Dear Transformap friends and contributors,
Here is the latest community report. Hope you enjoy! You can find it online
version here
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/community-report-3-27-april-2016/1042/1>where
you can also comment, give feedback.
Oh, and it would be great if some of you could confirm they're receiving
those emails so we're sure that our mailing list does work.
All the best,
Adrien for the community
------------------------------
Community Migrating our inventory of maps
Since the beginning of our adventure we have inventoried existing maps of
alternative economies as well as mapping resources (like atlases or tools).
The wiki is now relocated at the following address:
http://wiki.transformaps.net/. The overview of existing maps is here
<https://wiki.transformaps.net/wiki/Mappings_Overview>. Feel free to
contribute and add missing maps or complete/update information! We're
looking at ways to make that inventory easier to navigate and more visually
attractive. Ideas? Get in touch!
Highlighting some relevant discussions on the forum
In our effort to build a community, let's highlight two related
discussions. One with Ben Brownell from Metamaps
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/alignment-with-real-economy-lab/205>
which touched to the issue of determining to what community (eg.
Transition, Commons, etc.) an initiative is belonging to. The question is
who is legitimate to do this. Our answer no one! or, better, everyone! This
spurred the related discussion
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/leave-it-to-the-user-collectively-shapin…>
which is the background that brings us to one of the main deliverable we're
working onl: let users collectively shape taxonomies, make their own
filters. In other words really enable non technical people to shape new
maps of alternative economies.
More discussion with metamaps.cc
We've had some more contacts with the friends of metamaps.cc through their
platform - did you know you can video chat with other mappers while looking
at the same map? it's working great!.
I learned at his occasion that a basic import function is about to be
available. Check for updates here
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/mapping-ecosystems-with-metamaps/1043>.
------------------------------
Tech Taxonomy development process with SSEDAS
We are figuring out how to use the SSEDAS taxonomy development process
outcome for creating compliant data sets for the SSEDAS map displays.
Last week, we were holding a SSEDAS partner Taxonomy skype call
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VuA02WkytUl5rmMMlydHLtGSSGyCjw8RkHk6xJ0…>.
We concluded, that the qualifiers, required for some Types of Initiatives
(shops, restaurants, farms), will build on the qualifiers already
established by ESS Global. - In the first week of May we have another open
Taxonomy Call <http://doodle.com/poll/6wqk7tsay5sdwfyk>, to give people an
introduction in the Taxonomy System, and prepare the SSEDAS inputs for a
Conversation with ESS Global to prepare their qualifiers Version 2.0.
Jason Nardi from Ripess offered to be the interface with ESS Global, and
for the 2nd week of May, we scheduled a meeting to converge on the
Qualifiers (more details here
<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VuA02WkytUl5rmMMlydHLtGSSGyCjw8RkHk6xJ0…>
).
------------------------------
Project Management Administrative issues CHEST
Get Active is now validated by the EU Commission for the CHEST project and
Ecobytes is almost there as well. Even with the validation granted, there
is seemingly an endless stream of paperwork still coming, which might be
completed quite soon.
SSEDAS
- We are in good relations with the SSEDAS Steering Committee, as well
as with the activity coordinator Jan Urhahn from Inkota.There is a common
understanding, that the community work with the SSEDAS partners requires
more effort than expected, that we invest more time in converging with
external partners (e.g. ESS Global), and also for our own process. We do
our best to keep deadlines and deliver an awesome SUSY-map.
- The SSEDAS partners are now almost finished with delivering us their
first data, and we are working and structuring it currently to provided it
to the API.- A first draft for the visualization is sceduled für the
comming week.
Budgeting:
In further shaping the budget (within the current spreadsheet format), no
progress happened, as the respective people in the team required to work on
it could/would not take the required time to meet.
In the mean time, some team-members are also focusing on trying the
software co-budget to assess whether it can be used for managing community
buckets.
--
Adrien Labaeye
+49 176 3810 8605 | Skype ID: adrien.labaeye | Twitter: @alabaeye |
<http://transitionlab.de>
In this second community report you will get a general update on the budget
process, on the current tech proposal regarding the management of
filters/taxonomies, and some updates from the community at large. Hope this
is informative. Feedback/critiques/ideas are welcome!
------------------------------
Community Community dinner in Berlin
We were a dozen, old and new, to share a tasty dinner (thanks to @kei
<https://discourse.transformap.co/users/kei> cooking skills!) at Thinkfarm
Berlin. This was the occasion to reconnect the community in Berlin,
face-to-face and hear critics. This was very valuable. Plans related to the
socio-technical infrastructure that is being developed were discussed (in
the Tech section).
1-DSCF7875.JPG1024x768 415 KB
<https://discourse.transformap.co/uploads/default/original/1X/9facb07ef215db…>
Presenting TransforMap at Code for Berlin
Jon Richter presented TransforMap to a small group of civic tech activists
of Code for Berlin. Here is his presentation <https://t.co/4HOoFS7yYC>.
This was a step in putting TransforMap of the civic tech's map and talking
about (re)decentralization of civic data.
Opening the discussion with Yunity: a sharing platform in development
Yunity <https://project.yunity.org> is a project that is building an open
source multi-saving and sharing platform for food, items, skills,
transport, spaces... We have initiated dialogue
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/yunity-org/983> to explore synergies.
Connecting the dots, one by one - we're building an Ecosystem, not an
organization.
The Atlas of Social Maps
Another significant addition to our collection of atlases
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/listing-all-atlases-of-maps/1012>!
The Atlas
of Social Maps
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TGXJF2f05fTFjKFsbRp2QFmeXu-htLtEP8F…>
collected over 50 examples of maps in a google doc, with systematic
background information about each map such as tools used, geographic
coverage, map purpose. A good report about this atlas (with a nice
visualization) can be viewed here
<http://www.social-life.co/blog/post/social_maps_atlas/>.
------------------------------
Tech Embeddable map viewer based on LeafletJS is being developed
As part of the SSEDAS project stream, @kei
<https://discourse.transformap.co/users/kei> is working on the initial
development of a web map to display solidarity economy initiatives
suggested by the projects' partners. This means that with a simple line of
code - that can be copy pasted - anyone can embed this map on their site.
Inspired by maps like the one on www.digitalsocial.eu, the map will have
easy-to-use search and filtering options, as well as icons to clearly
identify initiatives' area of focus within the solidarity economy. This
search function will later be very useful for providing an open source
interface for searching web maps and visualizing the TransforMap taxonomies.
New proposal for collectively shaping taxonomies and developing
visualization filters
As part of the CHEST and SSEDAS projects, we are currently finishing the
processing of the first data sets and taxonomy structure. The team has put
a large effort in articulating the tensions between the different
typologies and classification of points, the desired taxonomies (SSEDAS,
TransforMap community proposal to OpenStreetMap) and existing efforts with
which we want to collaborate (ESSglobal). For developers, it means getting
a safe space for focusing on technical development. For site managers, it
means having an easy to use API endpoint to get access to open geographical
data of choice. For end users it opens the opportunity for collaboration on
making meaning of geographical data. Read more and discuss >>
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/leave-it-to-the-user-collectively-shapin…>
------------------------------
Project Management Overhauling the institutional setting for the
TransforMap commons production
In 2015 we have settled the first institutional framework of TransforLap,
based on sociocratic circles. A few months later, with the need to bring
together different skills for the development of tools and the process,
overcoming the we had the first agile/scrum team
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/using-scrum-in-the-production-of-techno-…>
of TransforMap. As you probably know, there were many unclarities in how we
govern and manage the funds, and the role of the so called "scrum team".
After analyzing it, we came out to a new proposed framework to understand
our commoning and commons-based peer production process, which we call the
Erlenmeyer flask. We are happy to share the proposal and the analysis on
the institutional failures with the community and discuss it further
together. Read more and discuss >>
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/producing-commons-with-an-erlenmeyer-fla…>
SSEDAS will soon become SUSY
SUSY is the name of the Map for the SSEDAS project. This map is provided by
the TransforMap collective under the CHEST/SSEDAS funding scheme. We're
glad to say that the majority of manually collected data from the SSEDAS
partners arrived and is being aggregated.
SUSY stands for "Sustainable and Solidarity Economy". More info to be found
on SUSY's website <http://www.solidarityeconomy.eu/>! You can also see the
involved partners/countries here in discourse:
https://discourse.transformap.co/t/about-ssedas/500-
SSEDAS & CHEST budgeting update: introducing community buckets
Integrating the critics about the way financial resources have been
managed, we are currently working on
- presenting a deliverable-oriented cost structure to better navigate
the use of funds
- a community bucket system to open up (as much as allowed per our
funders) the implementation of the deliverables.
- a smaller community bucket where the community is encouraged to
propose work to be funded: eg. a Metamaps import function
<https://twitter.com/Connoropolous/status/711170162737553408>, further
development of the Atlas of maps <http://wiki.transformaps.net/>, etc.
More detailed information (amounts of buckets) to come in next report!
Thanks for your patience!
CHEST / Funding Administration
After we processed the first request for the EC to contract changes, as
required by all CHEST partners, all projects got the request to do it again
in another way. Another EC department requested that. That is some minor
paperwork - but time-consuming - that is almost done. It might bring the
good benefit, that we might get 3 months of time extension, but that is
just gossip until now. Some more gossip, the EC is very happy about the
first reports of the overall CHEST project.
------------------------------
Tip of the day: Follow the TransforMap Twitter account
<https://twitter.com/transformap> to engage in the conversation and further
connect the ecosystem :D
--
Adrien Labaeye
+49 176 3810 8605 | Skype ID: adrien.labaeye | Twitter: @alabaeye |
transitionlab.de
c/o Thinkfarm Berlin | Oranienstraße 183 | 10999 Berlin | (3. Hof, Aufgang
C, 3. OG)
http://berlin.thinkfarm.de/
Hello,
please share with me any update that you find relevant to the Transformap
wider community. It will be integrated in the next community report. Please
do so before Wednesday :)
You may also share information that you would like to see connected to your
nod (your point on the map) on our Transformap Ecosystem map
<https://metamaps.cc/maps/1938>. Be reminded that you can also contribute
to the map directly (requires a login) :)
For those in Berlin, on wednesday 13.4 , we'll have a networking dinner in
Berlin at Thinkfarm Berlin. Details and registration here
<https://attending.io/events/transformap-two-years-later>.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
--
Adrien Labaeye
+49 176 3810 8605 | Skype ID: adrien.labaeye | Twitter: @alabaeye |
transitionlab.de
c/o Thinkfarm Berlin | Oranienstraße 183 | 10999 Berlin | (3. Hof, Aufgang
C, 3. OG)
http://berlin.thinkfarm.de/
Hallo liebe TransforMap community,
wie ihr dem community report von Adrien evtl. schon entnehmen konntet, ist
für das SSEDAS Projekt http://www.solidarityeconomy.eu/ die Entwicklung
einer Karte und damit auch eines Kategorien-Baums für die Visualisierung im
Gange, die letztlich auch für TransforMap nutzbar sein werden.
Der SSEDAS Taxonomy-Prozess baut auf den Beiträgen der 26 SSEDAS Partner
auf und soll einen Überblick über die Solidar-Ökonomie (im weitesten Sinne
des Begriffs) in Europa liefern.
Insbesondere die Findung von Initiativen-Typen war/ist die Stärke des
SSEDAS Taxonomie-Prozesses. Der gegenwärtige Entwurf versucht auch andere
Entwürfe zu integrieren. Insbesondere die Arbeit an den "Modes of
Interaction" aus dem TransforMap Taxonomie-Prozess ist vollständig
integriert.
1. Hier eine Entwurfs-Version zum kommentieren
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1xSWyU1Ddy0luq8e6lGTWC1O89ilEWFndPBz…>
2. In dieser Entwurfs-Version kann auch editiert werden
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1L_NPurXI-dnQmyLitgygHJpqAj51QPjC3rv…>
Wenn jemand Interesse hat an diesem Prozess, seht euch bitte den Entwurf an
und gebt Feedback bis zum 15. April, oder meldet euch einfach, in welcher
Weise ihr gerne beitragen mögt. Wir können auch gerne ein online-meeting
dazu machen. Euer Feedback / Fragen / Anmerkungen sind enorm wichtig, um
etwas zu schaffen, das über den Projektzeitraum hinaus bestand hat, und für
das,womit wir im März 2014 gestartet sind langfristig Sinn macht.
ganz herzliche Grüße
Josef
PS: Bitte um Entschuldigung für die lange Funkstille, insbesondere an
diejenigen, die sich für eben dieses Thema brennend interessieren.
Es würde mich sehr freuen, wenn ihr euch dennoch einbringen mögt.
Danke an diejenigen, die zwischenzeitlich schon wunderbar beigetragen /
nachgefragt / Entwicklungen vorangebracht haben.
Mag. Josef Kreitmayer
E j(a)getactive.org
T 0699/81 634 148
www.getactive.orghttps://www.linkedin.com/in/josefkreitmayer
*www.transformap.co <http://www.transformap.co>** | www.transition.at
<http://www.transition.at>*
* | www.tiefenoekologie.at <http://www.tiefenoekologie.at>*
Dear transformap friends and contributors,
This is the first so-called Community Report. Over the past months, we have
been indeed very bad at making sure the wider Transformap community is well
informed, we are very much aware of that. So first, we would like to
apologize for that. Somehow we didn't allocate someone to take care of such
activity.
So in our learning process, we have decided to aim at a bi-weekly Community
Report that will provide some key updates along three categories: Tech
development, Community development and Project management (this is a
temporary category that is connected to specific financial streams). I
personally will be the one coordinating that report, but support is welcome!
Each community report will be sent on the two mailing lists (check the
recipient of this email) and archived on our forum
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/community-report-1-31st-march-2016/1011>
where you it may be updated and where are encouraged to ask clarification
questions, give feedback, ideas, etc.
In introduction to this report, we have to bring back a little bit of
context.
Context
In January 2015, the community held a conclave in Potsdam, deciding on a
working structure in circles
<http://blog.14mmm.org/transformap-has-a-working-structure-and-its-wild/>
where consent was the modus operandi for taking decisions.
At about the same time, we learned that our application (attached) to the
EU program CHEST <http://www.chest-project.eu/call-3-winning-projects/>
funding was successful, meaning we would have secured 60 000€ of
co-funding. The two non profits GetActive and EcoBytes being the official
legal bodies to manage that funding. That funding was however delayed due
to a tough legal conflict between the EU Commission and the CHEST
consortium. That funding finally started last October, with the first money
transfer.
In the mean time, we had another community meeting in June 2015 in Munich,
where it was decided, not without tensions, that Josef Kreitmayer and
Michael Maier would proceed in putting together a proposal for the SSEDAS
project („Social & Solidarity Economy as Development Approach for
Sustainability“ ) to setup their mapping platform as a Transformap
prototype (partly at least).
In September, we held a Roadmap workshop at the Solikon Conference
<http://solikon2015.org/en/concept-solikon2015> in Berlin, gathering
community inputs on priorities for the development of our socio-technical
infrastructure.
In the Autumn 2015, a core team composed of Josef Kreitmayer (GetActive)
Gualter Barbas Baptista (EcoBytes), Michael Maier and Jon Richter spent a
lot of time in planning the operationalization of those two project funding
into the Transformap process (note the difference between 'projects' and
'process'). This was, and still is, very complex for various reasons:
technical complexity (this is now partly under control), financial setup
involving two different funding sources and two funding recipients (this is
in the finalization phase), horizontality of the collective clashing with
project managerial constraints (this is still an open tension).
Finally, a hackathon was held with developers (Jon, Gualter, Michael,
Maxime) in Witzenhausen in the first weeks of February to put together the
first blocks of the Transformap API
<https://github.com/TransforMap/data.transformap.co> (an engine that can
take data from one place and put data in another place - a key piece of
infrastructure in other words).
This brings us to the last weeks that are summarized in the section below!
------------------------------
Tech Development API
The API (application program interface) was tested and works! Developers
who would like to use it or fork, it's here:
https://github.com/TransforMap/data.transformap.co
This API is key to further develop the Transformap infrastructure.
[more information on tech development is awaited and will hopefully come in
the next report]
------------------------------
Community Development April Berlin Events
We are convening a VoCamp (Vocabulary Camp) in Berlin this 12th of April to
explore similarities in the vocabularies used by existing mapping
initiatives. Want to participate? Help organize the event? Check the pad
here https://text.allmende.io/p/transformap-2016-april
On 13th of April we celebrate (because it's always good to celebrate!) our
community at the Thinkfarm Berlin: cooking and eating together with a
relaxed evening. Please register here:
https://attending.io/events/celebrating-2-years-of-transformap
Community mapping
While we've failed to inform the historic community, the Transformap
collective at large (visit the Who's who
<https://discourse.transformap.co/c/welcome-on-board/who-is-who> to check
new members) has continued to network and expand, connecting to other
like-minded projects. To get an overview you may check the mind map of the
Transformap community
<https://discourse.transformap.co/t/mapping-the-transformap-ecosystem/970>
- and feel free to collaborate, it's open!
Communecter.org
Our friends at Communecter <https://www.communecter.org> (Tibor) have
launched their city-based platform. This allows you to create projects,
initiative profiles, events, to share news with your neighbours or your
city council, etc. And all this is being developed as a commons: from
software to data! And better: it is built for interoperability! This means
we are part of the same ecosystem and collaboration lies ahead. *You can
support them by chipping in their crowdfunding campaign
<http://www.kisskissbankbank.com/communecter-se-connecter-a-sa-commune>*
(English version to come soon).
SEMEOZ
We've established a good connection with Maia Demireva from France and the
Semeoz non profit. They collect stories of constructive change and in
particular maps. They have gathered over 160 maps
<http://semeoz.info/carte/> in French! There is also a Facebook group
<https://www.facebook.com/groups/cartosemeoz/?fref=ts> to gather those
maps.
Metamaps
Our friends of http://metamaps.cc would need a couple hundred euros to add
an import function that would allow making mind maps from an excel sheet or
a dataset a two click task. In other words a great feature to improve the
whole app and bring in more data, opening the door towards interoperability
one step at a time. We are looking at our current budget to see if we have
enough resources to dedicate a small bounty for the metamaps developers for
that specific feature. *Is that a good idea?*
------------------------------
Project Management
This section is specifically about the management of the CHEST and SSEDAS
funding streams. As a self-organized collective we would have liked never
to have to talk about project management, but constraints attached to such
funding have forced some of us to take that hat (mainly Josef, for
GetActive, and Gualter, for EcoBytes).
We need to make serious thinking about how to better manage money in the
future, to make sure it reinforces the commoning process. For this, WE NEED
YOU! We've started a conversation here:
https://discourse.transformap.co/t/separate-commons-and-commerce-to-make-it…
Check the update from Josef about the recent news connected to the CHEST
and SSEDAS funding management:
https://discourse.transformap.co/t/bi-weekly-community-report/1007/4
If you would like to further understand the current process from the
'project management' perspective, or in other words, where the money goes,
you can have a look at the budget. It's for the moment still hard to
navigate. Soon will come a better version. We'll keep you updated about
that! Link to budget:
https://discourse.transformap.co/t/chest-ssedas-combined-budget-proposal/850
Deliverables of the CHEST funding are in the application (attached).
------------------------------
Looking forward to the next steps of this adventure!
All the best,
--
Adrien Labaeye
+49 176 3810 8605 | Skype ID: adrien.labaeye | Twitter: @alabaeye |
transitionlab.de
c/o Thinkfarm Berlin | Oranienstraße 183 | 10999 Berlin | (3. Hof, Aufgang
C, 3. OG)
http://berlin.thinkfarm.de/