11 MiraMap: A Collective Awareness Platform to Support Open …
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11.3 Related Work on the Field
The MiraMap project in Torino has a common goal with other systems, offering an
online platform which allows citizens to interact with the public administration and
to send information (De Filippi et al. 2017b). They all have a transparent interface
and are easy to use, and allow to see the warning list and to check the status.
Differently than other projects based on maps such as the successful open-source
solution FixMyStreet in UK, a platform where people can send information and
discuss local problems about infrastructural issues, or the commercial products ePart
and ImproveMyCity, MiraMap focuses also on the proactive part where citizens can
report proposals and positive aspects of their neighbourhood. Differently than other
proposals such as IRIS Beta in Italy, which have a ‘social network’ character, it
is based on an interactive map, which multiplies the visibility of citizens actions.
Other community-aimed solutions such as Streetlife and EveryBlock do not connect
citizens with the administration.
Regarding web platforms and applications developed for residents of a neighbourhood or specific locality, we can differentiate three generations of technologies
on the basis of their interactivity (De Filippi et al. 2016).
First, we can consider the numerous community portals which list local
businesses and services, and are produced often by local residents, such
as through user-generated content, ranging from news to event listings
(e.g. www.lovecamden.org, http://www.sansalvario.org/, etc.). Even if the content
is shown in web pages without the use of maps, the geographical nature of the
information shared change, becoming based on specific areas of the cities, such as
neighbourhoods. Thus, the general objective is to provide online information to those
who are interested in getting to know what happens in a given part of the city.
Second, a recent approach has gone a step beyond information provision by
enabling people to have a direct link to others who live around them. Sometimes
people are also supported to engage with local businesses, associations and/or governing bodies. Examples of such approaches include the EU-funded MyNeighbourhood platform (www.my-n.eu/da) and the Polly & Bob platform in Germany (blog.
pollyandbob.com/). Discussions are enabled by blogs, discussion forums, event calendars, etc. In this case, simple GeoWeb applications enable citizens to map POI
and events. The general thrust is to encourage people to get involved within their
own neighbourhoods and engage their family and friends to do the same. Data and
functionality of existing City Information Apps (e.g., MyCityWay, Foursquare) are
combined with tools that connect people locally. My Neigbourhood also experiments
with basic gamification techniques to stimulate community building.
Whether in the first case the approach was mainly based on information, here the
focus is on facilitating communication between people.
Third, the applications of open-source software in post-emergency situations,
such as Ushahidi, that has been adopted—as will be demonstrated—in the pilot
Crowdmapping Mirafiori Sud/CMMS in Torino. Ushahidi, developed in Kenya to
map in 2008 the violence in the post-electoral period, is an open-source platform,
131
11.3 Related Work on the Field
The MiraMap project in Torino has a common goal with other systems, offering an
online platform which allows citizens to interact with the public administration and
to send information (De Filippi et al. 2017b). They all have a transparent interface
and are easy to use, and allow to see the warning list and to check the status.
Differently than other projects based on maps such as the successful open-source
solution FixMyStreet in UK, a platform where people can send information and
discuss local problems about infrastructural issues, or the commercial products ePart
and ImproveMyCity, MiraMap focuses also on the proactive part where citizens can
report proposals and positive aspects of their neighbourhood. Differently than other
proposals such as IRIS Beta in Italy, which have a ‘social network’ character, it
is based on an interactive map, which multiplies the visibility of citizens actions.
Other community-aimed solutions such as Streetlife and EveryBlock do not connect
citizens with the administration.
Regarding web platforms and applications developed for residents of a neighbourhood or specific locality, we can differentiate three generations of technologies
on the basis of their interactivity (De Filippi et al. 2016).
First, we can consider the numerous community portals which list local
businesses and services, and are produced often by local residents, such
as through user-generated content, ranging from news to event listings
(e.g. www.lovecamden.org, http://www.sansalvario.org/, etc.). Even if the content
is shown in web pages without the use of maps, the geographical nature of the
information shared change, becoming based on specific areas of the cities, such as
neighbourhoods. Thus, the general objective is to provide online information to those
who are interested in getting to know what happens in a given part of the city.
Second, a recent approach has gone a step beyond information provision by
enabling people to have a direct link to others who live around them. Sometimes
people are also supported to engage with local businesses, associations and/or governing bodies. Examples of such approaches include the EU-funded MyNeighbourhood platform (www.my-n.eu/da) and the Polly & Bob platform in Germany (blog.
pollyandbob.com/). Discussions are enabled by blogs, discussion forums, event calendars, etc. In this case, simple GeoWeb applications enable citizens to map POI
and events. The general thrust is to encourage people to get involved within their
own neighbourhoods and engage their family and friends to do the same. Data and
functionality of existing City Information Apps (e.g., MyCityWay, Foursquare) are
combined with tools that connect people locally. My Neigbourhood also experiments
with basic gamification techniques to stimulate community building.
Whether in the first case the approach was mainly based on information, here the
focus is on facilitating communication between people.
Third, the applications of open-source software in post-emergency situations,
such as Ushahidi, that has been adopted—as will be demonstrated—in the pilot
Crowdmapping Mirafiori Sud/CMMS in Torino. Ushahidi, developed in Kenya to
map in 2008 the violence in the post-electoral period, is an open-source platform,