - Wendy Williamson, community volunteer
Data provider/GIS specialist - Nic Harrison, Wildlife Trust (Data-release to be updated and approved.)
Data specialist/landholder - TBC, Alastair Cameron, National Trust
Data specialist/scientific advice - TBC, Martin Rule, Environment Agency
Environmental auditor - TBD
Facilitator/community helper - TBD
Gate keeper/community facilitation mentor - Neil Spencer, community facilitator and permaculture expert
Qualitative research supervisor - Kitrina Douglas, qualitative researcher
Sustainable design advisor - TBC (Alastair Fuad-Luke, sustainable design facilitator - funding dependent)
Stage 1/Sept-Nov 05: Research and preparation of community focus session
Stage 2/Nov-Jan 05: One-to-one interviews, workshops and specialist meetings
Stage 3/Aug-Dec 05: Programming and design development
Stage 4/Jan 05: Production of prototype and presentation
16/06/05: DIGF526 - Project Proposal
/06: DIGF526 - Project Final deadline
An online collaborative tool, based on the Wiki model of production, available at theirwork.org
A dissertation analysing the development of the online collaborative tool, and setting it within a qualitative research and critical theory framework. The dissertation will be developed by creating a read only Wiki at herwork.org A PDF will be produced for examination but the Wiki will be used for tutorial support as well as field notes, visual records, thought processes - a general storage box.
Practice (50%*): To produce a significant digital media production. It will be creative, experimental and innovative in its approach and resolution, and it will be placed within an appropriate critical theoretical context.
Thesis (50%*): To produce a dissertation that will be an analysis of the project, and will place it within an appropriate critical theoretical context. It will not be less than 10,000 and no more than 15,000 words (excluding appendices).
* After consultation with my tutor, Geoff Cox, I am proportioning 50% of my marks to my practical project and therefore 50% to my written work.
After consultation with my tutors, Mike Philips and Geoff Cox, due to the nature of my key methodology, qualitative research, I am seeking to obtain an MSc in Digital Futures.
A Bibliography is being built around the following subjects:
1. Qualitative research
2. Philosophy
3. Communication design
4. Digital Futures
5. Sustainable design
1. Qualitative research
Ezzy, D. (2002) Qualitative Analysis, Malaysia: Routledge.
Lincoln, Y.S, and Denzin, N.K. (2000) Handbook of Qualitative Research, Sage Publications: CA.
Moustakas, C. (1994) Phenomenological Research Methods, Sage Publications: London.
2. Philosophy
Abram, D. (1996) The Spell of the sensuous, Vinatage Books, USA
Deleuze, G. and Guattari, F. (1999) A Thousand Plateaus; Capitalism and Schizophrenia, Athlone: London.
Gordon, C. (1980) Michel Foucault Power/Knowledge, T.J. Press Ltd: Padstow.
3. Communication design
McDonagh, C. and Porter, S. (1998) Toolkit for Community Involvement and Facilitation, Published under license, Facilitators Learning Network (FLN 21): Gloucestershire.
Rose, G. (2001) Visual Methodologies, London: Sage Publishing.
Preece, J. (1994) Human_computer Interaction, Addison-Wesley: Great Britain.
4. Digital Futures
Hardt, M. and Negri, A. (2000) Empire, Harvard University Press: London.
Murphie, A. and Potts, J. (2003) Culture and technology, Palgrave: Hampshire.
Preece, J. (2001) Online communities, Designing Usability, Supporting Sociability, Wiley: Great Britain.
5. Sustainable design
Fuad-Luke, A. (2002) Eco-design, Thames & Hudson: Great Britain.
Park J and Roome N. (2002) The Ecology of the New Economy, Green Leaf Publishing: Sheffield.
Whiteley, N. (1993) Design for Society, Reaktion Books Ltd, London.