Techno! Techno! Techno!

We are working with Onteca and developing their image mapping toolkit which utilises Googlemap technology.

Our project is the first time this technology has been applied directly to a community participation programme and we will be covering the following technical areas in the project:

> Encouraging people to take-up e-mail accounts so that they can log onto the map system and become active creators of content.

> Setting up mobile phones with the image mapping application and combining this with GPS technology so that the participant can upload an image from anywhere in the area. The uploaded media will appear on the map relevant to their specific geographic location.

> Using GPS so that users can record walks around their neighbourhood.

> Using social software such as You Tube, so that participants can upload digital videos that they create throughout the project.

The key aim here is not to blind participants with science, but rather for them to see how technology can benefit the telling of their story. Content creation will be the project participant's motivation for taking part in I Am Here, and it is hoped that they will view technology not with trepidation, but rather just as a tool which will faciltate their story telling.

Mobile phones are such a pervading technology now that we do not view them as complex devices - they are everyday tools that we use without a second thought, which is why they are useful and effective technologies to implement in engagement projects.

Project Intro

Hi
Welcome to the I Am Here project blog. This blog is intended to keep people updated on the project's progression as well as providing an opportunity for people to share experiences and thoughts stemming from their participation in theproject.

Firstly I'll introduce myself and the project. I'm Bernadette McGrath and am the Digital Inclusion Co-ordinator at ICDC (The International Centre for Digital Content which is part of Liverpool John Moores University) I am part of the Digital Inclusion Unit and work with Sue Potts (Digital Inclusion Development Manager )to form partnerships and opportunities which engage a wide range of hard to reach and diverse community groups in creative digital technology projects, inspiring participants and enabling them to become technically adept and confident creators of digital content.

The Project:
I Am Here is a project which is part of the Liverpool Culture Company’s ‘4 Corners of the City’ programme, through which cultural organisations are working creatively with Liverpool neighbourhoods which are experiencing rapid change, upheaval, and high rates of residential turnover.

Through collaboration and creative partnership, ‘4 Corners of the City’ encourages Liverpool residents to be active in cultural regeneration at a time when a sense of community is disappearing and memories and aspirations are fading. Through the creative process, the programme seeks to answer the question ‘What makes a neighbourhood?’

ICDC is working in partnership with East Liverpool Neighbourhood to create an interactive map of the community. Members of the community will participate in the project by using their mobile phones to document their heritage, hopes and experiences.

I Am Here will use an application created by Onteca Ltd, which uses mobile and GPS technology, and Google Maps, to upload multimedia content to an interactive map. ICDC will train residents to use digital technologies such as video cameras and mobile phones to capture and create content and upload it to the map.

The project is open to all community members and workshops will begin in January 2007.
‘4 Corners of the City 2007’ will culminate in a two week exhibition featuring all the participating projects, beginning on 29th May 2007, to celebrate European Neighbours Day on 30th May 2007. The project is also available online at www.iamhere.me.uk

So what have we done so far...
- I have met up with the East Liverpool Neighbourhood staff where we have drawn up a working group for the project consisting of Diane Bradley and Sam Knowd (East Liverpool Neighbourhood) and Carolyn Garlick from Power EMB. In our meetings we have decided what groups we would like to engage and we have drawn up an agreement of terms on how to work together to ensure we create a successful and truly collaborative project.

- Carolyn has recently taken me on a tour of the Dovecot area of the Neighbourhood - I'll publish details of this on a seperate post.

- The site is currently being developed and Onteca is finalising changes to their image mapping application.

So, keep checking this blog for updates, news and stories relating to the project. It is hoped that this blog will be a useful discussion space to share thoughts on the creative process of the project and how it plans to utilise technology to encourage participation, self expression and new opportunities for learning.