Future Vision: educational data collection for community resilience by Shiftworks

Judges comments on Future Vision related to four different factors:

1.     How Future Vision will access relevant data and information used in the system

This answer can be found in the “What actions do you propose section?” under the subtitle “Collect preliminary data.”

Once a new deployment location for Future Vision has been identified, the data collection process begins. Future Vision sources relevant data for the three primary focus areas of its interactive panels’: “What to Expect?” “What Do You Value?” and “What Would You Change?” For each focus area, pertinent data is collected in different ways.

For “What to Expect?”, which presents information on existing local climate risks and planning preparation options, data is gathered via partnerships with local entities. In areas, regions and cities with up-to-date research on climate impacts and resulting vulnerability, Future Vision will partner with local governments to collect relevant data and information. In areas with little to no available information, Future Vision will partner with more independent organizations that have researched the sites in question, such as academic institutions, intergovernmental panels, non-governmental organizations, and/or private firms.

For the “What Do You Value?” sequence, which asks users to share their personal expertise, data is provided by users themselves. This is where people upload information on local experts, personal priorities, site-based memories and informal neighborhood gathering spaces, all of which are assessed and collected for implementation into future planning efforts.

For the “What Would You Change?” sequence, data is both collected ahead of time from local partners and provided by users once Future Vision is installed and operational. This portion of the Future Vision interface provides users with a space to learn about options for physical adaptive strategies, share their own ideas for potential planning measures, and connect with other locals interested in continuing the resilience planning process together. Aspects which require preliminary data collection ahead of the site-launch include information on applicable adaptive strategies for the area in question, existing emergency shelters and regional adaptation plans, if any. This information would be gathered via partnerships with local entities. Again, in areas with little to no existing available information on these topics, Future Vision will reach out to independent organizations.

In this preliminary phase, only data for the “What to Expect?” and “What Would You Change?” is collected. 

Once preliminary data is collected, the Future Vision digital interface is designed and built. This will be a time intensive process for the first few models but, as Future Vision is deployed in more places and the interface is accordingly refined, the cost will decrease. Certain aspects of the interface will require continual management and upkeep. For example, a significant portion of the “What Would You Change?” sequence is a dating app-like interface for users to connect with other people in their areas interested in collaborating on further adaptive plans. Like other apps, it calls for regular maintenance to be most effective.

2.     Project costs

This answer can be found in the “What are the proposal’s costs?” section.

Projected base costs of the Future Vision models range from $23,830 to $48,800 USD, depending on model deployed. Single screen models for subways cars are priced lower at $17,750.

Please note that these numbers are strictly for the physical models themselves. Start-up costs of engineering Future Vision's digital interface would be roughly $100,000. This does not include ongoing costs of physical and technological maintenance services for both the furniture and digital programming, or data collection and preliminary analysis services. 

Participating government bodies and organizations would be expected to raise their own funds for implementing user response data into resilience planning efforts. 

3.     How the dissemination of information for community resilience can be implemented in climate vulnerable cities with little or no public transport

This answer can be found in the “What actions do you propose?” section, under the subtitle “Where there is no public transit, install Future Vision in existing gathering spaces,” as well as the “Where will these actions be taken?” section.

In vulnerable areas with little or no existing public transport, Future Vision models can be deployed in other central, public gathering spaces, such as religious centers and open air markets. In places where Future Vision is installed outside, models include shade cover and added shelter for increased user comfort. Solar panels, which are embedded in all Future Vision models, provide on-site power and lighting. Again, encouraging users to linger is a key part of Future Vision’s engagement, education and community planning strategy. 

We reiterate this approach at the end of in the “Where will these actions be taken?” section.

4.     How Future Vision can help encourage community wide action to deal with climate hazards

This answer can be found in both the “Summary” and “What actions do you propose?” sections, under the subtitle “Digitize the design charrette process.”

In the “Summary” section, our response is relatively succinct: Future Vision encourages community wide action in dealing with climate hazards. Its digital interface invites users to plan for coming changes, from connecting with other planning-focused people in their area to uploading ideas of actions they’d like to take.

In the “What actions do you propose?” section, we provide a more detailed answer. The “What Would You Change?” phase of the Future Vision digital interface provides users with a space to learn about physical adaptive strategies, find emergency shelters in neighboring regions, and connect with other locals interested in continuing the resilience planning process together.

As such, the “What Would You Change?” phase is the section where people begin responding to embedded calls to action. Users can connect to existing planning groups in their area (this information will be provided by local government and organizational connections); upload ideas of what they might like to see happen within their communities; connect with others (through a dating app-like interface) in their area who are also interested in talking more about these adaptation and planning issues; and discover more organizations, websites and resources to connect with to continue learning about their local climate vulnerability.

All information that users upload in the “What Do You Value?” and “What Would You Change?” phases is compiled into a database to which Future Vision provides ongoing and collaborative access. Users can also check back into the Future Vision system to see how others have responded to their ideas, comments and questions, creating an ongoing, publicly-accessible climate resilience conversation.