INTRODUCTION Global consciousness on climate change problems and adaptation revolves around the disparity of information sharing and communication gap between theoretical scientific knowledge at academic end and practical implications of these at the vulnerable populations' end. Coastal communities facing socio-economic stress, like densely populated Sundarbans, are the most affected part of th...

In participatory design projects, maintaining effective communication between facilitator and participant is essential. This paper describes the consideration given to the choice of communication modes to engage participation of rural Indonesian craftspeople over the course of a significant 3 year project that aims to grow their self-determination, design and business skill. We demonstrate the ...

In this paper we describe a novel platform for virtual worlds called Global Lab. Through example applications, we demonstrate the capabilities of this platform for ubiquitous simulation and experimentation for sensor-based systems. Furthermore, with multimedia information representation and support for bi-directional communication real and virtual devices are connected in the example of a parti...

VideoProbe is an example of a technology probe, which combines the goals of gathering data about daily family life, inspiring ideas for new communication technologies and testing them in real-world settings. Family members living in remote households can share pictures and personal information with each other via a closed, secure network. This paper reports our experiences installing videoProbe...

Public participatory geographic information systems (PP GIS) aim at enlarging citizen’s involvement and participation in decision-making processes. In this paper we review existing online PP GIS applications and present the framework of our analysis. We concentrate on the aspects of interactivity of such applications and the GIS functionalities needed for their operation. First results of ongoi...

Updating of the key concepts of media education is absolutely necessary due to the changes introduced by the digital revolution. This article looks into the ways that the key media education concepts are modified in the digital age according to the ongoing, international scientific debate. It suggests their adapting to make them fully relevant to the digital media and participatory culture. The...

This paper summarises the results of a study of user habituation, usage and involvement with a shared virtual 3D environment acting as a meeting space. Employing a participatory design process, the study investigated the effectiveness of a range of design features aimed at enhancing communication, discussion and social interaction among a group of four users of the shared space for six sessions...

The budget is the key means for effecting policy in democracies, yet its preparation is typically an opaque and arcane process. Participatory budgeting is making inroads in municipalities, but is usually limited to a small fraction of the total budget as its methods do not scale: They cannot handle quantitative budget items nor hierarchical budget construction. Here we apply the Condorcet princ...

This study aimed to examine key factors affecting rural female facilitators’ role in participatory rural development in Tehran Province. Since the researchers intended to have a better insight into the facilitators’ role and employ inquiry as a learning forum for bringing about changes for all participants, they preferred to use a case study based upon an appreciative inquiry method. The study ...