Now, it is obvious that the proposed dissertation topic is somewhat abstract. After all, it could mean many things to different people; so let me attempt to clarify.
Short Disclaimer: This blog is not meant to show how topsy-turvy my brain is or that I can't commit to one project. Rather this blog is a way for me to voice interests, research ideas and document the process of refining my research objectives.
Ok, now that is out of the way (BTW, I'm certifiable! LOL!).
While the last post was abstract it pertains specifically to the original proposal I submitted to my dissertation chair and to the ES/RP program. The focus of this proposal was to emphasize the development and evaluation of effective community information systems for sustainable development, not just in the use of patterns to support NRM. So perhaps it is time to re-focus and as the topic of this post suggests, be more specific.
Anyway, going back to the topic community information systems (CIS), as the ideas of community memory and process-oriented development become increasingly important topics, the ability of groups to effectively enable these elements in their work becomes central.
Unfortunately, the capacity of groups to retain the emergent information glut coming out of these differing research agendas, projects and interests is undermined. Community Information Systems represent an interesting opportunity to address this problem. Likewise, with the growth of web enable services and tools it is becoming easier to integrate services such as GIS, conceptual mapping tools, complex simulation software and a number of other relevant applications into the mix of these CIS apps. This of course is in addition to the traditional tools such as blogs, message boards and chat services that have already been integrated into sites renamed as "social networking sites."
While CIS has been implemented for NRM before, it appears that many of the tools and case studies showing the use or problems associated with these tools is often confined to experts using the applications. There seems little use for actual community members (not to say it isn’t happening). Likewise, there is little information related to the participatory design process of these applications.
But CIS are much more interesting in that beyond their potential application for NRM, they can be useful in more integrated approaches to development. This means, as we have seen already in the field of informatics is that these tools can be used in literacy campaigns, provide locally relevant health information, disaster preparedness information, links to buyers and sellers of good within the local districts of a developing community and provide access to governance related information.
From my perspective CIS for NRM is just one function.
Anyway, the opportunities and problems I have seen have prompted an interest in CIS for supporting effective NRM and poverty alleviation that is at its very core interested in participation, memory and process.
Now, the patterns developed for L.V. are directly related to this issue in many ways and represent a core component to the effective design and implementation of systems that at their core support values of participation, social leveling, community and sustainability.
But do we know this for sure? We assume, and what do researchers like to do with assumptions? We like to test them!
With this in mind it is possible to begin thinking of how to test this. We can begin by describing the patterns we think link directly with enabling the types of information systems we want to develop. These patterns can then guide our development process. Of course, the research is again confronted with the issue of how to use these patterns in a coherent manner. This brings up the need for useful methods for understanding user requirements, not just of the system, but of the fundamental work they seek to accomplish. Through these methodologies as well as enabling systems to support the construction of a context specific pattern language we can then hope to develop something useful.
To evaluate, this can then be broken into three distinct levels; one the development of a context specific pattern language derived from the L.V. system (or larger system of patterns where the L.V. represents a part), two the evaluation of the system as it relates to the patterns that guided the design, and three, the actual use and effect in the community. What if any patterns did we miss, what patterns if any might help improve the system or its usefulness and so on.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Proposed Dissertation Topic
Participation, Community Memory and Process-Oriented Planning: Patterns for Sustainable Resource Management and Poverty Alleviation in Rural South Asia.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
NRM and Poverty Alleviation, and a rant into Meta-Languages:
In doing a short lit review of some interesting case examples dealing with NRM activities aimed at poverty reduction and mitigating desertification, I came across a number of documents addressing the role of participatory communication, indigenous knowledge, and adaptive process which address the negotiation and re-negotiation of community interests over time to construct effective NRM based development programs.
It is interesting that in reviewing the papers I noticed connections between a few of the patterns that have been listed by Liberating Voices and what has been described in these reports. I also noticed that some of the pieces discussed in the case studies touch upon patterns that represent placeholders in the L.V. project.
Here is the list of placeholders that might prove to be of special significance to this work (I don’t provide links because there is nothing in there):
Social Insurance
Networks of Learning
Civic Mobilization
Community Barter and Exchange Systems
Long View
Ecological Economics
Green Labor
Meaningful Evaluation
Linking Modern and Traditional Knowledge
Feminist Economics
Inter-Community Networks
Entrepreneurship
Knowledge System Diversity
Social Learning
Perhaps, it is time to revisit a number of these patterns to ensure the growth and applicability of Liberating Voices to this work. Unfortunately, this will need to wait a week or two as the L.V. project is currently in the process of moving to new server with a new a web address: http://www.publicsphereproject.org. To get to the patterns just go to http://www.publicsphereproject.org/patterns.
Anyway, once the move is complete (next two weeks), we can start the process of updating and perhaps filling in some of these blanks.
However, in thinking more deeply about these topics and the application of patterns it seems that we are beginning to need this meta-language that, Doug, Yishay and others have been considering. Perhaps the idea of this meta-language represents the focus of Alexander's Nature of Order.
Without going down each of these tracks in too much detail, perhaps this meta-language would be a language of values and goals. The idea is that these meta-patterns could serve as a compass for the types of actions that development practitioners take as well as how communities negotiate their own development in the absence of so-called experts. Such a meta-language would include principles of "Do-no-harm," "Supportive of Spiritual Wellness," "Commitment to Beauty," "Inclusion of Multiple Voices," and so forth.
But some might ask how would these meta-patterns inform development practice. Well, the idea of development is to support livelihoods in the generic sense. How people go about achieving this has been problematic and has included a dirty history of displacement, colonial style exploitation, famine induced through structural adjustment and so on. It was known that these policies of development would harm many, but the idea was that these approaches were acceptable for whatever reasons seemed to be good at the moment.
However, these exploitations have meant destruction of the environment and rape of people’s spiritual sensibilities, specifically within communities fundamentally rooted to their land and place. The lack of voice, the loss of beauty the forgetfulness of spiritual values and the utilitarian ethic so prevalent in Western Society has been an incredible source of pain for so many, and perhaps the end has not justified the means. Perhaps, the journey is just as important as the destination?
It is interesting that in reviewing the papers I noticed connections between a few of the patterns that have been listed by Liberating Voices and what has been described in these reports. I also noticed that some of the pieces discussed in the case studies touch upon patterns that represent placeholders in the L.V. project.
Here is the list of placeholders that might prove to be of special significance to this work (I don’t provide links because there is nothing in there):
Social Insurance
Networks of Learning
Civic Mobilization
Community Barter and Exchange Systems
Long View
Ecological Economics
Green Labor
Meaningful Evaluation
Linking Modern and Traditional Knowledge
Feminist Economics
Inter-Community Networks
Entrepreneurship
Knowledge System Diversity
Social Learning
Perhaps, it is time to revisit a number of these patterns to ensure the growth and applicability of Liberating Voices to this work. Unfortunately, this will need to wait a week or two as the L.V. project is currently in the process of moving to new server with a new a web address: http://www.publicsphereproject.org. To get to the patterns just go to http://www.publicsphereproject.org/patterns.
Anyway, once the move is complete (next two weeks), we can start the process of updating and perhaps filling in some of these blanks.
However, in thinking more deeply about these topics and the application of patterns it seems that we are beginning to need this meta-language that, Doug, Yishay and others have been considering. Perhaps the idea of this meta-language represents the focus of Alexander's Nature of Order.
Without going down each of these tracks in too much detail, perhaps this meta-language would be a language of values and goals. The idea is that these meta-patterns could serve as a compass for the types of actions that development practitioners take as well as how communities negotiate their own development in the absence of so-called experts. Such a meta-language would include principles of "Do-no-harm," "Supportive of Spiritual Wellness," "Commitment to Beauty," "Inclusion of Multiple Voices," and so forth.
But some might ask how would these meta-patterns inform development practice. Well, the idea of development is to support livelihoods in the generic sense. How people go about achieving this has been problematic and has included a dirty history of displacement, colonial style exploitation, famine induced through structural adjustment and so on. It was known that these policies of development would harm many, but the idea was that these approaches were acceptable for whatever reasons seemed to be good at the moment.
However, these exploitations have meant destruction of the environment and rape of people’s spiritual sensibilities, specifically within communities fundamentally rooted to their land and place. The lack of voice, the loss of beauty the forgetfulness of spiritual values and the utilitarian ethic so prevalent in Western Society has been an incredible source of pain for so many, and perhaps the end has not justified the means. Perhaps, the journey is just as important as the destination?
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Initial Pattern List: Setting the Stage for a Pattern Language approach to NRM
So in further discussions with Ray Jussaume (my Chair) it has come to my attention that he has been trying to conceptualize in a concrete way the relevance of patterns and pattern languages in the context of Natural Resource Management. Of course I see the relevance, but for him and others associated with my PhD pursuit find themselves grappling with my in-adequate explanations.
Considering this I have thought it necessary to do two things for him and others. First, I will be constructing a list of patterns I feel are relevant to the work, and second, I will construct over the next couple of weeks a visual representation (using a concept map approach) of this list along with other patterns specifically related to Indigenous Forestry Management in the Chota-Nagpur plateau of India.
NRM Pattern Language (one possible list):
1. The Commons
2. The Good Life
3. Collective Decision Making
4. Sustainable Design
5. Earth's Vital Signs
6. Matrifocal Orientation
7. Meaningful Maps
8. Citizen Access to Simulations
9. Conversational Support Across Boundaries
10. Durable Assets
11. Voices of the Unheard
12. Civic Capabilities
13. Sustainability Appraisal - (to be applied in NRM as opposed to ICT)
14. Appreciative Collaboration
15. Self-Designed Development
16. Community Inquiry
17. Power Research
Now, obviously this is just a start, but in drawing from other places such as Alexander's own patterns as well as perhaps those developed by Eco-Trust it is possible to begin ebbing closer to a vision of a NRM centered pattern language. And despite the incompleteness here I think the list begins to serve as an introduction into the notion that these patterns which exist separated within various domains possess useful relationships which can be applied as templates for seemingly unrelated uses.
But perhaps, more importantly for the purpose of this exercise others might be able to navigate the list and begin making connections between NRM, planning, sustainability and the utilization of patterns.
Considering this I have thought it necessary to do two things for him and others. First, I will be constructing a list of patterns I feel are relevant to the work, and second, I will construct over the next couple of weeks a visual representation (using a concept map approach) of this list along with other patterns specifically related to Indigenous Forestry Management in the Chota-Nagpur plateau of India.
NRM Pattern Language (one possible list):
1. The Commons
2. The Good Life
3. Collective Decision Making
4. Sustainable Design
5. Earth's Vital Signs
6. Matrifocal Orientation
7. Meaningful Maps
8. Citizen Access to Simulations
9. Conversational Support Across Boundaries
10. Durable Assets
11. Voices of the Unheard
12. Civic Capabilities
13. Sustainability Appraisal - (to be applied in NRM as opposed to ICT)
14. Appreciative Collaboration
15. Self-Designed Development
16. Community Inquiry
17. Power Research
Now, obviously this is just a start, but in drawing from other places such as Alexander's own patterns as well as perhaps those developed by Eco-Trust it is possible to begin ebbing closer to a vision of a NRM centered pattern language. And despite the incompleteness here I think the list begins to serve as an introduction into the notion that these patterns which exist separated within various domains possess useful relationships which can be applied as templates for seemingly unrelated uses.
But perhaps, more importantly for the purpose of this exercise others might be able to navigate the list and begin making connections between NRM, planning, sustainability and the utilization of patterns.
Global Pattern Language and Resource Management for Sustainability
It has been a few days since I have written anything and my head is on overload. Many of the topics swirling around have been surrounding the development or extension of Liberating Voices along with the numerous other pattern languages into a truly global-pattern language.
Though it is my contention as previously stated that pattern languages are going to largely be the work of the communities constructing these languages, the usefulness of higher-order patterns as pointers or templates to help initiate and set the stage for eliciting new or context specific types of knowledge can be extremely useful. In the case of my work this would be in sustainable development, but I could see this heuristic knowledge serving many fields which brings us back to the notion of developing a global-pattern language, a composite of sorts that encompasses a range of fields.
However, with this in mind I’m coming to see how in some cases it might be difficult to capture all, particularly as knowledge shifts in this age of hyper-creativity and information transfer. But on a walk the other night I was considering what a more specific pattern language would look like for community development where economies are largely dependent on natural resources. I began to think of indigenous communities such as the adivasi in Jharkhand and their experience as traditional land-stewards, but not just as conservationists but as people who draw primary sources of livelihoods from the forests.
Following further I was drawn to the political and social conflicts that have emerged over the past 50 years to contest this traditional stewardship and how the adivasi are navigating effects of outside political forces both on their livelihoods and the sustainability of their resources. This brought me to conceptualize further the role of patterns and pattern languages as holistic design or planning concept that can extend in numerous directions as needed. For instance, if we are thinking of developing a pattern-language for natural resource management it is certain there are going to be a predominate number of patterns dealing with the environment, but this is not the only aspect of resource management; we have to be willing and able to conceptualize the socio-political and socio-economic forces at play that can in large part determine the nature of planning and in the case of a pattern language approach determine the types of patterns we use to counter-balance some of these forces.
So what does this mean? To me it begins to highlight the notion that social patterns at a high-level that deal with ideas such as civic intelligence, social dominance attenuation or grass-roots public policy development all potentially have a place within a holistic and sustainable approach to resource management.
Though it is my contention as previously stated that pattern languages are going to largely be the work of the communities constructing these languages, the usefulness of higher-order patterns as pointers or templates to help initiate and set the stage for eliciting new or context specific types of knowledge can be extremely useful. In the case of my work this would be in sustainable development, but I could see this heuristic knowledge serving many fields which brings us back to the notion of developing a global-pattern language, a composite of sorts that encompasses a range of fields.
However, with this in mind I’m coming to see how in some cases it might be difficult to capture all, particularly as knowledge shifts in this age of hyper-creativity and information transfer. But on a walk the other night I was considering what a more specific pattern language would look like for community development where economies are largely dependent on natural resources. I began to think of indigenous communities such as the adivasi in Jharkhand and their experience as traditional land-stewards, but not just as conservationists but as people who draw primary sources of livelihoods from the forests.
Following further I was drawn to the political and social conflicts that have emerged over the past 50 years to contest this traditional stewardship and how the adivasi are navigating effects of outside political forces both on their livelihoods and the sustainability of their resources. This brought me to conceptualize further the role of patterns and pattern languages as holistic design or planning concept that can extend in numerous directions as needed. For instance, if we are thinking of developing a pattern-language for natural resource management it is certain there are going to be a predominate number of patterns dealing with the environment, but this is not the only aspect of resource management; we have to be willing and able to conceptualize the socio-political and socio-economic forces at play that can in large part determine the nature of planning and in the case of a pattern language approach determine the types of patterns we use to counter-balance some of these forces.
So what does this mean? To me it begins to highlight the notion that social patterns at a high-level that deal with ideas such as civic intelligence, social dominance attenuation or grass-roots public policy development all potentially have a place within a holistic and sustainable approach to resource management.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Pattern Re-Visited
While I know I said I was going to show case a pattern a day and a different pattern at that I have felt the need to re-visit a pattern as I have come to see it's deeper and more fundamental relationship to my research objective.
The pattern is Alan Borning's "Citizen Access to Simulation" and when I wrote my first response to this pattern I was thinking of community simulation where actors are involved in a sort of mock experiment similar to the one we are conducting in my environmental conflict course. However, in reading some of the material behind this pattern I have come to see this as dynamic simulations as a way to support decision making in community context.
Now, this is exactly what I'm doing in my other class "Systems Dynamic Modeling," and the more I get into this course the more I recognize how this can play a central element in collaborative planning. For instance, in following along with my interest in a planning approach that promotes pattern mapping to develop a cognitive map of sustainable development design, the use of systems modeling could play a central role in helping groups become more informed about their proposed policies or designs for development.
And as a result of this centrality, it represents what I think to be a first order pattern in any planning process that deals with the interaction between natural and built systems. Now, being a pattern person I see that sustainable development is more more complex than what can be modeled, however, there are certain elements that modeling can tell us about our environment that might not be obvious. Things that if overlooked could spell disaster for our proposals. To me this makes sense as we can bring in a quantitative model and apply it in a qualitative way to help people learn about their environment.
The problem is that many seem to confuse these models as predictors or forecasters of dynamic change, but when really they are educational tools that are meant to do just that, educate us. So great care must be taken to ensure that people recognize modeling for what it is. Alexander, talks about this in the 'Nature of Order.'
With that in mind, I wonder how a simulation of this sort might influence a pattern based approach to planning a development program. In fact, this might make a very useful pattern as part of a pattern based planning methodology that seeks to inform the ways patterns are contextualized by communities.
The pattern is Alan Borning's "Citizen Access to Simulation" and when I wrote my first response to this pattern I was thinking of community simulation where actors are involved in a sort of mock experiment similar to the one we are conducting in my environmental conflict course. However, in reading some of the material behind this pattern I have come to see this as dynamic simulations as a way to support decision making in community context.
Now, this is exactly what I'm doing in my other class "Systems Dynamic Modeling," and the more I get into this course the more I recognize how this can play a central element in collaborative planning. For instance, in following along with my interest in a planning approach that promotes pattern mapping to develop a cognitive map of sustainable development design, the use of systems modeling could play a central role in helping groups become more informed about their proposed policies or designs for development.
And as a result of this centrality, it represents what I think to be a first order pattern in any planning process that deals with the interaction between natural and built systems. Now, being a pattern person I see that sustainable development is more more complex than what can be modeled, however, there are certain elements that modeling can tell us about our environment that might not be obvious. Things that if overlooked could spell disaster for our proposals. To me this makes sense as we can bring in a quantitative model and apply it in a qualitative way to help people learn about their environment.
The problem is that many seem to confuse these models as predictors or forecasters of dynamic change, but when really they are educational tools that are meant to do just that, educate us. So great care must be taken to ensure that people recognize modeling for what it is. Alexander, talks about this in the 'Nature of Order.'
With that in mind, I wonder how a simulation of this sort might influence a pattern based approach to planning a development program. In fact, this might make a very useful pattern as part of a pattern based planning methodology that seeks to inform the ways patterns are contextualized by communities.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Concept Maps or Topic Maps
Need Some Help...
So in furthering this idea of enabling a collaborative space for users to visually map patterns to construct relevant pattern languages, I have been considering the various approaches afforded through Concept Maps and Mind Maps. Now, each mapping approach has a list of associated software products to aid in this visual process. Some of these products such as Cmap provide a server tool to allow for collaborative mapping among multiple people, basically providing exactly what I have been looking to implement for the patterns we have.
This seems like a very possible avenue to take. Plus, it is free to educational institutions and they provide donations to non-profits, like PSP. For those unfamiliar with idea of concept maps, see this definition:
"Concept mapping is a technique for visualizing the relationships among different concepts. A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among concepts. Concepts are connected with labeled arrows, in a downward-branching hierarchical structure. The relationship between concepts is articulated in linking phrases, e.g., "gives rise to", "results in", "is required by," or "contributes to" - Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Basically, these concepts are linked together in a semantic relationship defined by the person or persons designing the map. So, for us pattern language designers we could in focus on encouraging the development of a single pattern and define semantic connections to other patterns below it and above it in the pattern language heirachy.
Take a look at the image below and envision, say "Grassroots Public Policy Development" as taking the place of what is currently there. Similar to the map below we could make connections and assert that Grassroots Public Policy Development is enabled through greater levels of "Civic Capabilities," which is dependent upon a certain level of "Civic Intelligence." Civic Intelligence might also be supported through patterns such as "Informal Learning Groups" and continued access to "Political Settings."
However, some might say that this approach is limiting and some ways it might be. I have been reading a bit on Topic Maps and came across this response on infoloom to the question surrounding the difference between concept maps and topic maps:
"First, concept maps and topic maps are born out of the same desire: to
represent what we think or what we know in a graph. Here, the term graph
can be taken both in its visual sense, and in its mathematical
sense. Concept maps emphasize the visual and, in the paper and pencil
instance, ignore the mathematical sense. Topic maps emphasize the graph
structure, the mathematical sense, and leave the visual or presentation
entirely up to implementors of topic map engines.
The second response is to delve into the structures of concept and topic
maps. They are both the same and they are different. Concept maps, as I
think Joseph Novak formalized them, consist of named nodes and labeled
arcs. Topic maps, as I think Steve Newcomb and others formalized them,
consist of a few more objects than that, objects that deal with
occurrences, scopes, roles, association membership, and so forth."
- Jack Park
I have been reading other responses in other areas and much of what is see appears to be similar. Now, there seems to be something interesting here in that it is possible that we don't want to build concept maps at all but rather topic maps, that could possess the visual structure of a concept map. Perhaps this is what we are after in designing these pattern languages through the web. Perhaps, the extension of these maps to include the scope, associations and so forth.
I would really like to here some thoughts on this...
So in furthering this idea of enabling a collaborative space for users to visually map patterns to construct relevant pattern languages, I have been considering the various approaches afforded through Concept Maps and Mind Maps. Now, each mapping approach has a list of associated software products to aid in this visual process. Some of these products such as Cmap provide a server tool to allow for collaborative mapping among multiple people, basically providing exactly what I have been looking to implement for the patterns we have.
This seems like a very possible avenue to take. Plus, it is free to educational institutions and they provide donations to non-profits, like PSP. For those unfamiliar with idea of concept maps, see this definition:
"Concept mapping is a technique for visualizing the relationships among different concepts. A concept map is a diagram showing the relationships among concepts. Concepts are connected with labeled arrows, in a downward-branching hierarchical structure. The relationship between concepts is articulated in linking phrases, e.g., "gives rise to", "results in", "is required by," or "contributes to" - Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Basically, these concepts are linked together in a semantic relationship defined by the person or persons designing the map. So, for us pattern language designers we could in focus on encouraging the development of a single pattern and define semantic connections to other patterns below it and above it in the pattern language heirachy.
Take a look at the image below and envision, say "Grassroots Public Policy Development" as taking the place of what is currently there. Similar to the map below we could make connections and assert that Grassroots Public Policy Development is enabled through greater levels of "Civic Capabilities," which is dependent upon a certain level of "Civic Intelligence." Civic Intelligence might also be supported through patterns such as "Informal Learning Groups" and continued access to "Political Settings."
However, some might say that this approach is limiting and some ways it might be. I have been reading a bit on Topic Maps and came across this response on infoloom to the question surrounding the difference between concept maps and topic maps:
"First, concept maps and topic maps are born out of the same desire: to
represent what we think or what we know in a graph. Here, the term graph
can be taken both in its visual sense, and in its mathematical
sense. Concept maps emphasize the visual and, in the paper and pencil
instance, ignore the mathematical sense. Topic maps emphasize the graph
structure, the mathematical sense, and leave the visual or presentation
entirely up to implementors of topic map engines.
The second response is to delve into the structures of concept and topic
maps. They are both the same and they are different. Concept maps, as I
think Joseph Novak formalized them, consist of named nodes and labeled
arcs. Topic maps, as I think Steve Newcomb and others formalized them,
consist of a few more objects than that, objects that deal with
occurrences, scopes, roles, association membership, and so forth."
- Jack Park
I have been reading other responses in other areas and much of what is see appears to be similar. Now, there seems to be something interesting here in that it is possible that we don't want to build concept maps at all but rather topic maps, that could possess the visual structure of a concept map. Perhaps this is what we are after in designing these pattern languages through the web. Perhaps, the extension of these maps to include the scope, associations and so forth.
I would really like to here some thoughts on this...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)