2009 TECHNOLOGY IN ECR NATIONAL STRATEGIC PLANNING WORKSHOP

ECR Rebooted: Technology and Collaborative Processes

On May 6-8, 2009, the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution (the U.S. Institute) hosted a Technology in ECR National Strategic Planning Workshop. Close to 90 participants representing the federal government, academia, technology providers, and ECR practitioners participated in this national planning effort. The effort resulted in a series of recommended next steps that will be used to guide the integration of technologies into environmental collaboration and conflict resolution processes.

The workshop opened with a technology fair, with presentations from technology providers such as Google Earth and ESRI joined by a range of public, private, nonprofit, and academic presenters. The technology fair introduced participants to a growing suite of technology tools and applications that can enhance collaborative processes (Figure 1). Panel presentations and other keynote speakers provided participants additional exposure to emerging technologies.

Workshop sessions engaged participants in discussions about the opportunities and challenges of integrating emerging technologies into environmental conflict resolution (ECR) processes. After framing the issues, participants developed a national vision and a preliminary strategic plan. Participants also identified the need to form a community of practitioners, consisting of technology providers and ECR professionals, to collaboratively implement the strategic plan.

In the coming months, the newly forming community of practitioners will begin to

Develop resources to help facilitate the integration of technologies into ECR

  • by creating mechanisms for identifying available ECR technology tools
  • by creating mechanisms for identifying practitioners with ECR technologies experience

Create incentives to encourage the innovative use of technologies

  • by working to establish award systems to motivate and recognize ECR technology innovations
  • by identifying funding sources to underwrite pilot applications of ECR technologies

Develop capacity for integrating technologies into ECR processes

  • by developing training modules that help practitioners, project managers, and stakeholders understand the range of technologies available; how these technologies might be used; and the relative strengths, limitations and best practices associated with use

Build cross-disciplinary partnerships to promote the evolution of ECR appropriate technologies

  • by linking technology developers with practitioners to create a feedback mechanism to inform the evolution of ECR appropriate technologies
  • developing training modules as a resource for technologists to better understand the processes of ECR

Encourage practice and policy development related to the integration of technology into ECR processes

  • by establishing feedback mechanisms to document the adoption of technologies, the successes, and the lessons learned
  • by creating baseline best practices for the appropriate and effective use of ECR technologies, and creating mechanisms to facilitate the evolution of these practices over time
  • by engaging the research community and the ECR field in developing mechanisms to enhance the integration of appropriate science into decision making.

Figure 1. Examples of technologies for environmental collaboration and conflict resolution

Engagement/Communication Tools
  • Push Technologies (Email, electronic flyers, etc.)
  • Digital Story Telling (Video, Google Earth Touring, etc.)
  • Feedback/Commentary (Blogs, Twitts, Google Sites, etc.)
  • Collaborative Authoring (Wiki, Google Docs, My Maps, etc.)
  • Polling Tools (Keypad, hand vote, etc.)
  • Interactive Tools (Touch Tables, anyWare Planning, etc.)
  • Social Networking (Facebook, MySpace, Flickr, YouTube, etc.)
Visualization Tools
  • Maps (Google Earth, Visual Earth, World Mapping Kit, etc.)
  • 3D (3D Studio Max, Blitz 3D, SketchUp, OGRE, etc.)
  • Visual Media (Photo galleries, videos, etc.
  • Photomontage/Visual Preference Surveys
  • Serious Games (Smart City, SimCity, etc.)
  • Tredalyzer
Decision Analysis Tools
  • Spatial Analysis (ArcGIS, etc.)
  • Scenario Planning and Trade-offs (INDEX, Shared Vision Planning, FRAME, OASIS, MetroQuest, CommunityViz, etc.)
  • Predictive Modeling (TRANSIM, EcoGen Predictive, Ecosystem Mapping, etc.)
  • Online Scorecards (Walkscore, etc.)
  • Spreadsheet Analysis (LEAP, etc.)
  • Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (InfoHarvest, etc.)
  • Ecosystem (HydroLogics, etc.)
  • Resources (Tools Explorer, EBM Tools, etc.)
Implementation Tools
  • Project Management Tools (Zoho Projects, Google Docs, Google Group, etc.)
  • Content Management (Drupal, Joomla, Wordpress, etc.)
  • Process Tools (Dynamic Charrettes, Appreciative Inquiry, etc.)
  • Stakeholder Management (PMLINK 360, etc.)
Evaluation and Monitoring Tools
  • Feedback Tools (Online Surveys, Twitter, etc.)
  • Impact Analysis Tools (MetroQuest, CommunityViz, etc.)

The U.S. Institute would like to thank the workshop steering committee members: Lisa Bourget, Stacy Lansdale, and Hal Cardwell, USACE Institute of Water Resources; Carie Fox, Fox Mediation; Jordan Henk, Redlands Institute; Philip Murphy, InfoHarvest; Tahnee Robertson, Southwest Decision Resources; and Peter Williams, USDA Forest Service.

The U.S. Institute would also like to acknowledge the many sponsors and supporters of the event, especially the technology fair exhibitors:

  • Ecosystem Research Group: Gregory Kennett and Jim Chew
  • ESRI: John Steffenson
  • FRAME: Christine Turner, George Leavesley, and Jim Chew
  • Google Earth Outreach: Rebecca Moore and Tanya Keen
  • HydroLogics: Dan Sheer
  • InfoHarvest: Philip Murphy and Patrick Crehan
  • Mapping for Change: Coleen Whitaker
  • PlaceMatters: Ken Snyder
  • PMLINK 360: Steve Artis
  • Tools Explorer: Jordan Henk
  • U.S. Air Force Headquarters: James Sample
  • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Institute for Water Resources, and Sandia National Laboratories: Hall Cardwell, Lisa Bourget, and Vince Tidwell

To download the forthcoming ECR 2.0 National Technology in ECR Strategic Plan and to learn about opportunities to participate in the ECR 2.0 Community of Practice, visit http://sites.google.com/site/ecrtech2009.

For more information, contact Larry Fisher, project lead and U.S. Institute senior program manager at fisher@ecr.gov.