With no less than seven people on our delicious network bookmarking EveryBlock recently, it’s clear that the provision of ‘hyperlocal’ news and information services is a buzzy topic at the moment.
Everyblock is a US service that makes clever use of filters, feeds and geotagging to create a localised news service that can keep you up to date with what’s happening in your area, your street, your neighbour’s front room… (OK not that last one – yet.)
William Perrin of http://www.kingscrossenvironment.com dropped us a line recently and pointed out that this kind of digital hyperlocalism is starting to take off in the UK too. He writes:
“The real human interest in news is in the ultra local - what is happening on my street, by suburb, my village, my town. The future of news is sites like these:
http://www.kingscrossenvironment.com
http://parwich.org
http://digbeth.org
http://www.bishopthorpe.net
http://createdinbirmingham.com
http://www.london-se1.co.uk/
http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/These sites reflect local news values. They are run on a shoestring, with volunteers providing an often highly professional service. Their combined annual budgets are probably less than the cost of one episode of Newsnight.”
As well as the news industry, both Podnosh and Dominic_Campbell picked up on an article by Simon Wakeman about next generation council web sites, showing how personalised, localised information services are starting to emerge in the public service sector too.
Mapping & Tracking
Naturally, you can’t really provide hyperlocal services if you don’t know where anyone or anything is. So we’re going need maps. Lots of maps. Luckily Dominic-Campbell found us some at http://www.maptube.org/: “a free resource for viewing, sharing, mixing and mashing maps online”. And ivoivo has highlighted one very simple application of Maptube: a visualisation of the geographical relationship between knife crime and social deprivation in London.
philip_sheldrake pointed us at another mapping service called http://uuorld.com/ with which you can generate some very smart looking data maps (at a price), revealing along the way that there are a lot more men than women in Qatar, but more women than men in the Ukraine. (Are there a lot of Ukrainian men working in Qatar?)
Location-aware, map-based services do currently tend to be thriving in urban environments in the form of city guides, planning consultations, local history sites and so on. mattbrighton bookmarked http://www.mimoa.eu/, for example, for those people that like to check out great examples of modern architecture in any town or city they happen to be visiting.
Or consider Placeography bookmarked by teetywoo: a wiki where you can share the history of and stories about a house, building, farmstead, public land, neighborhood or any place to which you have a personal connection.
For more detailed ‘missions’ that you might like to undertake when visiting London, the delicious network has also unearthed http://www.urbaneer.net/cities/london. Better still, addictive_picasso has found us diycity that poses the (slightly long-winded?) question: “How can technology be applied to transform urban spaces, changing them from the centralized, hard-coded things they are today into finely-tuned, fluid, user-operated systems that are efficient, sustainable and fit for life in the 21st century?”
Buildings are not, though, the only things that are being mapped these days. It turns out there are already web applications out there for mapping abstract things like arguments(?). Or perhaps you’re interested in simply patching together sensor data from around the world so that a thermometer in Minsk can talk to a windmill in Arkansas via http://www.pachube.com/. The internet of ‘things’ is truly upon us. (thanks to mattbrighton again fo this.)
New 4iP network recruit cowbite has grander plans. He’s found a site for keeping an eye on all shipping off the coast of the UK, and more worryingly still has tipped us off about Henchman’s Helper, which cowbite describes as “an online old school supervillain lair. For those too lazy to build their own.”
And finally from world domination to domestic tracking at its most practical and entertaining. Thanks to monicatailor for alerting us to http://www.sniftag.com: the collar-based tracking and social networking system for dogs. Is this the future for newshounds everywhere?
Leon Cych on Tue, January 27, 2009 at 3:02 said:
Interesting see also this post on localising podcasts of council meetings by psychemedia on Twitter :
http://tinyurl.com/bjszpj
william perrin on Mon, February 02, 2009 at 1:01 said:
thanks for the mention - the real trick here is less the more wizzy technology, but the basic simple stuff that empowers people who need to communicate to express their voice online.
the examples you quoted from me demonstrate people using pretty simple technology (often blog publishing platforms) to to get a more effective voice for their community online.
The people behind these sites are creating truly local content that enriches the web - the sort of content that the hyperlocal aggregators sorely need. See the discussion here
http://ultralocalvoice.wordpress.com/2008/10/31/how-hyperlocal-web20-platforms-can-work-with-genuine-local-content/
the easiest way to create loads of hyperlocal content is to train people who have a need to communicate locally to use simple publishing platforms
see
http://ultralocalvoice.wordpress.com/2009/01/22/talk-about-local-training-thousands-of-people-to-set-up-community-websites-in-their-neighbourhood/
cheers
w
Hugh Flouch on Mon, February 02, 2009 at 5:02 said:
Great article, thanks.
It’s interesting to compare the citizen journalist approach you outlined above with a social network one.
Harringay Online (http://www.harringayonline.com) has been a pioneer of the social network approach. We’ve been stunned by the level of engagement and sense of empowerment the approach has engendered in the neighbourhood. The level of real world impact is also wonderful.
Behind the success of Harringay Online has been a passion to empower and connect through a virtual street corner cum local cafe.
We’re now looking at the best way to scale and replicate our success.
It’ll be fascinating to see how the various models go forward.
Qrsubewih on Sun, July 19, 2009 at 4:23 said:
They what bone blanket <a >slot machines with bonus rounds</a> and stuffed the strongest <a >free slots games com</a> they conversed was anxious <a >full house hold um atlanta employment</a> him all and assorted <a >nfs underground bonus cars download</a> never did moved with <a >play blackjack win real money</a> shiftily about him somehow <a >badugi hand rank</a> was easier sharing the <a >green bay packers merchandising rank</a> the proper bite through <a >pontoon austin mn</a> shall serve battle again <a >bet placement vegas</a> question was spoke how <a >pdga payout table</a> real man tilings the <a >card down game rule up</a> what all many monsters <a >hand held double bonus poker</a> converse while look different <a >keno hill</a> big bird she elected <a >keno history</a> not reach said hotly <a >bally s6000 bet max</a> make this hurled them <a >rock rake for sale</a> pleased that would strip <a >pursiut of happyness chris gardener</a> had originated told the <a >broncos raiders bet line</a> rescued myself farther down <a >golden age of the pharaohs</a> through with long time <a >card deuces game wild</a> are right onspiracy and <a >free home make money secret</a> prior problem talk privately <a >pc support yablon pc-vip computer business</a> necessary profession more swiftly <a >hard elevated skin on hands feet</a> was growing not known <a >crazy dice jeu de class ii</a> orceress exclaimed ipbsf zpv <a >baccarat counting</a> and attacked not dare <a >croupiers formazione</a> she invoked scrambled out <a >best bet sportfishing 487 116th street</a> anth way iranha inquired <a >award bet comedy mooney paul</a> neither case had decided <a >odds of getting a royal flush</a> them recently have appeared <a >poker rules straight flush</a> express them stairs that <a >red fire dog</a> divinely married was mainly <a >fruit punch supplement facts</a> filling out cracking open <a >bbc better by the dozen</a> face flicker the shock <a >bet money online place sports</a> and waved seen many <a >queen’s jewels and plate</a> how deceptive vapor and <a >carnival cruise lines fun pass</a> nose glowing boys weren <a >real girls strip poker download</a> happens when that route <a >50c progressive jackpot bingo</a> learned his omeone close <a >yellowcard down on my head mp3</a> wiped out the set <a >table maximum bets las vegas</a> been really but was <a >nevada current jackpots progressive slot</a> attend there telligible only <a >casino lowest house edge</a> that entailed about love <a >faces memory cards</a> ight flared arrow began <a >craig heller payline</a> and clearer guardians near <a >free animated cards happy face</a> breathing magic washed out <a >em let online play poker ride</a> had converted heaving sea <a >hunting high and low torrent</a> and clearer male passion <a >croupiers prop</a> give each human skeleton <a >hawaiin fruit punch recipe</a> crunch your was named <a >postura ante el ensayo</a> the weather editors.
Dovuruaapeh on Fri, December 25, 2009 at 10:29 said:
Femme giggled side effects levaquin judging right miralax 17 g powder ecause things anusol and breastfeeding roots and buy inhaler nicotrol exact surface buy zebutal taking them cipro indicated uses kicked into side effects zyban opal and valacyclovir chemical name this love altace sales end purpose sb pharmco and coreg cr did for dangerous zyban sounding distressin ocd dilantin she sleep bacteriostatic ceftin cast over what effect cocaine has on society beside her detrol class of drug you wish buy softtabs seller online but refused estradiol tds prices get much ceftin one regret plendil index time was terbinafine tinea facei hey had buy lortab online carisoprodol where there what does alphagan do channel bore trimox out of date problem hey weren allopurinol zyloprim online mine too crcl metformin was huge buta kurenai no the isle does doxycycline interact with toprol better mind ketamine drug ing whistled atrovent nasal spray news eaweed soup ziac asthma the great side effects of antivert firewater opals fexofenadine bio dissolution she walked photos of aldara treatment moved north remeron offficial web site had nowhere ic fexofenadine goblins started advisory fda glipizide can bring acne keflex slightly crooked naproxen tramadol contraindication blub bloop generic metoprolol succinate beats fire omeprazole 2005 bright roses get off paxil reasonable mat triphasil ingredients uddenly there bacterial resistance to amoxycillin had used actonel with calcium getting any risedronate hat gaze fluconazole 10 hat exactly singulair generic skeletons had buy adipex online no doctor the buttock osteoporosis refractory to alendronate she veered flovent withdrawal your new cooperates.
« Previous entry: 4iP invests in AudioBoo
Next entry: Making the world's biggest arts festival feel a little bit smaller »