Participatory mobile- and web-based tools for eliciting landscape knowledge and perspectives: introducing and evaluating the Wisconsin geotools project

Despite synergistic goals across a wide breadth of fields and modalities, coastal landscape conservation projects that engage the lay public and integrate narratives of place remain elusive. This paper addresses these needs by introducing and evaluating the Wisconsin Geotools, an integrated pair of mobile-and web-based applications that allow users to generate and share spatially defined multimedia observations — including photos, short textual descriptions (or journals), and audio and video clips — of their surrounding bioregional landscapes. We followed a participatory, user-centered design process to develop a mobile application that uses GPS capabilities to geolocate multimedia observations of landscapes and feed them into a web-based application, which displays content through the structure of an interactive story map. The applications were piloted with coastal community user groups in Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Wisconsin, USA. Over 800 observations were recorded by participants in our study area. Results from a user evaluation survey indicate the geotools effectively engaged participants in learning about and exploring their surrounding coastal landscapes. A spatial analysis revealed participants’ affinity for water-related features in landscapes. We close by suggesting a variety of ways in which these tools can support future projects and existing methodologies that are advancing transdisciplinary approaches to engaging the public in coastal conservation

Tangible user interfaces : past, present and future directions

In the last two decades, Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) have emerged as a new interface type that interlinks the digital and physical worlds. Drawing upon users' knowledge and skills of interaction with the real non-digital world, TUIs show a potential to enhance the way in which people interact with and leverage digital information. However, TUI research is still in its infancy and extensive research is required in or- der to fully understand the implications of tangible user interfaces, to develop technologies that further bridge the digital and the physical, and to guide TUI design with empirical knowledge. This paper examines the existing body of work on Tangible User In- terfaces. We start by sketching the history of tangible user interfaces, examining the intellectual origins of this field. We then present TUIs in a broader context, survey application domains, and review frame- works and taxonomies. We also discuss conceptual foundations of TUIs including perspectives from cognitive sciences, phycology, and philoso- phy. Methods and technologies for designing, building, and evaluating TUIs are also addressed. Finally, we discuss the strengths and limita- tions of TUIs and chart directions for future research

The despecialization of objects : a process oriented approach to designing interior objects

"Two industrial designers, Philippe Carreau and Hubert Pelletier, parented the theory, the despecialization of objects. The despecialization of objects addresses the trivializing and undervaluing of objects (poor human-object relationships) caused by post-industrial overabundance and over-consumption. Despecialization is the process to revert an object's function to a more generic state so that it no longer answers an ultra-specific need, but instead satisfies a broader spectrum of needs. It was revealed that Carreau and Pelletier's approach lacked a definitive generative design process. The thesis redevelops the theoretical framework of the despecialization of objects, tests the process oriented approach through an extensively recorded trial and error design investigation, and produces a final prototype. Due to the narrow focus of the exploration, insufficient data was collected to support that despecialized objects could or could not curb over-consumption, but a noteworthy generative creative process, titled the serendipitous generative approach was developed."--Abstract from author supplied metadata

Survey: Benefits of integrating both wireless sensors networks and cloud computing infrastructure

Cloud computing has the capabilities of powerful processing and scalable storage with the ability of offline and online data analysis and mining of the collected sensed data from body areas networks. Cloud computing can be considered as the main enabler for modern manufacturing industries. Cloud computing can efficiently serve key areas of manufacturing by aspects of the pay-as-you-go business model, scaling up and down production according to certain demands, more customized solutions, and flexible deployments. In cloud manufacturing, the distributed sensors and resources can be managed in centralized architecture that allows cloud users to request more specific product design, testing at all the stages of the product. This study covers the main points of Integrating Both Wireless Sensors Networks and Cloud Computing Infrastructure and gives a view of the various advantage and disadvantages of methods in integration

Participatory utopian sketching: A methodological framework for collaborative citizen (re)imagination of urban spatial futures

Explorations of emerging urban spatial futures increasingly depend on the empathetic interweaving of broad political ideals with grounded democratic involvement. The collaborative planning paradigm (CP) and participatory action research (PAR) have thus gained traction globally, since they centralise meaningful involvement of those with lived experiences of the local environment. Building upon this, we argue that ‘utopia’ can offer an alternative paradigm that enhances citizen engagement, by refocusing urban design and planning explorations away from a problem-based orientation to a values-based one. Through a four-stage collaborative framework: 1. Experiencing the Space, 2. Sketching of Utopias, 3. Sharing of Utopias, and 4. Collaborative Analysis, participatory utopian sketching offers the possibility for richer and wider citizen engagement in urban development processes. The novelty of the framework is its tenets of collaboration, citizen inclusivity, playful experimentation, and iterative reflective activity. Its flexibility also allows for multiple real-world applications in the making of urban spatial futures. We demonstrate the methodological framework of participatory utopian sketching using an empirical pilot study examining the spatial imagination of solar panel futures within a neighbourhood located in Luleå, the provincial capital of Northern Sweden. Thereafter, we provide elucidations on the framework’s opportunities and challenges in wider urban design and planning discourse